Shekinah Renovations LLC · Service
Bathroom Tile Installation in Oklahoma City
Shekinah Renovations LLC installs bathroom tile throughout the Oklahoma City metro, including shower walls and pans, bathroom floors, tub surrounds, niches and accent bands. Tile is the visible half of the job and waterproofing is the half that decides how long it lasts, and we treat both as one scope. Owner Jimmy Garces Jr. sets the tile personally. Free estimates. Call or text (405) 532-3348.
Substrate First, Tile Second
Tile is only as flat and as stable as what it is set on. Before anything gets set we check the walls for plumb and the floor for deflection, replace any water damaged backer or subfloor, and flatten high and low spots. Large-format tile is unforgiving about this: a wall that is a quarter inch out over a few feet shows up as lippage between tiles that no amount of grout hides. On floors we confirm the framing can carry the tile without flexing, because tile does not bend and a bouncy floor cracks grout first and tile second. Wet areas get a waterproofing membrane over the board, with corners and penetrations detailed individually.
Layout Decisions That Change the Result
Where the first tile lands determines whether you end up with a sliver cut at eye level. We dry-lay the layout so that cuts fall in the least visible places, full tiles sit at the focal wall, and the pattern lines up across changes in plane. Niches get planned to land on grout lines rather than being cut in wherever the studs allow. On floors the layout starts from the sightline as you walk in the door, not from an arbitrary corner. This part costs time and no material, and it is most of the difference between tile that looks installed and tile that looks designed.
Grout, Sealant and Oklahoma Hard Water
Much of the metro runs hard water, which leaves mineral film on tile and grout and makes light grout in a shower look dingy faster than homeowners expect. We usually recommend a mid-tone grout in wet areas for that reason, and a high performance or epoxy grout where staining is a concern. Changes of plane, meaning inside corners, the joint where the wall meets the pan, and around the curb, get flexible sealant rather than grout, because those joints move seasonally and rigid grout in a moving joint will crack. Cementitious grout gets sealed after cure.
Tile Types We Work With
Porcelain is the default for bathrooms because it absorbs very little water and holds up to traffic. Ceramic is cheaper and fine on walls. Natural stone such as marble and travertine is beautiful and needs sealing and gentler cleaners, and it will etch if somebody uses an acidic cleaner on it, which is worth knowing before you choose it. Mosaic sheets give a shower floor better grip and follow the slope to the drain easily. Wood-look plank porcelain works well on bathroom floors and, unlike real wood, does not care about humidity swings between an Oklahoma summer and a heated winter.
Request a Free Tile Estimate
Send photos of the bathroom or call and describe it. Jimmy will come measure the walls and floor, look at the existing substrate, and give you a free written estimate covering demolition, waterproofing, setting materials and finish work. Related pages: [bathroom remodeling](/services/bathroom-remodeling), [walk-in shower installation](/services/walk-in-shower-installation) and [tub-to-shower conversion](/services/tub-to-shower-conversion). Serving [Oklahoma City](/locations/oklahoma-city), [Edmond](/locations/edmond), [Bethany](/locations/bethany), [Warr Acres](/locations/warr-acres) and the surrounding metro. Call or text (405) 532-3348.
A shower fails behind the tile, not on it
Tile is the finish. Whether a bathroom is still sound in ten years is decided by the layers nobody ever sees, and by whether anyone bothered to lay the job out before cutting.
Backer board set in mortar and screwed down
Cement board over a subfloor needs a bed of mortar under it and to be fastened properly. Screwed down over an air gap, it flexes, and flex is what cracks grout and tile later.
Waterproofing behind the surface
Seams, corners, and changes of plane are where water gets in. Those get waterproofed before tile goes on. A shower that was never waterproofed can look perfect and still be rotting the wall behind it.
The layout gets planned before the first cut
Niches lined up to the tile joints, full tiles where the eye lands, and cuts pushed to the edges. A niche that was cut in as an afterthought is obvious forever, and it is the detail people complain about most.
Slope, drain, and grout done to spec
Pans get sloped to the drain so water actually leaves. Grout and sealant get the right product for a wet area, and the joints get the cure time they need before the shower goes back into use.
Part of Our Bathroom Remodeling in Oklahoma City Services
Bathroom Tile Installation in Oklahoma City is one of the services included under our broader Bathroom Remodeling in Oklahoma City offering.
← Back to Bathroom Remodeling in Oklahoma CityLetting someone you found online into your house
It is a fair thing to be careful about, and we would rather answer it straight than talk around it. Shekinah Renovations is a newer company name. Jimmy is not new to the trade. He started at fourteen, learned it from his stepdad, and has been doing this work ever since.
- Every photo and video on this site is Jimmy's own work around the OKC metro. None of it is stock.
- We will put you in touch with people we have done work for. Ask on the walkthrough.
- Oklahoma does not issue a general contractor or remodeler license, so for most of what we do there is no state license to hold. Where a trade is licensed, we say so and bring in the right partner.
- The estimate is free and written down. You know the number, and the scope, before anything starts.
- The person who quotes your job is the person who shows up to do it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Porcelain is the default because it absorbs very little water and wears well. Ceramic is fine on walls. Natural stone looks beautiful but needs sealing and pH neutral cleaners. Wood-look plank porcelain gives a wood appearance without caring about humidity swings.
Much of the metro has hard water, which leaves mineral film on tile and grout. A mid-tone grout, or a high performance or epoxy grout in wet areas, keeps a shower looking clean much longer than light cementitious grout.
Caulked. Inside corners, the joint where the wall meets the pan, and the curb are changes of plane that move seasonally. Rigid grout in a moving joint cracks. Those joints get a flexible sealant matched to the grout color.
Often yes, because it demands a flatter substrate. A wall that is out of plane by even a small amount shows as lippage between large tiles that grout cannot hide, so wall prep and leveling take more time than with small tile.
Fair question, and it is the one we would ask too. Shekinah Renovations is a newer company, but Jimmy is not new to the trade. He started at fourteen, learned it from his stepdad, and has been doing this work ever since. Every photo and video on this site is his own work around the metro, not stock, and we are glad to put you in touch with people we have worked for. He is also the one who shows up for the estimate and the one on site while the work happens.
Oklahoma does not issue a general contractor or remodeler license, so for most of what we do there is no state license to hold. For the trades the Construction Industries Board does license, Jimmy has applications in progress and we will tell you that plainly rather than imply otherwise. Where a job requires a licensed plumber, electrician, or registered roofer, we bring in the right trade partner for that portion. Ask about your specific job and you will get a straight answer.
Usually the same day. Call or text (405) 532-3348 and it reaches Jimmy directly. If he is on a job site with his hands full he will get back to you as soon as he is off it. Most people call two or three contractors and hire whoever actually answers, so we try to be that one.
Want This Priced for Your Place?
Call or text (405) 532-3348 or send us the details and we will come look at the job in person. The visit and the written estimate are free, and you are not committed to anything by asking.
Get a free estimatefree · no obligationCall or text Jimmy directly at (405) 532-3348