Free written scope consultation - allowances, timeline, and change-order rules on paper before a single trade is scheduled
Schluter Kitchen Remodeling: The Los Angeles Owner’s Guide
If you have Schluter waterproofing, uncoupling membrane, or edge-profile components in your kitchen and something has failed, we stock and install Schluter-compatible kitchen remodeling materials throughout Los Angeles, with most complete kitchen remodels running $16,520 to $53,100 depending on scope. The most common way homeowners find us is a tile crack radiating from a countertop seam, a loose edge profile catching a sleeve, or water staining on the cabinet face below a sink run. We match the exact KERDI, DITRA, or profile series already in your home, write the price down before any work starts, and leave the kitchen cleaner than we found it.
Elmstead Remodeling is an independent contractor, not a Schluter affiliate. We use Schluter products because their warranties and spec sheets are public, specific, and verifiable, which matters when a family wants to know exactly what is going into their home.
Which Schluter Models This Applies To
Schluter’s kitchen footprint in Los Angeles homes typically falls into three product families. If your kitchen has a tile floor that has not cracked after a decade of settling, odds are there is a DITRA or DITRA-HEAT uncoupling membrane under it. If the counters, backsplash, or sink surround are tile over drywall or plywood, the waterproofing is usually KERDI, KERDI-BOARD, or KERDI-BAND at the seams. And if the tile edges end cleanly at a counter, window, or cabinet transition, the metal profile is from the Schiene, Rondec, Quadec, or Jolly line, each with a specific height that has to match the tile thickness plus thinset.
Here is the compatibility gotcha we see often in Los Angeles: homeowners find a profile online that looks right and buy it, only to discover the anchoring leg height is wrong for their tile. A profile sized for 3/8-inch tile will not work on 1/2-inch porcelain with a 1/8-inch thinset bed underneath. The part number on the original box or the visible profile face is what we need to match it. We stock the common heights on our trucks and order the rest direct, so you are not waiting on a guess.
When an OEM Schluter part is available, we use it. When it is discontinued or backordered, we will tell you and offer a quality aftermarket equivalent only if it matches the spec for the anchoring leg, material finish, and wear rating. You get that comparison in writing before anything is ordered.
Styles & brands we work with
Signs Your Schluter Kitchen Remodeling Is Failing
- Tile cracks running in a straight line across the floor. This usually means the substrate below moved and the uncoupling membrane either was not installed, was bridged by thinset, or has a seam that separated. The crack pattern tells us whether the membrane did its job.
- A tile edge profile that has lifted or catches when you wipe the counter. The anchoring leg has lost its bond, often because the thinset under that edge was skimmed too thin or the profile got stepped on during install. This is a repair we do in a single visit.
- Dark staining or swelling on the cabinet face below the sink or dishwasher. In a Schluter kitchen, water should stop at the KERDI layer. If it is showing below, a seam or a penetration was likely left unbanded, or the membrane was cut short behind the cabinet line.
- Grout crumbling at the counter-to-backsplash junction. This is a movement joint that should have been filled with a flexible sealant, not grout. We see it most often where the house has settled over decades, and Los Angeles soil movement is a real factor in older neighborhoods like Silver Lake and Echo Park.
- Hollow-sounding tile when tapped near a floor vent or doorway. This is a bond issue under the tile, not a Schluter product failure. It tells us the thinset coverage was low, and the fix usually involves pulling up the tile, checking the membrane, and reinstalling properly.
See the difference
Before
After
Before
After
Before
AfterReplacement Cost & What’s Included
For a Schluter-specific kitchen repair or remodel in Los Angeles, here are the ranges we write into proposals every week. A full Schluter kitchen remodel runs $16,520 to $53,100. A smaller kitchen, like a galley in a Mid-City bungalow, lands between $10,620 and $23,600. Cabinet installation runs $4,720 to $15,340, countertop installation $2,360 to $7,670, and a backsplash $945 to $2,950. If the work includes a kitchen island, that adds $3,540 to $11,800 depending on whether it needs plumbing or electrical.
Every one of those prices is written down before any work starts. The range reflects material, scope, and condition: is the existing subfloor flat enough for DITRA, do the cabinets come out and go back in, is there water damage behind the tile that has to be addressed first. The written scope is the promise, if it is not on the paper, we have not agreed to it yet.
The 365-Day Done Right Promise covers every Schluter kitchen we complete. If the tile cracks at a seam, a profile lifts, or water finds a path it should not have, we make it right. You do not chase us.
DIY or Call Us?
What you can safely do yourself: wipe the profile with a damp cloth and check the part number etched on the visible face, photograph the tile layout and any cracks, and check under the sink for water staining. That information helps us quote accurately over the phone.
What we would not recommend doing yourself: pulling up tile to inspect a membrane, cutting out KERDI seams, or attempting to rebed a profile. The risk is not so much injury as it is compounding the repair. A profile that is lifted halfway, then pulled the rest of the way, often bends the anchoring leg and turns a $300 repair into a $700 one. If water has reached the cabinet substrate, it needs to be opened, dried, and assessed, not patched over. If you are unsure whether you are looking at a surface issue or a substrate issue, call (949) 850-9896 and describe what you see. We will tell you honestly whether it needs a visit.
FAQs
A properly installed Schluter membrane should outlast the tile on top of it, typically 30 years or more. The failure we see in Los Angeles is almost never the membrane itself, but the seams, the edges, or the thinset bond underneath. If those details are done right, the system holds. Call (949) 850-9896 and we can assess your specific kitchen.
Yes, in most cases a failed seam or a lifted profile can be repaired without remodeling the entire kitchen. We open the affected area, replace the band or profile, and retile to match. The key is catching it before water spreads behind the cabinets. Call (949) 850-9896 and describe what you are seeing, we will tell you over the phone whether it sounds like a contained repair or something bigger.
A single profile replacement is usually done in one day, including curing time for the thinset. A membrane seam repair at the sink run typically takes two days because we let the bonding layer set overnight before retiling. If it is a full kitchen remodel with Schluter throughout, plan for four to eight weeks depending on scope. Call (949) 850-9896 for a written timeline before any work starts.
We stock the common profile heights for Rondec, Schiene, Quadec, and Jolly on our trucks, along with KERDI-BAND and DITRA membrane rolls for standard kitchen layouts. Anything unusual gets ordered with a written lead time before the crew arrives. We also work with KraftMaid, Cambria, and Silestone for the cabinet and countertop side of a Schluter kitchen, so the parts and the materials come from one accountable source. Call (949) 850-9896 and we will confirm same-week availability for your specific part.
If you are in Los Angeles and have a Schluter kitchen question, call (949) 850-9896 for a free estimate. A live person answers, we listen to what you are seeing, and we will tell you honestly what it will take to fix it right. Graham Stein and the Elmstead Remodeling crew have been working on Los Angeles kitchens for going on two decades, and we would rather explain the repair than sell you one you do not need.
Written by Graham Stein, Owner, Elmstead Remodeling at Elmstead Remodeling, serving Los Angeles and nearby areas.
