Free written scope consultation - allowances, timeline, and change-order rules on paper before a single trade is scheduled
Unilock Bathroom Remodeling: The Los Angeles Owner’s Guide
A full Unilock bathroom remodel in Los Angeles typically runs $10,620 – $33,040 installed, depending on the size of the room, the Unilock product line you choose, and how much plumbing or structural work sits behind the walls. We carry and install Unilock-compatible bathroom products across LA, from pavers used as bathroom flooring accents to Unilock wall systems that hold up in damp California bathrooms. Most owners discover they need this page when a tile has cracked along a shower curb, a paver has loosened near the toilet flange, or they’re standing in a bathroom that simply does not drain the way it used to.
That last one is worth pausing on. In Silver Lake and Echo Park homes built before the 1980s, we regularly pull up Unilock pavers in bathroom floors and find the substrate underneath was never sloped toward the drain. The paver isn’t the failure. The original install was. Which is why the written scope matters before anyone touches a chisel.
Which Unilock Models This Applies To
Unilock’s outdoor paver lines get a lot of attention in Los Angeles, but their wall and stone products cross over into bathroom work more often than homeowners expect. The U-Cara Multi-Face Wall System, Brussels Block, Mattoni, and Courtstone lines are the ones we see specified in LA bathroom remodels, usually as shower floor accents, vanity backsplash feature walls, or curbed shower thresholds. For the bathroom specifically, the pavers need to be sealed properly for continuous wet exposure, which is a different conversation than a patio install.
Here’s the compatibility gotcha most people miss: Unilock pavers are manufactured in metric dimensions with specific joint tolerances, and a paver that fits a shower floor perfectly will not fit a curb without being cut, and once cut, the exposed aggregate changes the look. If you want the factory edge visible, you plan the layout before the first tile is set. That’s a layout-and-templating step, not a buying step.
For OEM versus aftermarket: Unilock does not sell direct to homeowners, so the “OEM” conversation is really about ordering through an authorized Unilock dealer versus picking up look-alike pavers from a big-box store. The look-alikes are usually thinner, and in a wet bathroom, thin pavers crack. We spec genuine Unilock where the design calls for it, and we tell you the price difference up front.
Elmstead Remodeling is an independent remodeling contractor in Los Angeles. We are not affiliated with Unilock, and we do not hold ourselves out as a Unilock dealer. We install their products alongside other named brands like KraftMaid, Cambria, and Silestone, and we stand behind the installation with our own 365-Day Done Right Promise.
Styles & brands we work with
Signs Your Unilock Bathroom Remodeling Is Failing
- Water pooling around the toilet flange or shower pan edge. This usually means the paver substrate has settled or the slope was never pitched correctly. In Los Angeles, the same clay soil that shifts driveways also moves bathroom subfloors in slab homes. The paver itself is rarely the first thing to fail.
- Hairline cracks running across multiple pavers in a line. A single cracked paver is a bad unit or an impact. A line of cracks means the substrate flexed underneath, and the pavers flexed with it. You’re looking at a subfloor repair, not a paver swap.
- Loose pavers that rock when you step on them. The mortar or thin-set bedding has broken its bond, often from repeated wet-dry cycling in a shower floor. Each rocking paver rubs against its neighbor, and the damage spreads out from there.
- Efflorescence or white mineral streaks on paver faces. Water is wicking through the paver and evaporating on the surface, leaving salt behind. In a bathroom, this almost always traces back to a waterproofing membrane that got punctured or was never installed up the full wall height.
- Grout or joint sand washing out after every shower. This is the earliest warning sign, and Los Angeles homeowners miss it because it looks like normal wear. It is not. It means water is moving through the joints instead of over the surface.
See the difference
Before
After
Before
After
Before
AfterReplacement Cost & What’s Included
A full Unilock bathroom remodel in Los Angeles runs $10,620 – $33,040. The low end covers a compact guest bath or powder room where we’re replacing flooring, vanity, fixtures, and a standard tub surround with minimal plumbing movement. The high end reflects a primary suite bathroom where we move plumbing, build a walk-in shower with Unilock paver flooring, add a freestanding tub, and redo the wall tile floor to ceiling. Most of our LA bathroom remodels land between $14,000 and $22,000.
| Scope | Los Angeles Installed Range |
|---|---|
| Small Unilock bathroom refresh (floor, vanity, fixtures) | $5,900 – $14,160 |
| Full Unilock bathroom remodel | $10,620 – $33,040 |
| Walk-in shower with Unilock paver floor | $5,310 – $14,160 |
| Unilock paver flooring only (bathroom, ~60 sq ft) | $2,360 – $5,310 |
The price is broken down in writing: materials, labor, demolition, waterproofing, and clean-up each get their own line. Every project includes drop cloths on the floors, shoe covers at the door, and a photo of the clean-up before the crew leaves. We give you a written price before any work starts. If the scope changes mid-project because of something we find behind the wall, we stop work and put that change in writing before we continue. The written scope is the promise, if it is not on the paper, we have not agreed to it yet.
DIY or Call Us?
You can absolutely pull the toilet and check for water damage around the flange, and you can remove a single loose paver to look at the bedding underneath. That’s a reasonable weekend inspection, and it tells you whether you’re dealing with a localized issue or a larger substrate problem. What you should not do is start chiseling out a shower pan or removing pavers from a wet area without a plan for the waterproofing layer. Once that membrane is compromised, the water damage spreads sideways into the walls and down into the floor framing, and the repair cost climbs fast.
Graham Stein has pulled more failed bathroom floors in Los Angeles than he cares to count, and the pattern is consistent: someone tried a partial fix, the leak continued for another year, and the final repair cost twice what the original job would have. If you’re not sure whether your Unilock bathroom floor is failing or just old, call us at (949) 850-9896. We’ll help you figure out what you’re actually looking at, and an estimate is free.
FAQs
With proper waterproofing and a correctly prepared substrate, a Unilock bathroom installation in Los Angeles should last 25 – 30 years before the pavers themselves need attention, though the sealant on wet-area pavers typically needs reapplication every 3 – 5 years. The weak point is almost never the Unilock product. It’s the membrane underneath. Call (949) 850-9896 and we’ll tell you what we’re seeing in your neighborhood.
Yes, isolated cracks and loose pavers can be re-set or replaced individually, but only if the substrate and waterproofing beneath them are still sound. If the failure came from a membrane puncture or a flexing subfloor, a spot repair will fail again. We assess the substrate before recommending any repair path, and we’ll put that assessment in writing.
A small bathroom refresh typically takes 3 – 5 working days, while a full Unilock bathroom remodel in Los Angeles runs 2 – 4 weeks depending on plumbing moves, custom shower builds, and material lead times. We schedule around your family’s sleep hours and quiet times where we can, and we tell you the timeline before the first day of work.
We order Unilock products directly for each project because the specific paver, color, and quantity need to match your existing installation, and order times in Los Angeles are usually 1 – 2 weeks. We handle the ordering, lead time, and freight so you don’t have to coordinate it. Call (949) 850-9896 and we’ll check current availability for your specific Unilock line.
If this is your bathroom, and you want the Unilock install done once and done right, call Elmstead Remodeling at (949) 850-9896. We’ll walk the space with you, write the scope, and give you a price before any work starts. No voicemail, no bot, no waiting. A live person answers the phone, day or night.
Written by Graham Stein, Owner, Elmstead Remodeling at Elmstead Remodeling, serving Los Angeles and nearby areas.
