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Unilock Bathroom Remodeling: The Long Beach Owner’s Guide
A full Unilock bathroom remodel in Long Beach typically runs $9,000 to $28,000, depending on the size of the space, the Unilock product line you choose, and whether we’re moving plumbing or keeping the footprint as-is. We stock Unilock pavers, wall units, and coping at our Long Beach yard, so most material questions get answered same-day when you call (562) 512-7086. Most homeowners find us when a Unilock paver floor has started to shift in a shower, or a Unilock wall unit has cracked near the base from years of moisture and Long Beach’s salt air.
Which Unilock Models This Applies To
Unilock makes three product families that show up in Long Beach bathrooms: the U-Cara Multi-Face Wall System, the Thornbury and Mattoni paver lines for floors, and the Ledgestone veneer series for accent walls and shower surrounds. Each line has different dimensions. U-Cara panels run 8 by 16 inches and lock into a starter strip that must be perfectly level. Thornbury pavers come in 3-piece modular bundles so the joints align without cutting. If you have a Unilock product label, it’s usually printed on the back of a paver or on the end cap of a wall panel box. If not, we match by measuring the face dimensions and the corner radius. For Unilock, OEM parts are worth the cost because the color blends are factory-controlled across dye lots. A generic paver from a big-box store won’t match a 5-year-old Unilock floor, and once it’s set in mortar, the mismatch is permanent. Elmstead Remodeling Long Beach is an independent contractor, not a Unilock dealer or affiliate, but we order direct from Unilock’s distribution network so the dye lot codes are tracked.
Styles & brands we work with
Signs Your Unilock Bathroom Remodeling Is Failing
- Paver floor is rocking or sounds hollow when tapped. This means the mud bed underneath has begun to crumble, usually from water that found its way past a failed grout joint. The paver itself is likely fine. The substrate is not.
- White mineral deposits forming on the paver surface. This is efflorescence, and in Long Beach it’s more aggressive because the tap water carries higher mineral content than inland areas. It signals moisture is moving through the paver, not around it, and the seal layer has been breached.
- U-Cara wall panel pulling away from the wall near the shower head. The starter strip has usually rusted or the wall behind it has retained moisture. You’ll see a gap at the bottom of the panel first. If ignored, the panel can drop and take the waterproofing layer with it.
- Dark staining along the bottom 2 – 3 inches of a Ledgestone wall. This is water wicking from a failed pan liner or a missing weep hole. By the time the stain is visible on the stone face, the substrate behind it has had months of moisture contact.
- Grout turning to powder in specific joints. If it’s one joint, it may be a settling issue. If it’s several joints in a line, the floor is moving and the Unilock pavers are flexing. The fix is not regrouting. It’s pulling and resetting the affected section.
See the difference
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After
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AfterReplacement Cost & What’s Included
Here’s what we tell Long Beach homeowners when they ask about cost on a Unilock bathroom project:
- Full Unilock bathroom remodel: $9,000 – $28,000
- Unilock paver shower floor replacement: $2,500 – $5,000
- U-Cara shower wall replacement: $3,500 – $7,000
- Ledgestone accent wall repair: $800 – $2,500
Every one of those numbers includes the Unilock materials, mortar, waterproofing membrane, sealant, and our labor to remove the failed section and set the replacement properly. The range shifts based on how much of the original substrate is still sound. If we have to rebuild a shower pan or redo a mud bed, that’s the difference between a $2,500 repair and a $5,000 repair. Before any work starts, you get a written line-item price from Graham Stein. The price I write down on day one is the price on the invoice when we’re done. Workmanship is covered by our 365-Day Done Right Promise. If any Unilock piece shifts, cracks, or separates within a year of completion, we return and fix it at no charge.
DIY or Call Us?
Here’s what a homeowner can safely check before calling anyone: whether a paver is loose to the touch, whether a wall panel has visible separation at the bottom, and whether the grout is cracked in a pattern. That tells us what to bring. What should not be done by hand is resetting a Unilock paver over a damaged mud bed, replacing a U-Cara starter strip, or any work inside a shower pan area. Once the waterproofing layer is compromised, the repair is no longer cosmetic. You’re dealing with the layer that keeps water out of your Long Beach home’s framing, and a wrong mortar choice or a missed weep hole means rot that you’ll only discover years later during a much bigger remodel. If the issue is on a shower floor or a wall that gets daily water, call (562) 512-7086. We’ll schedule a time and bring the Unilock sample books so you can match the dye lot before we touch anything.
FAQs
A properly installed Unilock paver bathroom floor lasts 20 – 30 years in Long Beach’s climate, but the weak point is always the waterproofing under it, not the paver itself. Salt air near the coast accelerates metal starter strips and any exposed fasteners, so we use a polymer-coated starter strip on Long Beach bathroom jobs when it’s called for. The paver itself rarely fails. What fails first is the layer protecting the house from water.
No. U-Cara and Ledgestone panels are modular, and once the face is cracked, water has a direct path into the substrate behind it. Repairing the crack with epoxy or filler is temporary and will fail again, usually within the same season. The honest fix is removing the damaged panel, replacing any compromised moisture barrier behind it, and setting a new panel from the same dye lot.
Most paver floor replacements or wall panel swaps take 1 – 2 working days, once the old section is out and we can see the condition of the substrate underneath. If the substrate needs rebuilding, add another day. We schedule the same two-person crew from the first day to the last, and there are no change orders unless we find something that is unsafe or against code.
We keep the most common Unilock pavers, U-Cara panels, and Ledgestone corner units at our Long Beach yard, but every color and finish is not in stock at all times. If your specific Unilock product is not on our shelf, we order it direct from Unilock and it’s typically here within 5 – 7 business days. We also work with KraftMaid, Cambria, and Silestone for other bathroom and kitchen surfaces. For an exact price and timeline, call (562) 512-7086 and describe what you have. Estimates are free, and we’ll drive out to Long Beach to match the sample in person.
Written by Graham Stein, Owner, Elmstead Remodeling Long Beach at Elmstead Remodeling Long Beach, serving Long Beach and nearby areas.
