FEATURED in TileLetter Magazine: Shower Installation Redefined
Welch Tile’s WTS puts a new spin on shower fabrication and installation
Dan Welch, owner of NTCA Five-Star Accredited Contractor company Welch Tile, launched the Welch Tile Solutions (WTS) tiled shower system to address economic downturns and skilled labor shortages in the tile industry. Development began in 2019-2020 and the system was formally established in 2021.
Modules are assembled by a team of 8-10 people in-house, making it more ergonomic for installers and eliminating the need for installers to spend long hours on their knees.
This prefabricated shower pan and wall panel system offers time and cost savings, reduces installer strain, and ensures high-quality, waterproof results. WTS is highly flexible, accommodating various tile types, drain locations, and shower wall designs. The system even allows for on-site variations in drain locations.
Modules are assembled by a team of 8-10 people in-house (with expansion plans on the horizon). To facilitate the process and make it easier on installers’ bodies, WTS also features an innovative adjustable work table that improves ergonomics for installers, allowing them to maintain peak performance. Project components are situated at a waist-high height during fabrication, reducing the amount of time installers are on their knees.
Since development, the WTS system was used for 150 shower bases and linear drains constructed at Welch for the Canopy Hotel in Grand Rapids, Mich. These were installed on-site, with Welch’s commercial teams finishing the shower walls, bathroom floors, and vanity walls in all rooms.
The Canopy Hotel in Grand Rapids, Mich., features WTS in 150 shower bases and linear drains
Megan Garvey, director of Human Resources and Marketing for Welch Tile, said, “With a condensed schedule and so much tile throughout this project, Welch had to come up with a plan to do things differently, keeping all standards and requirements in mind.”
Welch fabricated rigid templates and provided them to framers to ensure the rough openings were framed properly.
Some of the innovative approaches include:
It was the first time ever using GPS to locate drain locations
Welch fabricated rigid templates and provided them to framers to ensure the rough openings were framed properly.
Water tests were performed at the shop. The county plumbing inspector was present for a set of water tests and was impressed by the validity and process of the watertight shower base.
Rooms were self-leveled before installing bases to establish a level substrate.
And in 2024, TileLetter reported on the 242 showers installed with WTS at Michigan’s Grand Traverse Resort and Spa Hotel.
Currently, two large projects are in the works: a hotel renovation and a new dormitory for a local college, consisting of 635 tile showers. To date, WTS installed showers are nearing the 1,500 mark.
Garvey outlined the many advantages of her company’s system.
Flexibility in tile, drain location, wall design: Welch can put the drain in any location that it needs to be. It essentially can and will accommodate any tile selection. The company advises on suggestions and best practice and has a designer on staff that can help optimize design.
Transportation: The way Welch packages for transport protects the tile and the shower, yet it is easy to unpack and produces minimal waste.
Speed: WTS reduces on-site install time by 90%. With WTS, a standard-size shower can be fully installed in 3-4 hours on-site.
Durability: WTS offers the same durability as a high-quality traditional install. In some cases the quality is even superior, due to modules being constructed in an environment that controls lights, water, temperature, and humidity, which are not always controllable on a jobsite.
Cost: A basic 3’x5’ shower with mid-level tile selections is cost-effective and comparable to others. Upgraded tile selections, overall size, expanded height, niche, bench, or add-ons would add to the cost, as they would in a traditional install. WTS offers greater sustainability as there is very minimal waste.
Ergonomic benefits for workers yield peak results: The work space for fabricating WTS modules reduces the time installers are on their knees during the installation of tiles on the modules. The same high-quality products are used in WTS fabrication as in the company’s high-end residential department; only the process differs. By embracing lean manufacturing principles and 5S methodologies, Welch supports employees in being as efficient as possible. There is less bending, stooping, carrying heavy objects, and workstations are designed to keep people in place while installing. Plus, custom hydraulic tilt tables allow the installers to bring the walls to them to install on.
Added leverage in obtaining tile specifications and projects: Being able to produce and install tiled showers in a different location is a game-changer on projects. The ability to offer commercial and manufacturing solutions ensures a high-quality install and more tile specified and installed on projects.
Two recent projects include the 239 showers at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel in Battle Creek, Mich., and the Dearborn Inn renovation. Welch collaborated with fellow NTCA member Artisan Tile, Inc. on the Dearborn Inn project to complete 103 showers at the historic Michigan inn.
Dearborn Inn renovation
Artisan Tile, Inc. of Brighton, Mich., partnered with WTS for 103 of the rooms in the Dearborn Inn Autograph Collection Hotel.
WTS had a hand in the renovation of the iconic 290,000-sq.-ft. Dearborn Inn, originally opened in 1931. This village-like hotel paid homage to Henry and Edsel Ford and was one of the first airport hotels in the country, accommodating travelers through the adjacent Ford Airport.
Welch partnered with fellow NTCA member Artisan Tile, Inc., of Brighton, Mich., on the project to complete over 103 showers on this historic renovation.
“As industry partners, we have supported and shared in WTS’ endeavors to strengthen our trade,” said Jennifer Panning, President of Artisan Tile.
She said her company’s biggest challenge is how to train, motivate, and retain people, while increasing market share with “the highest quality standards,” and meeting scheduling demands and owner expectations. The WTS system helps alleviate some of those challenges.
For the upscale Dearborn Inn Autograph Collection Hotel project, which encompassed 243 guest rooms, quality was the goal, but elaborate design and installation requirements couldn’t be achieved on schedule.
“Artisan brought WTS to the construction team,” Panning said. “The construction manager, owner, and design team reviewed and agreed to allow Artisan to install WTS.”
WTS streamlined the installation process in 103 of those rooms, which were especially challenging due to 21 unique room types that “created a lot of front end work” for Artisan, Panning added. This renovation “brought design gaps to the forefront, allowing the entire construction crews to make corrections in the framing stages—a win for all!,” she said.
DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel
The WTS team customized the walls to fit the specific solid surface flange on the base of the showers in the DoubleTree by Hilton Battle Creek.
The WTS system was part of the $75 million transformation of the McCalmly Hotel Plaza into the 16-story DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Battle Creek in 2024.
Garvey explained that the base was design-specified for solid surface, but the team customized the walls to fit the specific flange on the base. The result was a spate
of 239 showers (and some tile surrounds) completed using WTS.
Welch has built its reputation on excellence and innovation, and the opportunities that WTS provides are proof positive of that. Garvey said many of Welch’s internal discussions focus on benefitting the industry as a whole.
“One of our goals is to ensure that more tile is installed overall,” she said. “This solution is a way to make sure tile stays relevant and other non-tile items are not taking over tile’s market share. We want to be a part of elevating our industry!”
December 8th, 2025
Written by Lesley Goddin
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