These are the questions customers ask us most often about bathroom tiling. If yours isn’t covered, send it through our contact form or email [email protected] and one of our tilers will give you an honest answer.
Questions tilers actually get
How long does it take to tile a bathroom?▾
A typical family bathroom takes three to five days of tiling work. That covers preparation, tanking the wet areas, setting out, fixing, grouting and sealing. Large-format tiles, intricate patterns or a full wet room conversion add time, because more of the job goes into getting the substrate flat and the falls right before a single tile goes on.
Your written quotation will give you a timescale for your specific bathroom, so you know what to expect before we start.
Can you tile over my existing tiles?▾
Sometimes, but we’re honest about when it’s a bad idea. Tiling over old tiles is only sound if the original ones are firmly bonded, the wall or floor can carry the extra weight, and the added thickness won’t cause problems at doors, sockets or sanitaryware. Plasterboard and plaster have real weight limits per square metre, and doubling up tiles eats into them quickly.
In showers and wet areas we nearly always recommend stripping back, because we can’t tank over a surface we can’t trust. Removing the old tiles lets us check the substrate, fix any hidden damage and give you a finish that will last.
Should I choose a wet room or a shower tray?▾
A shower tray is quicker to install, simpler to waterproof and usually the more economical choice, which is why it suits most bathroom refits. A wet room gives you level access and a clean, open look, but it needs the floor built up or cut into to create falls to the drain, and the whole area must be fully tanked before tiling.
Wet rooms are a genuine specialism of ours. If you’re weighing it up, a free home design visit is the easiest way to talk through what your floor construction will allow. You can read more on our wet rooms and tanking page or book a visit.
Do I really need tanking?▾
In showers and wet rooms, yes. Tiles and grout are water resistant but not waterproof, and over time moisture will find its way through grout joints into the wall behind. Tanking is a waterproof membrane applied to the substrate before tiling, and it’s what actually keeps the water out of your building.
It’s a modest part of the job that prevents the most expensive kind of failure, which is why we treat it as standard practice in wet areas rather than an optional extra.
Who supplies the tiles?▾
Either of us can. Many customers use our free home design visits, where a consultant brings tile samples to your door so you can see colours and textures in your own light. We call it the tile shop that comes to you. We then supply the tiles as part of the quotation, itemised clearly.
If you’ve already fallen for a tile elsewhere, that’s no problem at all. We’re happy to fit tiles you supply, and we’ll advise on quantities, wastage and whether the tile suits the room before you commit.
How do I choose a grout colour?▾
The two honest options are match or contrast. A grout close to the tile colour makes the surface read as one and hides the joints; a contrasting grout turns the joint pattern into part of the design, which works beautifully with metro and patterned tiles. On floors, a slightly darker grout is more forgiving of everyday life.
Our consultants carry grout colour samples on design visits, so you can hold them against your chosen tile rather than guessing from a screen.
