How Is a Bathroom Renovation Done?

In what order is a bathroom renovated?

The sequence runs like this: survey and measuring, strip-out and debris removal, plumbing for clean and waste water, floor falls and waterproofing, a check on the waterproofing, tiling, sanitaryware and taps, cabinets, mirrors and lighting, then silicone, grout and the final clean.

That order is not arbitrary. Waterproofing goes under the tiles, so once tiles are laid the only way to correct it is to take them up again. Floor falls are formed before tiling for the same reason: if the fall is wrong, water does not reach the drain and stands in the shower area.

How long does a bathroom renovation take?

It depends on the size of the bathroom and whether the plumbing is being renewed. A job that only renews tiling and sanitaryware is short; a full renovation, with plumbing and waterproofing rebuilt from scratch, takes noticeably longer.

What usually stretches the schedule is waiting rather than labour: screed and waterproofing products have to cure, grout has to set, and those stages cannot be rushed. Work that tries to shorten them shows itself in the first year as lifting grout and damp patches.

For a realistic timetable a survey is essential: any estimate given without seeing the current state of the bathroom is bound to change once work starts.

Which stage is the most expensive to get wrong?

The costliest mistake is in the waterproofing. If it is incomplete or badly applied, water reaches the neighbouring walls and the flat below. At that point the repair covers not only your bathroom but also the ceiling downstairs, and putting it right means lifting finishes that were only just installed.

Second comes the floor fall. If the slope does not run to the drain, water stands in the shower area, which brings both a slip risk and grout that stays permanently wet and fails early.

This is why tiling should never start before the waterproofing has been checked. That check takes a few hours and saves years of trouble.

Can we stay in the home during the work?

If there is only one bathroom, you will need an alternative for the duration; in a home with two bathrooms, staying put is usually workable.

The dusty, noisy stages are the strip-out and breaking days. They are short and can be scheduled back to back. With a dust barrier between the work area and the rest of the home, the remainder of the house stays largely usable.

Can a bathtub be replaced with a shower?

It can, and it is one of the most requested changes. The tub comes out and a shower tray, or a level-access shower area with no tray at all, takes its place.

Two details decide the outcome: the floor fall and the waterproofing. In a level-access shower there is no lip to hold water back, so only the slope directs it; get the slope wrong and water spreads across the bathroom floor. A tray-free solution therefore asks for more careful groundwork than one with a tray.