A Bathroom from Scratch: 8 Renovation Stages You Cannot Skip
A bathroom is the most expensive place to make a mistake. A crooked wall in the living room can be repainted; a leak under the tiles means taking the floor apart. Here is what a proper bathroom renovation looks like, step by step.
1. Design and tile layout
Before demolition we decide where the shower, WC, basin, drain, sockets and lights will go. The tile layout is drawn in advance, so joints sit symmetrically and narrow cuts end up where nobody sees them.
2. Strip-out to the base
Old tiles, screed and pipes come out completely. Only then can you see the condition of the base and any old leaks.
3. Pipework — and a pressure test
Water and drainage are run to the design. Before the walls are closed, the system is held under pressure: a weak joint shows up now, not a year later in the apartment below.
4. Electrics and ventilation
Sockets and lights in a bathroom must be moisture-rated and at a safe distance from water. The extractor has to actually work, or mould will follow.
5. Screed with falls
A walk-in shower floor is laid with a fall towards the drain. Get it wrong by a couple of millimetres and water will sit by the door.
6. Waterproofing — and a flood test
The floor and wet areas of the walls are waterproofed, then the floor is flooded and left for a day. No leak — tiling can start. This is the stage most often skipped, and the main reason bathrooms get redone.
7. Tiling to the layout
Laid to a laser level, following the drawn layout. Grout and sealant are applied properly: in wet areas the joints must keep water out too.
8. Fixtures and a final check
Fixtures, vanity units and mirrors go in, joints are sealed. Every tap, waste and drain is tested.
Where corners get cut — and what follows
- No flood test — the leak shows up downstairs.
- No layout — a cut tile in the middle of the wall and wandering joints.
- No falls — water sits by the door.
- No pressure test — a leak inside the wall.
We go through all eight stages on every project and photograph everything before it disappears behind the tiles.