Strip out, first fix, tiling, second fix. Knowing the sequence makes a bathroom project far less stressful.
A typical full bathroom takes us between five and ten working days depending on size, tiling and whether any building work is involved. Knowing the running order helps you plan around it.
Day one is strip out and waste removal. The room goes back to bare walls and floor, and that's usually when any hidden surprises, rotten floorboards, previous bodges, old lead or steel pipework, come to light.
First fix is next: all the hot, cold and waste pipework, plus electrics for lighting, extraction, shaver points and underfloor heating. Nothing is visible at this stage but it's the part that decides whether the room lasts twenty years or two.
Then boarding and tanking, especially in a wet room or a shower area. Tile backer board and a proper tanking membrane are non-negotiable, this is where corners get cut on cheap quotes.
Tiling, then second fix: sanitaryware, brassware, shower valves, vanity units, sealant and trims. We test everything under pressure before we leave and hand the room over cleaned.
Choose your sanitaryware early. Long-lead brassware or a bespoke shower screen is the single most common reason a bathroom project overruns.
