Home / Cost guides / What changes the price of a tiled bathroom?
What changes the price of a tiled bathroom?
Tiling a bathroom is priced by the walls and floor you want covered, whether a shower is in the room, and how the room is ventilated. This guide does not print a price per square, and it does not tell you to fix a tile.
Last reviewed:Surfaces, not a single room price
A tiled bathroom can mean a row of tiles behind a basin, every wall, a shower enclosure, a floor, or all of those. The labour, the preparation and the waste are different. This guide does not print a price for tiles or for fixing them. It says which lines make two quotes the same job.
The whole-room sequence, including the suite and the soil pipe, is bathroom installation. The tray under a shower is fitting a shower tray. The electric unit on the wall is electric shower installation. This page is the tiling.
Crewe, Nantwich and Sandbach are the towns named first. Anyone in the UK can post or register.
What the council's pages actually say
A planning application for installing a kitchen or bathroom is generally not required unless it is part of a house extension [S1]. If the property is a listed building, consult the local planning authority [S1]. Tiling is usually part of fitting out a room that is already a bathroom. If the tiling is inside a new extension, the extension is the planning question, not the adhesive. GOV.UK says works that alter a listed building in a way that affects its character require listed building consent, and that listing covers the building internally and externally unless the entry says otherwise [S2]. A tiled wall in a listed bathroom can be that kind of change if it removes historic plaster or a fitting that matters. Say if the house is listed. Do not assume glue and grout are invisible to the listing.
Any new bathroom or shower room should be provided with extract ventilation to reduce condensation and remove smells [S3]. If you are refurbishing, keep or replace any existing extract [S3]. If there is no existing system, you need not provide one, though you can [S3]. A quote to tile a brand-new en-suite that never mentions a fan has skipped a sentence the Portal treats as part of a new room. A quote to re-tile a bathroom that already has a fan should say the fan stays, or that it will be replaced. This page does not choose a fan.
GOV.UK: find your local council for building control. QuoteZila is not affiliated with this organisation.
Those planning and ventilation pages are installing a kitchen or bathroom and ventilation for kitchens and bathrooms. Building regulations approval is different from planning permission, and you might need both [S4]. GOV.UK also lists "install a bathroom that will involve plumbing" among projects that might need building regulations approval [S4]. Tiling alone is not that whole sentence. A bathroom install that includes plumbing might be. If your job is tiles on an existing bathroom, say so. If it is a new room, say so. Read building regulations approval with the Portal pages, not instead of them.
Walls, shower areas and the layer under the tiles
Ask the tiler what they are fixing to: existing plaster, a board, or a backing they will put up. This guide does not name a board and does not name a tanking product. It says the quote must say whether any waterproof layer goes on before the tiles in the shower, because "tile the bathroom" can mean tiles straight onto the wall or a layer in between. Those are different prices. If you do not know what is under the old tiles, say you do not know. Do not hack a patch off to find out if you are not the person doing the job.
A shower wall that is soaked whenever someone washes is a wetter case than a wall beside a basin that only sees splashes. Write "full shower walls" or "basin splashback" so the two are not priced as one.
Movement, doors and a window in the tiled wall should be in the description. A window reveal is slower than a plain wall. A niche for bottles is extra. If you want them, list them. If you do not, say you do not, so they are not added as a surprise.
Floors, old coverings and asbestos
HSE lists vinyl floor tiles backed with asbestos paper and bitumen adhesive among coverings that can contain asbestos [S5]. Asbestos can be present in any building built or refurbished before 2000 [S6]. Disturbing those materials releases fibres [S6]. A new ceramic floor stuck over a sound existing floor is a different job from grinding up an old vinyl floor. Say what you can see. Ask the quote whether the old floor stays. If it comes up, ask who does that and whether they are treating it as a possible asbestos covering [S5]. This guide does not describe how to lift it.
The floor also has to meet the tray or the bath. That junction is where quotes go quiet. Ask whether the floor tiles finish against the tray, and who is responsible if the levels do not meet. The tray guide is the place for the tray itself. Here, the question is only the tiled floor.
Electrics near the bath stay with an electrician
Changing electrics near a bath or shower is among the alterations GOV.UK says might need building regulations approval [S4]. With the exception of some minor tasks, electrical work must be reported to the local authority building control body or carried out by a registered electrician in a government-approved scheme [S7]. Homeowners and landlords must be able to prove that the work meets Part P [S7]. The Planning Portal says that in England the spaces around baths and showers are special locations, and that adding a point in those spaces is not the same as adding one elsewhere [S8].
A tiler who moves a shaver light "while the wall is open" is doing electrical work. Ask for that to be a named electrician, or excluded in writing. Electrical Safety First: find a registered electrician; NICEIC; NAPIT. QuoteZila is not affiliated with this organisation. The building regulations page at Electrical Safety First is the register route. Tilers, bathroom fitters and electricians can all appear on one job. The quote should say which firm does which line.
The lines that make a price comparable
Citizens Advice says some traders charge for quotes, so ask first, and to try to get written quotes from at least 3 traders [S9]. A quote is a fixed price. An estimate is a rough guess, so you might pay more [S9]. Ask for a breakdown, with separate costs for materials, and for how long the price is valid for and whether VAT is included [S9]. A daily rate needs the days and the hours written down [S9].
| Line | What you want written |
|---|---|
| Walls | Which walls, and whether the shower is included |
| Floor | New tiles, or the old floor left in place [S5] |
| Preparation | What they fix to, and whether a tanking layer is in the price |
| Ventilation | Fan kept, replaced, or not in this quote [S3] |
| Electrics | Excluded, or a named electrician [S7] |
| Listed building | You have said yes or no [S2] |
| Grout and trim | Included, and who chooses them |
| VAT | In the figure or not [S10] |
A business registers for VAT when taxable turnover for the last 12 months goes over £90,000 [S10]. Ask. It is not a tile price.
What to measure, and what to leave
Count the walls in words: "three walls of the shower, basin wall, no tiles on the door wall". Give the rough size of the room if you know it from standing in it. You do not need a laser. Do not stand in the bath to measure the top course.
Say the make of the suite only if you already know it and it affects the edge of a tile. Say if the bath is staying. Tiling around a bath that stays is slower than tiling an empty room, and the quote should say which.
Protection of the suite, and who removes the old tiles, should be written. Old tiles coming off can damage the plaster behind them. Ask whether new plaster or board is in the tiling price or is a separate trade. A plasterer is not automatically included because a tiler was hired.
If the room is an en-suite off a bedroom that is in daily use, say so. The end of each day matters. A quote that assumes you can move out is not the same job.
The plumber cost guide covers a plumbing visit if the pipes have to move before anyone tiles. Keep that price off the tile total unless the same firm is doing both and has said so.
Jobs you might post
These are examples, not taken from real job posts.
- "Existing bathroom, basin splashback and a shower wall only. Fan already there and to stay. Please name whether a tanking layer is included on the shower wall. Electrics excluded."
- "New en-suite in an extension that already has permission. Full wall tiles, floor tiles, no suite in this quote. Please allow for extract ventilation as the Portal describes for a new bathroom, or say the builder is doing the fan."
- "Floor only, on top of old ceramic tiles that are sound. Vinyl tiles in the hall are not part of this job and must not be ground up. House built before 2000."
Comparing what comes back
Put the replies against the table. A missing tanking line on a shower wall is an incomplete quote, not a smaller job. A missing fan line on a new bathroom has not answered the Portal [S3]. A price that includes "sort the electrics" without a scheme or a named electrician has not answered Electrical Safety First [S7].
Up to five matched local businesses can send a quote [QZ2]. QuoteZila is free for customers and local businesses [QZ1].
Honest status: QuoteZila is new. We're starting in Cheshire, beginning with Crewe, Nantwich and Sandbach, and growing area by area. Anyone in the UK can still post a job or register a business. How fast you get quotes depends on how many local businesses have joined near you. Businesses can register and receive jobs straight away. We don't check insurance, qualifications or registrations, so please check these yourself before you hire.
Posting a job is not open yet
Why is there no price per square on this page?
Because a splashback behind a basin and a fully tiled shower are different jobs, and so are a new floor and a wall. A single rate would pretend they are the same. Compare quotes that list the surfaces, the preparation and whether a tanking layer is included.
Do I need planning permission to tile a bathroom?
The Planning Portal says a planning application for installing a kitchen or bathroom is generally not required unless it is part of a house extension. If the property is a listed building, consult the local planning authority. Tiling an existing room is not, on that sentence, an extension. Covering a listed interior can still be a consent question.
Does a new bathroom need extract ventilation?
The Planning Portal says any new bathroom or shower room should have extract ventilation to reduce condensation and remove smells. If you are only refurbishing, any existing extract must be kept or replaced. If there is no existing system, you need not provide one, though you can. Say which case you are in.
What if the old floor tiles might contain asbestos?
HSE lists vinyl floor tiles backed with asbestos paper, and bitumen adhesive, among floor coverings that can contain asbestos. It says asbestos can be present in any building built or refurbished before 2000. Do not grind old tiles up to see. Say what is on the floor and ask who is competent to lift it.
Who does the electrics around the bath?
Changing electrics near a bath or shower is on GOV.UK's list of alterations that might need building regulations approval. With the exception of some minor tasks, Electrical Safety First says electrical work is reported to building control or done by a registered electrician in a government-approved scheme. The tiler should not be quietly moving a light.
Does QuoteZila check tilers?
No. We don't check insurance, qualifications or registrations, so please check these yourself before you hire. You can report a quote or a business from your job page.
Part of Cost guides. All services
Related trades
Cost guides
Related pages
- Tiling Cost: What Changes the Price of Tiling. What changes the price of tiling walls and floors: the area, tile size and material, removing old tiles, preparing the surface, waterproofing, layout and trims.
- Cost to Tile a Bathroom: What Sets the Price. What sets the cost to tile a bathroom: area, tile choice, strip-out, wall and floor prep, waterproofing, trims and grout, plus FMB figures for labour and tiles.
Sources
- QZ1: QuoteZila product fact. QuoteZila pricing line.
- QZ2: QuoteZila product fact. QuoteZila FAQ How does getting quotes work.
- S1: Planning permission: kitchens and bathrooms, Planning Portal. Accessed 2026-10-29. https://www.planningportal.co.uk/permission/common-projects/kitchens-and-bathrooms/planning-permission/
- S2: Conserving and enhancing the historic environment, GOV.UK. Accessed 2026-10-29. https://www.gov.uk/guidance/conserving-and-enhancing-the-historic-environment
- S3: Ventilation for kitchens and bathrooms, Planning Portal. Accessed 2026-10-29. https://www.planningportal.co.uk/permission/common-projects/kitchens-and-bathrooms/building-regulations-need-for-additional-ventilation/
- S4: Building regulations approval, GOV.UK. Accessed 2026-10-29. https://www.gov.uk/building-regulations-approval
- S5: Where asbestos can occur in buildings, Health and Safety Executive. Accessed 2026-10-29. https://www.hse.gov.uk/asbestos/diagrams.htm
- S6: Why asbestos is dangerous and where it can be found, Health and Safety Executive. Accessed 2026-10-29. https://www.hse.gov.uk/asbestos/introduction/why-and-where.htm
- S7: Building regulations, Electrical Safety First. Accessed 2026-10-29. https://www.electricalsafetyfirst.org.uk/find-a-registered-electrician/building-regulations/
- S8: Building regulations: electrics, Planning Portal. Accessed 2026-10-29. https://www.planningportal.co.uk/permission/common-projects/electrics/building-regulations-general-information/
- S9: Before you get work done on your home, Citizens Advice. Accessed 2026-10-29. https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/consumer/getting-home-improvements-done/before-you-get-building-work-done/
- S10: Register for VAT, GOV.UK. Accessed 2026-10-29. https://www.gov.uk/register-for-vat