Tiling a bathroom checklist
Tiling looks like the skilled part; waterproofing underneath it is what actually decides whether the job lasts. Get the surface right before a single tile goes on.
19 items
Makes your own editable copy. No account needed.
The items
- Surface checked and made flatTiling follows the wall underneath — hollows and bumps telegraph straight through the finished tiles.
- Waterproofing membrane or tanking kitAnywhere water runs directly onto the wall — inside a shower, around a bath — needs this before a single tile goes on.
- Primer, if the surface needs it
- Tile adhesive×2Buy slightly more than the calculator suggests — running out mid-wall means waiting for the same batch number.
- Notched trowel, sized to the tile
- Tile spacers×20Consistent gaps matter more for how finished the job looks than almost anything else.
- Tile cutter or a wet saw, hired for the dayWorth hiring rather than buying — a good cutter is expensive and used once a year at most.
- Spirit level, and a laser level for a large area
- Layout planned and dry-laid first
- Start point chosen so cut tiles land in the least visible spot
- Whole tiles centred on the most visible wall, not the corner
- TilesOrder a few extra for breakages and future repairs — dye lots change, and a replacement tile in five years may not match.
- Grout, colour matched to the tile
- Grout float and a sponge
- Sealant for the corners and where tile meets bath or floorGrout cracks in a moving joint; sealant flexes with it. Using grout there is why the corner goes mouldy first.
- Adhesive left to cure fully before groutingUsually 24 hours, checked against the tin rather than guessed.
- Extractor fan checked or fittedA bathroom that can't clear steam undoes the waterproofing before it's finished setting.
- Silicone or grout sealer kept for maintenance later
- Tiles left to settle a few days before the shower gets full use
Makes your own editable copy. No account needed.
Questions people ask
- Do I need to waterproof (tank) the wall before tiling?
- Yes, anywhere water runs directly onto it — inside a shower and around a bath. Tiling straight onto plasterboard there is why bathrooms rot from the inside years later.
- How long should grout and adhesive be left before use?
- Follow the tin, usually around 24 hours for adhesive before grouting, and several days before the shower gets full use — rushing this is a common cause of tiles coming loose.
- What's the biggest mistake first-timers make?
- Not planning the layout before starting. A tile row that ends in a sliver at the door was decided the moment the first tile went on in the wrong spot.