Bathroom tiling in St Kilda
Bathroom tiling covers the screed, the waterproof membrane, the wall and floor tiling and the sealing of every junction. A typical single bathroom takes several days on site because the membrane has to cure before tiling can start.
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What the work includes
Set-out and datum line around the room. Screed to the shower floor with a fall to the waste. Priming and waterproof membrane to the floor, the corners and up the wall returns. Wall and floor tiling, including niches, hobs and bath surrounds. Grouting, silicone to movement junctions, and a clean-down at the end of each day.
Where a room is being renovated we work alongside the plumber and the waterproofer’s sequence rather than tiling into wet or unprimed substrate.
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Preparation decides the finish
Bathroom floors in older St Kilda flats are rarely flat and rarely square. Before any tile is fixed the substrate is checked, timber floors are sheeted, and the shower base is screeded to a consistent fall — commonly around 1:100 — so water runs to the waste rather than sitting at the door.
Large-format tiles are less forgiving than mosaics: every millimetre of lippage shows across a 600 mm edge, so levelling the substrate is quicker than fighting it with adhesive.
Practical questions before we quote
The answers below cover what usually changes the scope of a bathroom job.
Can you tile over existing tiles?
Sometimes on walls, if the existing tiles are sound, well bonded and properly prepared. In wet areas it is usually the wrong call, because the membrane under the old tiles cannot be inspected and the extra build-up affects the shower screen, the waste and the door clearance.
How long does a bathroom take?
The tiling itself is often two to three days. The membrane needs curing time before that, and grouting follows after the adhesive sets, so the tiling stage of a bathroom generally spans the better part of a week — longer if the substrate needs rebuilding.
Do I need to have chosen tiles first?
Not to get a quote, but the format matters to the price. A 600 × 600 porcelain floor, a 300 × 100 subway wall and a mosaic shower base take very different amounts of labour. Tell us the format you are leaning toward and we will quote on that.
What about a leaking shower?
We look first at where the water is showing up — skirting in the next room, bubbling paint, a damp patch on the ceiling below. Some leaks come from a failed silicone junction or an unsealed waste and can be repaired locally. Others mean the membrane has gone, and the shower has to come out.
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Bathrooms we tile nearby
St Kilda · St Kilda East · Elwood · Balaclava · Ripponlea · Windsor · Prahran · Albert Park · Middle Park · South Melbourne · Brighton
Related work: waterproofing, regrouting and tile repairs, floor tiling. If your bathroom is part of a larger renovation, see the full list of services.
Quote your bathroom
Send the suburb, the approximate wall and floor area, the tile format if you have chosen one, and photos of the room as it stands.
Tiling, waterproofing and tile repairs across St Kilda and the surrounding bayside Melbourne suburbs.
AREAS
St Kilda
Elwood & Balaclava
Windsor & Prahran
Albert Park & Middle Park
Brighton & Caulfield
COMPANY