Bathroom tiling in the West Midlands

What does bathroom tiling cost in the West Midlands?

Our guide range in the West Midlands is £45–£90 per m² including VAT.

Guide prices for West Midlands including VAT. Your itemised written quote after the free survey is the price that counts.

Which towns do we cover in the West Midlands?

• Birmingham
• Coventry
• Wolverhampton
• Dudley
• Walsall
• Solihull
• Sutton Coldfield
• West Bromwich
• Halesowen
• Stourbridge
• Smethwick
• Willenhall
• Tipton
• Bloxwich
• Wednesfield
• Washwood Heath
• Aston
• Shirley
• Brierley Hill
• Aldridge
• Acocks Green
• Bartley Green
• Wednesbury
• Kingswinford

Hardness differs from one part of the West Midlands to the next. Mid-tone grout and matt tiles hide the odd water mark better than dark grout and high gloss. Hardness varies street by street, so check the figure for your postcode with your water supplier. Whatever the age of your Birmingham home, large-format tiles need flat walls, so the survey checks how much preparation they will take.

What the job includes

• Floor preparation: overlaying timber floors with ply or backer board, or levelling a screed
• Grouting, trims or mitred edges, and silicone at internal corners, the bath and the tray
• Sealing natural stone and cleaning off grout haze before handover
• Setting out so cuts are even and joints line up with niches, windows and edges
• Checking walls for flatness and strength, and boarding with cement-based backer board where needed
• Measuring wall and floor areas and working out quantities with an allowance for cuts

Decisions to make first

Ceramic or porcelain

Ceramic is lighter, easier to cut and cheaper, and is fine on walls. Porcelain is denser and absorbs less water, so it suits floors and showers.

Floor grip

For a bathroom floor, choose a matt or textured tile with a slip rating of R10 or above. Smaller tiles with more grout lines grip better in a shower.

Tile size

Large-format tiles mean fewer grout lines but need flat walls and more preparation. Small tiles and mosaics follow uneven surfaces and grip better underfoot.

Edges

Metal or PVC trims are quick and protect tile edges. Mitred edges look cleaner on porcelain and take more labour.

Rules that apply in England

Re-tiling a bathroom does not need planning permission or building regulations approval. In a flat, check the lease before changing to hard floor tiles, because sound insulation and the risk of leaks to the flat below matter, and wet rooms often need freeholder consent. In a listed building, removing original tiles that contribute to its character can need listed building consent.

In England, tiling itself is not building regulations work. If it is part of forming a level shower floor with new drainage, that drainage can be Part H work, and any new electrics are covered by Part P.