Stripping out a bathroom looks like the simple part of the job, and it is where a lot of damage happens. A supply left uncapped floods the ceiling below, a chisel goes through a cable behind the tiles, or a textured ceiling gets scraped without anyone testing it for asbestos. Done properly, a strip-out leaves a dry, safe, empty room and a clear view of what the walls and floor are really like.
We carry out strip-outs on their own, for people using their own fitter or fitting the room themselves, as well as at the start of our full installations. Strip-out only typically costs £600 to £1,000 including VAT. Adding boarding, patching and floor preparation brings it to £1,000 to £1,800, and taking the room back to brick costs £1,500 to £3,000. Most jobs take one to two working days.
What does a bathroom strip-out with us include?
- Isolating the water and capping the supply to each fitting with a proper end, then checking for leaks
- Lights, fan, shaver socket and heated rail disconnected and made safe by a qualified electrician where needed
- Removal of the bath or shower tray, enclosure, basin, WC, furniture and accessories
- Wall and floor tiles taken off with as little damage as possible to sound plaster
- The soil pipe sealed against smells once the WC is off
- Dust sheets and floor protection on the route out through the house
- Waste loaded and taken away by a licensed waste carrier
- A note of what was found: floor and wall condition, pipe runs and any damaged timber
How much does a bathroom strip-out cost?
Our UK guide range is £600–£1,800 including VAT. Typical prices by kind of job:
Strip-out only
- Suite, tiles and fittings removed
- Pipework capped safely
- Waste taken away
Strip-out and prep
- Walls boarded or patched
- Floor checked and overlaid
- Ready for fitting
Back to brick
- Plaster and tiles removed
- Rotten timber found and repaired
- Room ready for a full renovation
National guide prices including VAT, reviewed October 2026. London is typically about 25% higher and the North East, Wales and Northern Ireland around 7–12% lower. Your written quote after the survey is the price that counts.
What do you need to decide?
Strip-out only or with prep
Strip-out only leaves walls and floors as found. With prep, walls are boarded or patched and the floor checked and overlaid, ready for fitting.
Keep or lose the plaster
Tiles often come off leaving plaster that can be tiled again. If the plaster comes away with them, the wall is boarded or re-plastered.
The floor
Old vinyl or tiles on a ply overlay can come up with the ply. Tiles bonded to a screed may need grinding back or overlaying instead.
Salvage
If you want to keep a cast-iron bath, a radiator or a piece of furniture, say so before we start, so it comes out whole rather than in pieces.
Asbestos testing
In a home built before 2000, a sample test before work starts settles whether a ceiling coating, floor tile or boxing panel needs specialist removal.
Timing
Strip out just before the fit rather than weeks ahead, so the house is without a bathroom for as short a time as possible.
