How Much Does It Cost to Tile a Bathroom in London? (2026)

Last updated: 17 June 2026

Tiling a medium London bathroom costs about £2,000 to £3,500 all-in in 2026 for a job with mid-range tiles, once the tiles, old-tile removal, tanking and materials are included [5][7]. A smaller bathroom in ceramic comes in nearer £1,500 to £2,200, while premium porcelain, natural stone or large-format tiles can take a medium bathroom to £3,000 to £5,000 or more [5]. The labour on its own, which is the figure tilers actually quote on, runs about £40 to £60 per m² for walls and £50 to £70 per m² for floors, roughly 20 to 30 per cent above the UK average [4][6]. Most tiling quotes are labour-only, so the tiles and materials usually sit on top, and that is the single biggest source of confusion when you compare prices.

This guide breaks down 2026 prices per square metre by tile type, London labour and day rates, what preparation, tanking and old tile removal add to the bill, what a fair quote should include, and how long each job should take, so you can judge a quote line by line.

Bathroom tiling costs in London at a glance

The figure most homeowners want is the all-in cost, covering tiles, labour and materials for a realistically scoped job. These London totals assume mid-range tiles and include old-tile removal, tanking of the wet zone and basic making good [5][7]:

Bathroom (all-in: tiles, labour and materials)	London estimate (2026)
Small, ceramic tiles	£1,500 to £2,200
Small, mid-range porcelain	£2,000 to £3,000
Medium, mid-range porcelain	£2,000 to £3,500
Medium, premium, natural stone or large-format	£3,000 to £5,000

The figure tilers actually quote, however, is usually labour only, with the tiles and materials added on top. On that basis, by scenario [5][7]:

Job (labour only)	London estimate (2026)
Splashback, around 1 m²	£100 to £200 (a minimum charge usually applies)
Bathroom floor only, 4 to 5 m²	£200 to £350
Shower walls only, 4 to 6 m²	£250 to £450 (tanking priced separately)
Full small bathroom, walls and floor	£600 to £1,000
Full medium bathroom, walls and floor	£900 to £1,600

Prices vary from borough to borough and job to job, so treat every figure here as a starting point. Swap ceramic for porcelain, natural stone or mosaic and every row moves up, sometimes substantially, and always get more than one written quote.

What a fair bathroom tiling quote should include

Because London tiling quotes are usually labour-only, the most useful thing you can do is make each tiler break out the same line items. Ask every quote to confirm:

• Pricing basis and any minimum charge. Is it priced per m² (labour only) or as a day rate? Per-m² quotes should state the area measured and the rate. Most tilers apply a minimum charge of roughly £100 to £250 for a very small job such as a single splashback.
• What the rate includes. Are adhesive and grout in the labour rate or charged as extra materials? Many tilers charge them separately.
• Tanking and waterproofing. This is the most commonly missed cost. Any shower or wet zone should be tanked before tiling, which typically adds £150 to £400 for a shower enclosure. Ask which system is used and whether both the walls and the floor of the wet zone are covered.
• Removal of old tiles and disposal. Rarely included unless stated. Removal runs about £10 to £30 per m² in labour, plus skip hire or trade waste disposal of roughly £100 to £300 for a bathroom's worth of debris.
• Substrate and backer board. Plaster is not ideal for wet areas, so a good tiler may recommend tile backer board in shower zones, which adds about £10 to £20 per m² in materials plus the tiler's time.
• Tile wastage allowance. Budget about 10 per cent extra tiles for a straightforward layout, and 15 to 20 per cent for diagonal, herringbone, chevron or natural stone.
• Sealing and silicone finishing. Natural stone must be sealed on installation, and the junctions with the bath, shower tray and basin should be finished in flexible silicone rather than grout. Ask whether both are included.
• VAT and a workmanship guarantee. Many sole-trader tilers are below the £90,000 VAT threshold and do not charge VAT, while VAT-registered firms add 20 per cent, so confirm which applies before comparing two quotes. Reputable tilers offer a one to two year guarantee against tile debonding or grout failure in normal use.

Tiling prices per square metre by tile type

The tiles themselves are the biggest single variable in the budget. Supply-only prices per square metre look like this [4][5]:

Tile type	Tile cost per m² (supply only)
Ceramic	£12 to £50
Slate	£40 to £50
Marble	£40 to £70
Limestone	£50 to £80
Granite	£80 to £90
Porcelain	£50 to £100
Glass	£110 to £160
Mosaic	around £140 on average

Installed costs tell the fuller story. Apply London labour rates and you should expect roughly £60 to £110 per m² for ceramic, £90 to £150 for porcelain and £110 to £220 or more for natural stone, fitted [5].

The gap is not just the tile price. Natural stone is heavier and less forgiving to cut, so its labour runs at £55 to £90 per m² in London against £40 to £60 for ceramic [4][5]. Mosaic is the most labour-intensive of all: the sheer number of individual pieces can push labour alone to £75 to £120 per m² [5].

Tiler labour rates and day rates in London

London tilers typically charge £40 to £60 per m² for wall tiling and £50 to £70 per m² for floor tiling, labour only, against a UK average of £25 to £50 for walls and £30 to £60 for floors [4][6]. On a day-rate basis, expect roughly £200 to £350 a day in London for an experienced tiler, with some established or specialist tilers charging towards £400, against £150 to £250 nationally [6][7][8]. A professional tiler usually lays 8 to 12 m² a day of standard ceramic or porcelain on a straightforward layout [4], which gives you a useful sanity check: a 9 m² bathroom should not be priced as a week of laying tiles unless the preparation genuinely demands the extra time.

Two choices reliably push labour beyond the standard rates: intricate patterns such as herringbone and chevron, which take longer to cut and set out and often add 40 to 60 per cent to the labour, and very large-format tiles, which demand board lifters and more precise cutting and levelling [4].

Preparation, boarding and tanking

On most bathroom jobs, a large share of the time goes in before any tile touches the wall, and this is the part of the job that decides whether your tiling lasts.

The benchmark standard is BS 5385, the British Standard code of practice for wall and floor tiling. The Tile Association recommends that all tile fixing is carried out in accordance with it, and strongly advises having tiles fixed professionally in wet areas such as showers and bathrooms [1].

In practical terms, the standard shapes your quote in four ways:

• Tanking is required in wet areas. BS 5385 requires a waterproofing (tanking) system in domestic wet areas including shower enclosures and wet rooms, and plasterboard, even the moisture-resistant kind, is generally unsuitable for wet areas without one [2]. A tanking kit costs £70 to £300 in materials, and professional installation adds £100 to £600 depending on the area and system used [5][6].
• Plywood cannot be tiled directly. The 2018 update banned plywood as a direct substrate for ceramic wall tiling and natural stone; proprietary tile backer boards are the required alternative [3].
• Wooden floors need an extra layer. BS 5385 Part 3: 2024 requires an intermediate uncoupling membrane, reinforced tanking system or tile backer board whenever tiling over any wood-based floor substrate [3].
• New builds face a certified-systems rule. NHBC guidance requires tiled wet areas in new homes to be waterproofed with a system certified to EAD 030352-00-0503 from 1 January 2025 [2].

If a quote for a shower area or wet room contains no line for tanking, ask how the wet area will be waterproofed before you accept it. Wet-area tiling is not a place for shortcuts, and it is one of the strongest arguments for using a professional tiler rather than attempting the job yourself.

Movement joints, grout and adhesive

The small print matters more in a bathroom than anywhere else in the house. BS 5385 specifies minimum grout joint widths of 2mm for tiles under 0.1 m² and 3mm for larger formats up to 1 m² [3]. Movement joints in wet areas must be sealed with a flexible curing sealant (butyl adhesive tape alone does not comply), and floor movement joints must extend through the full depth of tile, bedding and screed [3]. These details are exactly what separates a professional installation from a quick one, and they are reasonable things to ask about when comparing quotes.

On cost, adhesive and grout together add roughly £10 to £20 per m² in materials [5][6]. A standard bag of adhesive at around £20 covers 5 to 6 m², while a £15 to £17 bag of grout stretches to around 15 m² [5]. Wet areas need waterproof, polymer-modified or epoxy adhesive, which costs more than the standard product [5], so check which one your quote specifies.

Removing old tiles

Stripping old tiles is rarely included in a headline retiling price, and it should be quoted separately [6]. Nationally, removal costs around £10 to £30 per m² in labour, or roughly £30 an hour; in London, expect the upper end of that range or beyond, plus £100 to £300 for skip hire or trade waste disposal [6].

London's housing stock adds a wrinkle. In Victorian and Edwardian properties, tiles often sit on original plaster, and removing stubborn tiles can damage the wall behind them, forcing additional boarding before retiling can begin [6]. A good tiler will flag this risk up front rather than presenting it as a surprise extra halfway through the job.

How long does bathroom tiling take?

Plan for days on site rather than hours. The laying itself moves at 8 to 12 m² a day on a straightforward layout [4], but substrate preparation, boarding, tanking, grouting and sealing all add time around it, and wet rooms take longer again because the floor must be graded to fall to the drain and the tanking is built up in coats. A medium bathroom stripped back to bare walls realistically takes 4 to 6 working days [7].

One date for the diary: BS 5385 specifies a minimum of 14 days before a newly tiled shower is put into use [2]. If you are planning around a single bathroom, build that wait into the schedule.

How to get an accurate tiling quote

1. Get at least three written quotes for the same scope of work, so you can compare like with like.
2. Ask for an itemised breakdown: old tile removal, preparation and boarding, tanking, the tiles themselves, adhesive, grout and sealant, and labour.
3. Agree who supplies the tiles, and make sure the order includes an allowance for cuts and breakages.
4. Ask for written confirmation that the proposed method complies with BS 5385, particularly the tanking and movement joints in wet areas [1][2]. A professional will not be offended by the question.
5. Be wary of anyone who will not put the price in writing or who asks for a large cash deposit before starting.

You can also find or verify a member tiler through The Tile Association's Find a Tiler directory at tiles.org.uk; the TTA is the UK trade body for the tiling industry and offers an independent technical inspection route if a finished job falls short [1].

Finding a trusted tiler in London

In a bathroom, the standard of the fixing matters more than the tiles. A professional working to BS 5385 will give you a waterproof, level surface that lasts for decades; a rushed job over the wrong substrate can fail within a couple of years and take the wall with it.

Search for a trusted local tiler near you on Loacally to compare tilers working in your borough. Every application to join the platform is reviewed by hand, with identity checked, a phone call made, and insurance and certifications confirmed, and the service is free for customers. For the checks worth making before you book anyone, see our guide on how to find a trusted tradesperson in London. And if the bathroom refresh extends beyond tiling, our guide on the cost to replace a bathroom tap and the rest of our costs and pricing guides cover the wider jobs list.

Frequently asked questions

How much does it cost to tile a bathroom in London in 2026? A medium London bathroom costs about £2,000 to £3,500 all-in for mid-range tiles, once the tiles, old-tile removal, tanking and materials are included [5][7]. The labour alone is around £40 to £60 per m² for walls and £50 to £70 per m² for floors [4][6]. A smaller ceramic bathroom comes in nearer £1,500 to £2,200, while premium porcelain or natural stone can take a medium bathroom to £3,000 to £5,000 or more [5].

Do I need to tank a bathroom before tiling in the UK? In wet areas, yes. BS 5385 requires a tanking system in domestic wet areas such as shower enclosures and wet rooms, and plasterboard, including the moisture-resistant kind, is generally unsuitable without one [2]. Tanking a shower enclosure typically adds £150 to £400 once materials and the tiler's time are counted, and more for a full wet room [5][6]. Walls outside the wet zone that only catch the odd splash do not normally need it.

How long does it take a professional tiler to tile a bathroom? Allow several days for a full bathroom. A professional lays 8 to 12 m² of standard ceramic or porcelain a day on a straightforward layout [4], and substrate preparation, boarding, tanking and grouting add time around the laying, with wet rooms taking longer still. A medium bathroom stripped to bare walls realistically takes 4 to 6 working days [7]. BS 5385 also specifies that a newly tiled shower should not be used for at least 14 days [2].

Does removing old tiles add much to the cost of retiling? It can. Removal runs at £10 to £30 per m² nationally, with London at the upper end or beyond, plus £100 to £300 for waste disposal, and it is normally quoted separately from the retiling itself [6]. In older London properties, removal can damage the original plaster behind the tiles and force extra boarding, which adds further cost [6]. Ask for removal as its own line in the quote.

How much more expensive is mosaic or natural stone than ceramic? Considerably. Ceramic tiles cost £12 to £50 per m² to buy, while natural stone sits between £40 and £90 depending on the stone, and mosaic averages around £140 per m² [4][5]. Labour widens the gap: fixing stone runs at £55 to £90 per m² in London against £40 to £60 for ceramic, and mosaic labour can reach £75 to £120 per m² because of the number of individual pieces [4][5].

Sources

1. The Tile Association - Relevant Standards - https://www.tiles.org.uk/technical-support/relevant-standards/ - checked June 2026.
2. The Tile Association - Frequently Asked Questions (citing NHBC Technical Guidance 9.2/06, Fourth Issue, November 2024) - https://www.tiles.org.uk/technical-support/frequently-asked-questions/ - checked June 2026.
3. The Tile Association - TTA urges awareness on updates to the British Standard for wall and floor tiling - https://www.tiles.org.uk/tta-urges-awareness-on-updates-to-the-british-standard-for-wall-floor-tiling/ - checked June 2026.
4. Elliren Tiles - UK tiling cost and installation guide per m² - https://ellirentiles.co.uk/blogs/news/uk-tiling-cost-installation-guide-per-m2 - published 23 March 2026.
5. MyJobQuote - Bathroom tiling cost guide - https://www.myjobquote.co.uk/costs/tiling-a-bathroom - published 3 May 2026.
6. HomeHow - How much do tilers charge? - https://www.homehow.co.uk/costs/tiler-prices - updated 30 July 2025.
7. Bromley Tiler - Bathroom Tiling Cost London (practitioner guide, Darren Barker, City & Guilds) - https://bromleytiler.co.uk/blog/bathroom-tiling-cost-london/ - published 1 February 2026.
8. hamuch.com - London tiler rates (live aggregated directory, market context) - https://www.hamuch.com/rates/tiler/london - 2026 data.