Tiling that starts with preparation
The best tile finish depends on what sits underneath. We check walls and floors, deal with uneven surfaces and use suitable boards, adhesive and waterproofing before tiles are laid.
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Wall and floor tiling
Tiling Contractors London — Floor, Wall & Bathroom Tiling
Lian Construction provides professional tiling for London bathrooms, kitchens, floors, splashbacks and refurbishment projects. We prepare substrates properly, set out tile lines carefully and finish with durable grout, trims and sealants. Our tilers work across Victorian terraces, ex-council flats and newer builds, where floor levels, wall plumb and existing waterproofing all vary. Whether it's a single splashback, a full bathroom retile or tiling within a larger refurbishment programme, we plan the setting-out and substrate work before any tile is cut, so the finished surface stays flat, square and watertight.
Service overview
Tiling in London
Suitable for repairs and full refurbishments
We can replace damaged tiles, retile bathrooms, finish kitchen splashbacks or include tiling within a wider refurbishment, leak reinstatement or property repair programme.
What drives the cost of a tiling job
Tiling prices vary more than most trades because so much depends on what's happening before the tiles go on, not just the tiles themselves. A straightforward kitchen splashback on a flat, dry wall is quick work. A bathroom retile where the floor needs levelling, the walls need re-boarding and the shower area needs tanking is a different job entirely, even if the tiled area looks similar in size. Tile choice affects price too: large format porcelain slabs need more careful handling, levelling clips and sometimes a second pair of hands to lay safely, while small mosaic sheets take longer per square metre because of the extra cutting and grouting involved. Underfloor heating, if it's going in beneath the tiles, adds another stage before laying can start. Complex layouts such as herringbone, brick bond on large tiles, or feature strips and borders take longer to set out accurately than a straightforward grid pattern. Removing and disposing of old tiles, especially where they're stuck to original plaster or lath and plaster in a Victorian property, can add a day or more before the visible work even begins. We price jobs after seeing the substrate and discussing tile choice, not from a fixed rate per square metre, because the preparation work is usually the bigger variable in the final cost.
Tile formats, adhesives and setting-out methods
Ceramic, porcelain and natural stone all behave differently once you're actually laying them, and each needs a slightly different approach. Porcelain is dense and low-absorbency, which makes it a good choice for floors and wet areas, but it needs a suitable flexible adhesive, typically an S1 or S2 rated cementitious adhesive, rather than a standard set mix, particularly on large format tiles or over underfloor heating where some movement is expected. Natural stone such as travertine or limestone often needs sealing before and after grouting to stop staining, and takes a different adhesive again. For setting-out, we work from the centre of the main wall or the most visible line in the room, not from a corner, so cuts are balanced on both sides rather than leaving an odd sliver of tile at one end. Movement joints are left at perimeters and across large floor areas rather than grouting tight, wall to wall, which is a common cause of cracked grout lines appearing months after the job. Trims are used at external corners and exposed edges instead of mitred tile edges, both for a cleaner finish and because a plastic or metal trim holds up better over time than a feathered tile edge that can chip.
How long tiling work usually takes
A small kitchen splashback on an existing sound wall can be tiled and grouted in a day. A full bathroom is a longer job once you account for preparation: stripping old tiles, checking the floor and walls, fitting backer board or a waterproofing membrane, and allowing levelling compound or tanking to cure before tiling starts. For a typical London bathroom this usually runs to three to five working days from strip-out to finished grout, sometimes longer if the floor needs significant levelling or if we're waiting on materials to be delivered from the supplier. Grout and adhesive need proper curing time before the area is used, particularly in a shower, so we'll usually ask that a newly tiled shower isn't used for at least 24 to 48 hours, longer for some tanking systems. Large format tiles and natural stone generally take longer to lay than standard ceramic because of the extra care needed in handling, levelling and cutting. Where tiling sits within a wider refurbishment, we sequence it around plastering, electrics and plumbing so first fix is complete and any wet trades have dried out properly before tiling starts, rather than working around wet plaster or exposed pipework.
Tiling on London's older housing stock
A lot of the tiling we do sits inside Victorian terraces, converted flats and ex-council properties, and each type of property brings its own quirks. Victorian solid walls can hold moisture, especially at ground floor level, so we check for damp before boarding and tiling over them rather than sealing a problem behind new tiles. Floors in older properties are rarely level, sometimes with a noticeable fall across a bathroom, which needs addressing with levelling compound or battening before any waterproofing membrane goes down. Ex-council flats built with concrete floors are usually flatter but can have their own issues around existing tanking or old adhesive residue that needs removing properly rather than tiled straight over. In converted or split properties, we also think about noise and shared services: chasing into a party wall for pipework, or working around a neighbour's ceiling below a wet room, needs care and sometimes coordination under the Party Wall Act where structural work runs alongside the tiling. Where a leaseholder or landlord is involved, we're used to working to the standard expected for handover or re-letting, including making good any areas disturbed during first fix work before the final tiling stage begins.
Looking after tiling once it's finished
Tiled surfaces need very little upkeep, but a few habits make the finish last. Wipe silicone seals dry after use in showers and around baths, since standing water is what breaks silicone down early. Use a normal pH-neutral cleaner on grout lines rather than strong bleach or acidic descalers, which wear grout out faster than day-to-day use ever would. If a grout line starts to crumble or a silicone seal goes black or pulls away from the tile edge, it's worth having it redone before water gets behind the tile rather than after. On kitchen splashbacks, keep an eye on the sealant where the tiling meets the worktop, as this joint moves slightly with the worktop and can open up over time. We don't offer a maintenance contract, but if a client gets in touch a year or two after a job with a seal that's failed or a grout line that's opened up, we're happy to take a look and quote for putting it right. Underfloor heating, if fitted, should be left off for the first couple of weeks after floor tiling to let the adhesive cure fully before it's exposed to heat.
Workmanship and what happens if something isn't right
Tiling problems don't always show up on day one. Lippage between tiles, a hollow-sounding tile, or a grout line that hairline-cracks can appear weeks after the job is signed off, once the property has gone through a normal cycle of use and any minor structural movement. If something like this shows up on a job we've completed, get in touch and we'll come back to assess it. Most issues of this kind trace back to either the substrate movement or a workmanship point, and it's worth establishing which before deciding on a fix, since the two are put right differently. We don't publish a fixed warranty period because tiling outcomes depend heavily on what we found underneath and what was agreed at the time, but we stand behind the work we do and will always come back to look at a genuine defect. What we can't cover is damage caused after handover, such as impact damage, a leak from a different fitting, or tiles removed and refitted by someone else. Keep any photos from the handover stage, as they help us compare the original finish against what's being reported.
Getting the property ready before we start
A tiling job runs more smoothly when the room is cleared before the crew arrives. For bathrooms, that means removing toiletries, towels, cabinets contents and anything wall-mounted that isn't being retiled around, plus disconnecting any existing sanitaryware that needs to come out first. For kitchens, clear worktops near the splashback area and empty any wall units directly above the work zone. If the property is tenanted, give tenants clear notice of the dates and expected disruption, particularly if water or heating will be off for part of the day, since tiling often follows on from plumbing work where a bathroom or kitchen is out of use. Access matters too: confirm who'll be on site to let the crew in, whether there's a lift or stairs only, and if parking suspension or a permit is needed for the street outside. Pets are best kept elsewhere during cutting and grouting, both for their safety around tile saws and because dust settles on floors while work is under way. We'll talk through what needs clearing as part of confirming the job, but flagging any access restrictions or tenancy dates early avoids a wasted first visit.
Noise, dust and timing around cutting work
Tile cutting is one of the noisier and dustier parts of a refurbishment, and it's worth planning around rather than being surprised by. Wet saws cut most tile types cleanly and keep airborne dust down, but they still produce noise that carries through a shared wall or floor in a flat, so checking your lease or building rules on permitted working hours is sensible before booking the work, particularly in blocks with quiet hours. We sheet off adjoining rooms and use extraction where the layout allows, but a small amount of dust from cutting porcelain or natural stone is normal and settles on nearby surfaces, so covering furniture in the room next door is worth doing if it hasn't already been cleared for other refurbishment work. Cutting tends to be concentrated into set periods during the day rather than running continuously, since most of the work is fixing, spacing and levelling rather than cutting. If the property backs onto a neighbour known to be sensitive to noise, or if there are shared walls in a converted house, it's worth mentioning this when the job is booked so cutting can be scheduled for a reasonable time of day.
Signs to look for
Do you need tiling?
- Grout has cracked, crumbled or discoloured despite regular cleaning, which can point to movement or trapped moisture sitting behind the tiles.
- Tiles sound hollow or loose when tapped gently with a knuckle, suggesting the adhesive bond has failed and they could come away.
- Silicone sealant around a bath, basin or shower tray has gone black, split or pulled away cleanly from the tile edge over time.
- You're planning a bathroom or kitchen refurbishment and need tiling properly coordinated with plumbing, electrics and plastering work on site.
- A leak has recently been repaired and the affected wall or floor now needs retiling before the room is usable again.
- Existing tiles are dated, chipped or cracked and you want to refresh a splashback or bathroom without undertaking a full renovation.
- A bathroom or kitchen floor feels uneven or has a noticeable dip underfoot, which needs levelling before any new tiles go down.
- You're converting a room into a shower room or wetroom and need proper tanking installed correctly before any tiling work begins.
How the work is handled
- Step 1Inspect surfaces and tile specification
- Step 2Prepare walls or floors
- Step 3Set out, cut and install tiles
- Step 4Grout, seal and finish edges
Before you hire
5 things to know before hiring a tiling contractor in London
Tiling problems are easy to hide behind a fresh grout line and often don't show up until months after the job, which makes the quote and the substrate work matter more than how the finished tiles look on handover day.
A price quoted over the phone or from a photo
Tiling costs vary enormously depending on what's happening underneath the tiles, not the tiles themselves, so a fixed price given without anyone looking at the substrate is either a guess or a number designed to be revised upward later. We give a fixed price after looking at the substrate and confirming the tile choice, rather than an estimate based on floor area alone.
A quote that undercuts everyone else you've had
A tiling quote well below other quotes is often a way to win the job cheaply, with the shortfall made up through extra charges once the old tiles are off and the substrate turns out to need more work than admitted upfront. Comparing quotes properly means checking each one covers the same substrate preparation, not just the same visible tile area.
Tanking or waterproofing skipped to save time
A shower area or wetroom needs proper waterproofing behind the tile, not just grout and silicone at the surface, and skipping this step is invisible until water finds its way through months or years later. Wet areas need tanking built into the preparation stage before any tiles go up, not treated as an optional extra.
Disposal costs sprung on you after the job's done
Old tiles, adhesive and rubble have to go through licensed waste routes rather than a normal household bin, and a contractor who doesn't mention this upfront sometimes adds it as a surprise charge once the skip is already full. This is factored into the quote from the start so there's no separate disposal charge sprung on you afterwards.
No willingness to come back and look at a defect
Lippage, a hollow-sounding tile or a hairline-cracked grout line can appear weeks after a job is signed off, and most trace back to either substrate movement or a workmanship point, which are put right differently. A contractor who won't come back to assess a genuine defect, or blames it on you without inspecting it, isn't standing behind the work.
These same warning signs come up regularly in homeowner and landlord discussions on communities such as r/DIYUK and r/HousingUK, not just in formal consumer guidance.
Making a good choice
How to choose the right tiling contractor
Beyond avoiding the obvious traps, this is what to actively look for when comparing tilers, since the substrate work is what the finished tiles are hiding either way.
A fixed price given only after the substrate has been seen
Tiling costs vary enormously depending on what's under the tiles, not the tiles themselves, so a firm price should follow an inspection, not a floor area or a photo. We give a fixed price after looking at the substrate and confirming the tile choice, rather than an estimate based on floor area alone.
Quotes compared on the same scope of substrate prep
Two tiling quotes for the same room can cover very different amounts of levelling, boarding and waterproofing underneath, so comparing them properly means checking each one covers the same preparation, not just the same tiled area. A lower figure that skips a stage isn't actually a cheaper job, it's a job priced to grow later.
Tanking confirmed as part of the preparation stage, not an afterthought
A shower area or wetroom needs proper waterproofing behind the tile before anything is laid, since a failure here is invisible until water finds its way through months or years later. Wet areas need tanking built into the preparation stage before any tiles go up, and it's worth asking exactly what system will be used and where it extends to.
Disposal costs included in the original figure
Old tiles, adhesive and rubble go through licensed waste routes rather than a normal bin, and this is a real cost that should be in the quote from the outset rather than appearing once the skip is already full. Factoring it in from the start means there's no separate disposal charge sprung on you afterwards.
A clear answer on what happens if something shows up later
Lippage, a hollow-sounding tile or a hairline-cracked grout line can appear weeks after a job is signed off, and most trace back to either substrate movement or a workmanship point, which are put right differently. Ask directly whether the contractor will come back to assess a genuine defect rather than assuming it's covered until you actually need it.
Coverage across London
Lian Construction covers all 32 London boroughs plus the City of London for tiling work.
Local coverage
Tiling in your borough
Dedicated tiling pages for our priority London boroughs, with local landmarks, access notes and typical property types for each area.
Questions
Common tiling questions
Can you fit tiles supplied by the client?
Yes. We can work on a fit-only basis or help source suitable tiles and materials for the job.
Do you tile bathrooms after leak repairs?
Yes. Tiling can be included as part of leak repair, bathroom repair or refurbishment work.
How do you prepare a floor or wall before tiling?
We check for movement, uneven surfaces and moisture before tiling, and use suitable backer boards, levelling compound or waterproofing membrane depending on the substrate, rather than tiling straight onto an unsuitable surface.
Do you tank wet areas before tiling a shower or wetroom?
Yes. Shower areas and wetrooms need proper waterproofing behind the tile, not just grout and silicone, and we build this into the preparation stage before any tiles go up.
Can you match or replace a small number of damaged tiles?
Yes, where matching tiles are available or can be sourced. Small patch repairs are possible, though on older tiling a close colour match isn't always guaranteed, which we'll flag before starting.
How much does tiling cost per square metre in London?
It varies with tile size, substrate condition and layout complexity, so we tend to avoid quoting a flat per-metre rate without seeing the job first. A straightforward splashback on a sound, flat wall costs a lot less per metre than a bathroom floor needing levelling, tanking and underfloor heating installed beneath it. Large format porcelain and natural stone also cost more to lay than standard ceramic because of the extra time involved in handling, levelling and cutting each piece accurately. We give a fixed price after looking at the substrate and confirming the tile choice, rather than an estimate based on floor area alone.
Can you tile over existing tiles?
Sometimes, but we check the existing tiles are sound, flat and firmly bonded first, and we're generally cautious about it in wet areas where the tanking underneath may already be compromised. Tiling over tiles adds thickness, which can affect door clearances, skirting heights and floor levels where a new floor meets an existing one elsewhere in the property. In most bathroom retiles we'd recommend stripping back to the substrate so we can check for damp, movement or old adhesive that needs removing properly, but for a sound, dry wall it's sometimes a reasonable option worth discussing with us.
Do you fit underfloor heating as part of the tiling job?
Yes, we can supply and fit electric underfloor heating mats or cables beneath tiled floors, coordinated with a qualified electrician for the final connection and testing. It needs to go in at the right stage of the job, after levelling but before tiling, with a suitable flexible adhesive used over the top to allow for the slight movement caused by heating and cooling cycles over time. If underfloor heating is wanted, it's worth raising it early in planning since it adds a stage to the floor build-up and affects the overall finished floor height in the room.
How soon can I use a room after it's been tiled?
It depends on the adhesive and grout used, but as a general rule we'd ask that a shower isn't used for at least 24 to 48 hours after grouting and sealing, longer where a rapid-set product hasn't been used or where tanking underneath needs a full cure time first. Floors can usually take light foot traffic sooner but shouldn't have heavy furniture or appliances placed on them until the adhesive has properly gone off. We'll confirm realistic timings for your specific job rather than giving a generic figure, since cure times vary by product, temperature and ventilation.
Do you fit large format tiles, and does that need special equipment?
Yes. Large format tiles, generally anything over about 600mm, need levelling clip systems to stop lippage between adjoining tiles and keep the finished surface flat and even underfoot. They also need suction lifters to handle and place them safely without cracking, plus a fully solid bed of adhesive rather than just dabs at the corners, which takes noticeably more time to apply correctly using the right size of notched trowel. We factor all of this into timescales and pricing, since large format tiling is a slower, more careful process than laying standard ceramic tiles.
Will tiling work disrupt water supply to the rest of the property?
Usually not, unless the tiling follows plumbing work that requires the supply to be isolated, such as replacing a shower valve or bath taps before tiling around them. Where tiling is a standalone job on an existing wall or floor, water to the rest of the property stays on throughout. If a job does involve isolating supply, we'll tell you which fittings are affected and roughly how long, so the household can plan around it rather than finding out on the day.
What happens to old tiles, adhesive and rubble once they're removed?
We bag and remove tiling waste as part of the job and dispose of it through licensed waste routes, which is a legal requirement for construction waste in London rather than something that can go in a normal household bin. For larger strip-out jobs, such as a full bathroom retile, this may involve a few extra bags or a small skip depending on volume. This is factored into the quote so there's no separate disposal charge sprung on you afterwards.
Do you tile around fitted items like toilets, basins or kitchen units?
Yes, tiling routinely has to work around fixed items rather than a bare wall or floor. Where a toilet or basin needs to come off to tile behind it properly, we'll remove and refit it as part of the job rather than tiling awkwardly around an obstruction, which usually gives a cleaner result and fewer cut edges. For kitchens, we tile up to and around existing units and appliances, cutting tiles to fit tight against worktops, sockets and unit edges.
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