Tiling
Tiling across North West London
Walls and floors, wet areas properly tanked, and grout and silicone that does not fail in a year.
- Free, no-obligation quotes
- A written scope before we start
- Price confirmed before we attend
- Certificates and repairs on one account
- PricingPer square metre, against a written scope
- Typical bathroom2–3 days
- Showers and wet roomsTanked before any tile goes on
In short
What tiling work do we do?
EliteShires Property Services tiles bathrooms, showers, kitchens and floors in Harrow, Kenton, Stanmore and Edgware, priced per square metre against a written scope. Showers and wet rooms are tanked with a waterproof membrane before any tile goes on, because grout is not waterproof. Most bathrooms take two to three days, and we will tell you when regrouting would do the job instead of retiling.
What you get
What is included
A wet area that is genuinely waterproof behind the tiles, setting out that puts the cuts where you will not see them, and silicone where silicone belongs.
- Substrate preparation, overboarding and levelling
- Tanking of showers and wet areas
- Wall and floor tiling in ceramic, porcelain and natural stone
- Setting out from the sightline, not the easiest corner
- Grouting and silicone to the correct joints
- Regrouting and tile replacement as a repair option
How it works
- We assess the substrate and tell you what it actually needs
- You get a price per square metre against a written scope
- Wet areas are tanked before any tile goes on
- Tiling, grouting and silicone, with drying time between stages
- We tell you if a regrout would serve you better than a retile
A shower that has started staining the ceiling below, grout that has cracked again a year after it was last done, or a bathroom that needs tiling and a quote that has not mentioned tanking once.
Tiling fails for two reasons: the substrate was not right, and the wet area was not tanked. Both are invisible once the tiles are on, which is why the cheapest tiling quote is so often the most expensive outcome.
Tiling at a glance
| Pricing | Per square metre, against a written scope |
|---|---|
| Typical bathroom | 2–3 days |
| Showers and wet rooms | Tanked before any tile goes on |
| Repairs | Regrouting and tile replacement where it will last |
What affects the price?
Tile size, substrate condition and whether the area needs tanking. Large-format porcelain and natural stone take longer to set out and cut. A wall that needs overboarding or a floor that needs levelling adds a day before any tile goes on.
Certificates and defined jobs are a fixed price confirmed before we attend; repairs are charged by the hour, with the rate and an estimate confirmed before we attend.
Questions to ask any tiler, and our answers
- What waterproofing goes behind the shower tiles, and how far does it run? Ours: the whole wet zone is tanked before a tile goes on.
- Is the floor being prepared or overboarded? Ours: it has its own line in the written scope.
- Is stripping the old tiles and taking the waste away included? Ours: the scope says so either way.
- Where does silicone go instead of grout? Ours: at every change of plane and around the bath or tray.
- Who disconnects and reconnects the plumbing and electrics? Ours: our plumbers and registered electricians, priced in the same scope where needed.
Ask us how long before the shower can be used and you will get a date before handover.
Often booked with tiling
The full guide to tiling
Preparation and substrate
Tiles are only as good as what they are stuck to. That means checking the wall or floor is sound, flat and rigid, overboarding where plasterboard flexes, priming as required, and levelling floors before anything is laid. Tiling straight onto a flexing or dusty surface is why tiles crack and grout lines open up.
Why do wet areas need tanking?
Showers and wet rooms need a waterproof membrane behind the tiles. Grout is not waterproof and never has been. Tanking is a small proportion of the cost of a bathroom and it is the single difference between a shower that lasts and a ceiling stain downstairs in two years.
Walls and floors
Bathrooms, kitchen splashbacks, WCs, hallways and utility rooms. Ceramic, porcelain and natural stone, large-format and small-format, including the setting out that decides whether you end up with a sliver cut in the most visible corner. We set out from the sightline, not from the easiest corner.
Grout and silicone
Grout choice matters: flexible where there is movement, the right width for the joint, the right colour for what the room needs to feel like. Silicone goes into internal corners and changes of plane, never grout, because those junctions move. Cracked grout in an internal corner is the most common bathroom complaint, and it is nearly always because grout was used where silicone belonged. Failed silicone comes next, usually from poor preparation or the wrong sealant.
Repairs and regrouting
Not every tired bathroom needs retiling. Regrouting, replacing failed silicone and swapping a handful of cracked tiles can transform a room for a fraction of the cost. We will tell you when that is the better answer, and we will tell you when it is only postponing the inevitable.
Who is this for?
Homeowners refitting a bathroom or kitchen, landlords repairing a failed wet area, and agents dealing with a leak that has reached the flat below.
Which mistakes do we see most often?
Accepting a shower quote that does not mention tanking. Grout is not waterproof and never has been; a membrane behind the tile is what keeps water out of the structure, and it is a small fraction of the cost of the bathroom. The other is regrouting a wall that keeps cracking without fixing why. Movement in the substrate will simply crack the new grout too.
Why people trust us
- Electrical or plumbing items on the list go to a registered electrician or one of our plumbers, on the same visit where we can
- A walk-in office on Kenton Lane, not a serviced address
- A written specification, so you know what is included and what would count as an extra
- A time slot rather than a morning-or-afternoon window
- Work photographed before and after, and reported
- We tell you when you do not need something we sell
We are building a review profile under this name and would rather show you none than borrow someone else's. Ask us for references from landlords and we will put you in touch.
Official sources
Last reviewed September 2026 by EliteShires Property Services.
Specific jobs
Bathroom jobs that include our tiling
Each has its own page with what is included, how it is done and what affects the price.
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Bathroom fitting
We strip out and refit bathrooms, en-suites and cloakrooms with our own plumbers, electricians, tilers and decorators, against one written specification.
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Shower installation
We fit electric, mixer and pumped showers and build wet rooms, after measuring your water pressure and flow so the shower you choose actually performs.
Where we work
Tiling in your area
Local housing changes the job, so each area has its own page.
Book tiling by town
Tiling: common questions
Not answered here? Call 0203 667 1333 and ask.
Do showers really need tanking?
Yes. Grout is not a waterproof layer. A tanking membrane behind the tiles is what keeps water out of the structure, and it costs a small fraction of the bathroom. Anyone quoting a shower without it is quoting a future repair.
More on shower and wet room installation.
Can you retile over existing tiles?
Sometimes, if the existing tiles are sound, well bonded and flat, and the extra thickness works at thresholds and around fittings. Often it is a false economy, because you inherit whatever was wrong underneath. We will assess and tell you.
How long does a bathroom take to tile?
Most bathrooms are two to three days including preparation, tiling, grouting and silicone, with drying time between stages. Large-format or natural stone can take longer.
Why has my grout cracked?
Almost always movement: either grout used where silicone should have been, or a substrate that flexes. Regrouting without addressing the cause just repeats the failure.
Can you tile over a timber floor?
Often, but not straight onto floorboards. Boards move, and movement cracks tiles and grout, so the floor usually needs stiffening and overboarding with a suitable backer board first, with a flexible adhesive and grout. We check the floor for movement before we quote.
Can you just regrout rather than retile?
Often yes, and it is dramatically cheaper. Whether it is worth it depends on the condition of the tiles and the substrate behind them.
Why is my shower leaking into the room below?
Most often it is failed silicone or grout at the tray or bath edge, or a wet area that was never tanked, so water gets behind the tiles. Sometimes it is the waste or a pipe joint instead. We find the actual source before quoting, because retiling will not fix a leaking waste.
Book tiling
Most quotes are settled on a two-minute call. Photos of the room, sent by WhatsApp, often let us price without a visit. Or send the form and we will call you back.
0203 667 1333 Or WhatsApp us on 07534 813123- We confirm the quote for your property
- We book a time slot that suits you or your tenant
- The work is done to the written specification and photographed
Visit the office
EliteShires Property Services
6 Station Parade, Kenton Lane
Harrow HA3 8SB
Call or WhatsApp
Opening hours
Mon – Fri · 8:00 – 18:00
Saturday · 9:00 – 16:30
Sunday · Emergencies only