MyJobQuote's June 2026 timings are a good baseline, but they describe the tiling only. The bathroom is out of use for longer than the tiler is in it.
Time on site
Fully tiling walls and floor in a medium bathroom: four days. Walls only: three days. Floor only: one day. Around the bath: a day and a half. A splashback above the sink: half a day.
Those assume a sound, flat, prepared substrate and a straightforward tile in a simple layout.
What adds days
Preparation. Removing old tiles is charged by time and is slow. Making good the wall afterwards, boarding out, or levelling an uneven surface all take time, and in an older property replastering means waiting for it to dry before tiling can start.
Tanking. A shower area needs waterproofing before tiling, and the system needs its stated curing time before anyone tiles over it. Usually most of a day including the wait.
Floor build-up. A suspended timber floor needing an overlay board or decoupling membrane adds a day.
Curing. Standard cement-based adhesive needs around 24 hours before grouting. A tiler working through a bathroom absorbs this naturally by moving between surfaces, but it does mean the last surface tiled cannot be grouted the same day.
The layout. Herringbone, diagonal, mosaics and large-format tiles are all slower than a simple running bond. Mosaics in particular are slow to lay and much slower to grout.
The realistic schedule
For a medium bathroom being retiled in a Victorian terrace, a realistic sequence is: a day stripping the old tiles, a day making good and preparing, half a day tanking the shower area, three to four days tiling, and grouting following a day behind the tiling.
Call it a week to ten days from start to a usable room, rather than the four days the tiling line suggests.
If replastering is needed, add the plasterer's visit and drying time on top, which can extend the whole job by a fortnight.
Sequencing with other trades
Tiling sits between first and second fix. Pipework, any recessed shower valve and electrics go in first. Then substrate and tanking. Then tiling. Then sanitaryware, taps and fittings.
Booking the tiler before first fix is complete means either a wasted visit or cutting into finished tiles later.
The bath is the common sticking point. Tiling behind a bath rather than down to it is the stronger detail at exactly the junction most exposed to water, which means the bath usually wants to be in position but not finally fixed when tiling starts. Agree this with whoever is fitting the bathroom.
Living with it
The bathroom is unusable while the work is on. Plan for that, particularly in a one-bathroom house.
Tile cutting is loud and dusty, and cutting is usually done outside or in another room, so expect disruption beyond the bathroom itself. Ask where the tiler intends to cut before the first day.
What makes a job overrun
Three things, in order of frequency.
The substrate turning out to be worse than expected. Stripping old tiles reveals damaged plaster, or a floor that flexes more than it looked. Both stop tiling until they are fixed, and plastering brings drying time with it.
Tiles arriving late or short. Tiling stops dead if the tiler runs out, and a second delivery may be a different batch with a visible shade difference. Have every tile on site and checked before the first day, and order the full quantity including the cutting allowance in one go.
Decisions made during the job. Changing the layout, the grout colour or where a border runs, once work has started, costs time. Settle the setting out with the tiler on day one and then leave it alone.
Planning the room around it
If it is the only bathroom in the house, work out the arrangements before the job starts rather than on day two. Four days without a shower is manageable if it is planned and unpleasant if it is a surprise.
Ask the tiler for a realistic day-by-day sequence at the quoting stage. A tiler who can tell you what will happen on each day has done the job before and has thought about yours.