🧱 The Foundation — Wall & Floor Preparation

(Part 3 of “The Bathroom Installation Process” Series)

Before the tiles go up and the bathroom starts to take shape, there’s one vital stage that determines how long your new bathroom will last — the preparation of the walls and floors.

At Elite Plumbing & Construction Ltd, we know that a perfect finish is only possible with solid preparation beneath it.

We’ve seen every type of substrate, surface, and hidden defect imaginable across our 600+ bathroom refurbishments in Dunstable, Luton, Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire, Milton Keynes, Aylesbury, Hemel Hempstead, and Hertfordshire — and we’ve built our process around doing this stage right, every time.

🧰 Step 1: Why Preparation Matters

Tiling over uneven, damp, or weak surfaces is one of the most common causes of bathroom failures. Poor preparation can lead to:

• Cracked tiles

• Hollow sounds under floors

• Loose adhesive bonds

• Leaks behind walls

That’s why we treat preparation as the most important part of your refurbishment — not an optional extra.

By properly levelling, boarding, and waterproofing your space, we ensure your bathroom stands the test of time and stays pristine for years to come.

🧱 Step 2: Assessing the Substrate

After the first-fix plumbing and electrical work, our team fully inspects the structure of your walls and floors before moving on.

We check for:

• Moisture or damp spots

• Cracked plaster or loose render

• Uneven or damaged subfloors

• Weak studwork or poor fixings

If we find any issues, they’re repaired straight away — ensuring your surfaces are sound, dry, and strong enough to support tiling and fixtures.

⏱️ Timeframe: This stage can take anywhere from one to three days, depending on the size of the room and the condition of the existing structure.

💧 Step 3: Waterproofing & Tanking

All wet areas (showers, around baths, and splash zones) are treated with professional tanking systems to make them completely waterproof.

This process includes:

• Applying a liquid waterproof membrane to walls and floors

• Reinforcing corners, joints, and edges with sealing tape

• Ensuring full coverage beneath tiles to prevent water penetration

Tanking is essential to protect your walls and floors from hidden moisture damage — especially in high-use bathrooms.

At Elite Plumbing & Construction, we only use industry-approved systems designed for long-term performance and warranty compliance.

🪵 Step 4: Wall Boarding & Plastering

Depending on the condition of your walls, we may:

• Re-board using moisture-resistant plasterboard or cement-based backer boards

• Plaster skim walls where a painted or half-tiled finish is planned

• Ensure all surfaces are square, flat, and ready for tile setting

Backer boards are particularly crucial in wet areas, as they won’t swell, rot, or deteriorate over time like standard plasterboard can.

Every wall is measured and level-checked to ensure your tiles and fixtures align perfectly.

🧱 Step 5: Floor Levelling

A perfectly flat floor is vital for tiling and for the long-term stability of your fixtures.

We:

• Inspect and reinforce floor joists if needed

• Install new subfloor boarding or tile backer boards

• Apply self-levelling compound to achieve an even surface ready for tiling

This guarantees a clean, even tile finish with no lippage (uneven tile edges) and ensures long-term adhesion.

⚠️ Step 6: Managing Unforeseen Additional Works

It’s during this stage that we sometimes uncover hidden issues from old installations, such as:

• Damp patches from historic leaks

• Rotten floorboards beneath baths or showers

• Uneven subfloors caused by movement over time

When this happens, we document everything and discuss the solution with you before proceeding.

We never rush the preparation stage — we correct every issue properly, ensuring your new bathroom isn’t just beautiful but structurally sound.

💬 “We’d rather spend an extra day getting it perfect than risk a shortcut that fails in six months.”

✅ Final Thoughts

The preparation stage is the difference between a quick renovation and a professional refurbishment that lasts decades.

At Elite Plumbing & Construction, we treat every detail — from waterproofing to levelling — with precision and care.

It’s the unseen craftsmanship that ensures your bathroom looks stunning on the surface and remains problem-free beneath.

Whether you’re in Dunstable, Luton, Leighton Buzzard, Aylesbury, Milton Keynes, Hemel Hempstead, or anywhere in Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, or Hertfordshire, you can count on us to build your bathroom the right way from the ground up.

🪛 What’s Coming Next

In our next post, we’ll move on to:

👉 “The Transformation — Tiling & Grouting.”

We’ll cover how our professional tilers bring your design to life — from tile setting and alignment to adhesive selection, grouting, and achieving that showroom-perfect finish.

Follow us for Part 4 of The Bathroom Installation Process series.

📍 About Elite Plumbing & Construction Ltd

Elite Plumbing & Construction Ltd is a professional refurbishment company based in Dunstable, Bedfordshire, proudly serving:

• Dunstable

• Luton

• Leighton Buzzard

• Bedfordshire and surrounding areas

• Milton Keynes

• Aylesbury

• Buckinghamshire and surrounding areas

• Hemel Hempstead

• Hertfordshire and surrounding areas

We specialise in complete bathroom refurbishments, kitchen renovations, and full property transformations, managing every project in-house from design to completion.

Contact Us

📞 Phone: 07506 079189

📧 Email: info@epacltd.co.uk

🌐 Website: www.epacltd.co.uk

📍 Head Office: Dunstable, Bedfordshire