Advice on Bathroom Tile Quote, Can I DIY myself

inkypinky999

Hi All,

I have just got a quote for the bathroom work, which involves :-

1. Fix/Tighten the Bathtub to wall, this is currently bit wobbly, the silicon at the end is broken and we are not using it.

2. Re-silicon the bathtub.

3. Install shower mixer tab.

4. Tile Walls (Wall is part tiled, this work is to Tile rest of wall area on all 3 sides of the bathtub)

5. Install shower screen.

I have been quoted 460 (including parts + labour) but that does not #5.

I have 2 questions :-

1. What do folks here think about the quote.
2. Can I DIY this work, (I do not have any any DIY experience).

Regards,

wallbash

Will only answer 2)

We all started DIY once . To many people won't diy. We are raising a generation that cant even
change a plug. Plenty of help here and in books .

AND your list is not huge , materials not that expensive . Your result might not be of a high professional
finish, but you will have the satisfaction of knowing its all yours.

Inactive

However, there is nothing more likely to put off a potential buyer than a bodged DIY job, so it could well be beneficial in the long term, to have it done properly.

inkypinky999

Inactive wrote: »

However, there is nothing more likely to put off a potential buyer than a bodged DIY job, so it could well be beneficial in the long term, to have it done properly.

Assuming that some may need a professional, but there must be something i can do myself and reduce cost.

Is tiling wall easy or tightening bathtub easy

wallbash

Is it 'easy' thats depends on you . Should you try ??? see previous posting .

Ps you said nothing about selling ... so I never gave it a thought, but when I last looked at buying a house , location location etc as the experts say , there was a reasonable sized bathroom , state of bath/silicon/tiles did not even look at.

Jonesya

What are you tiling on to? Be very careful about tiling straight onto plasterboard if it's part of a shower, as if moisture gets through the grout and given time/exposure it probably will, the plasterboard will fail and the tiles will come off - as my parents learned after having their shower fitted by a so called 'pro'! If the tiling is going to be part of the shower area you might want to consider replacing the plasterboard with a cement backer board like Hardibacker or Aquapanel.

Before turning my hand at something new I like to read up on it to check what I'm doing - for a couple of quid you might want to get a book:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Setting-Tile-Homebuilding-Michael-Byrne/dp/1561580805/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1288291602&sr=8-8

Oh and some of the DIY outlets, Screwfix / Toolstation sell cheap electric tile cutters - I had one for a tile job I did and it was well worth the £40 cost, made the work a lot quicker/easier.

inkypinky999

Thanks for your Replies. With Respect to selling, yes I will be selling house but may be in next 5-8 years.

With respect to Area, the current tiles are on a plasterboard and I want to extend the tiles on top of them, it is plasterboard, Thanks for your advice the plumber did not even mentioned about plasterboard issues if grout leaks into wall. With respect to replacing the plasterboard with cement backer board will it increase the cost further again can it be DIY'ed.

sorry to ending up sounding more confusing but I will better take advice from excellent people here than spending money and making mistakes.

latecomer

You can buy shower tanking kits from BAL which contain a rubber-based (I think) solution which you paint on first to provide a barrier against moisture.

But I'm wondering whether you actually need to worry about it if you are only extending the tiling. Is the area around the shower already fuilly tiled? Any tiling outwith the immediate vacinity of the shower wont get very wet and hence tanking or re-boarding with a mositure resistant board is probably unnecessary which may explain why the plumber didn't mention it?

samtheman1k

All the jobs you've mentioned are easy for a competent DIYer, but the question is, are you a competent DIYer?

inkypinky999

At this moment I will not call myself a competent DIY'er. I can change light bulbs though . I have done bit of silicone around wash basins, which was ok job, have changed shower heads but nothing more complex.

wallbash

But no one becomes a 'competent DIY'er.' with out making an effort ( making mistakes ) and having a go.