Wall and floor tiling that starts with what sits underneath

Bathroom tiling for homeowners in Caulfield and surrounding Melbourne suburbs, carried out by Ivan Bodnar, Independent Home Renovation Specialist. The tile is the part you see. The surface behind it decides how well it holds.

Reference photo: wall tiling in progress, with adhesive exposed between tiles.

SCOPE

Wall and floor tiling, mostly as part of a bathroom renovation in an existing home.

WHO

Ivan Bodnar. You talk directly with the person assessing the surfaces and laying the tile.

WHERE

Caulfield and surrounding Melbourne suburbs.

ALONGSIDE

Plumbing, electrical and other regulated work is done by appropriately licensed specialists.

The existing surface

Old tiles, adhesive, render or sheet. What is there now is the starting point, and some of it only shows once the old tiles come off.

Preparation

Removing, repairing, levelling or re-sheeting. This is where experience with plasterboard and plastering earns its place.

The proposed system

The tile, adhesive and other products you choose have to suit the surface they are going onto, not just the look you want.

Setting out and laying

The layout and cuts are planned before the first tile goes on, then wall and floor tiles are laid to that plan.

LAYER 03 — PREPARATION

Why a tiled wall is only as sound as what's behind it

Cracked tiles and grout falling apart are usually what homeowners notice first. The cause often sits a layer deeper: a surface that has moved, deteriorated or was never suited to the tile on it.

The visible finish is only one part of a successful renovation. Whether tiling is suitable depends on the existing substrate and the proposed system. That is why surfaces are assessed before tiling is planned, and why we tell you what can be checked at that point and what can’t be known yet.

Existing conditions and concealed issues can change the scope once old tiles are removed. If that happens, you hear about it directly and we talk it through before the work goes further.

More on this: Preparation Before Tile: Why the Substrate Matters

LICENSED WORK

Where other trades come in

Retiling a bathroom often runs alongside other changes, such as moving fixtures or updating lighting. Plumbing, electrical and other regulated work is done by appropriately licensed specialists, and Ivan may coordinate their involvement so the tiling is planned around it.

Read how that works in Licensed Specialist Coordination, or see how tiling fits into a full bathroom renovation.

Planning to retile a bathroom?

Tell us which surfaces you want retiled and what you’ve noticed, like loose tiles, failing grout or marks on the wall. We’ll talk you through what an on-site assessment would need to look at.