Bathroom tiles do harder work than tiles anywhere else in the house: they sit in steam and standing water every day, and they have to stay safe underfoot when wet. A good bathroom job is mostly what you cannot see, meaning the waterproofing, the falls to the drain and the right adhesive. Send one request with the size of the bathroom, whether you want floor and walls done and the look you like, and tile suppliers and tilers near you quote directly. Ask for tiles only, laying only, or both. It is free.
Waterproofing comes before the tiles
Grout and tiles are not waterproof on their own. Water moves through the joints and into the screed and walls, which is how bathrooms end up with black mould, stained ceilings below and tiles that sound hollow. Before any tile goes up, the shower floor and the lower part of the shower walls should get a liquid or sheet waterproofing membrane, taken up the walls and into the corners with reinforcing tape.
Ask every tiler to name the membrane in the quote, and whether it is also applied around the bath and across the whole floor. A flood test of a day or two before tiling is cheap insurance.
Floors, falls and slip ratings
A shower floor must fall about 1:60 to the drain, otherwise water pools and the grout stays wet for days. Small tiles follow those falls easily, which is why mosaic tiles are popular on shower floors. Large tiles work too if the drain is a linear one, because then the floor only needs to slope one way, and a 600 x 600 tile can be laid without cutting it into triangles.
For slip resistance, choose tiles by their rating, not their looks:
- R10 is the minimum for a dry bathroom floor.
- R11 suits shower floors and wet rooms, and is worth having for children and older people.
- A polished floor tile looks smart but turns into an ice rink with soapy feet. Keep polished tiles on the walls.
Small bathroom ideas that work
In a small en-suite or a guest bathroom, fewer lines make the room look bigger. Running the same tile from the floor up the wall in one continuous colour removes the visual break at the skirting. Large porcelain tiles with a 2 mm rectified joint look calmer than small tiles with wide joints, and a grout colour close to the tile hides the lines further.
Plan the details before the tiler starts: the height of the tiling (to the ceiling, or to about 2 m around the shower), a recessed niche instead of a shelf that catches soap scum, and metal or PVC trims on outside corners so the tile edges are protected.
Comparing bathroom quotes
Bathroom jobs are small, so the labour per square metre is usually at the top of the range, and the extras decide the price. Check that quotes include removing old tiles, waterproofing, levelling the floor, tile trims, silicone in the corners and clearing the rubble. A rough 2026 guide is R120 to R600 per m² for bathroom tiles, plus R200 to R450 per m² to lay them. See the floor tile price guide for a worked bathroom example.
What to include in your request
- Bathroom size and the wall height to tile
- Shower, bath or both, and the drain type
- Tile look, colour and slip rating wanted
- Waterproofing, trims and niche needed
- Your suburb and the start date you need
Bathroom Tiles for different projects
- Homeowners renovating: a full bathroom or en-suite redo with a walk-in shower and new waterproofing
- New builds and extensions: bathroom and toilet tiling for the whole house, quoted from the plans
- Landlords and body corporates: durable mid-range bathroom tiles that are easy to clean between tenants
- Guesthouses, hotels and restaurants: matching floor and wall tiles for guest bathrooms, with R11 shower floors
- Shops, offices and showrooms: tiled toilets and washrooms in shops and offices that must stay clean and dry
- Schools, clinics and public buildings: easy-clean, slip-resistant bathrooms and ablutions for schools, clinics and halls
- Workshops, warehouses and gyms: tough wall and floor tiling for changing rooms and showers at workshops and gyms
- Patios, stoeps and pool areas: tiled outdoor showers beside the pool, with R12 floors and frost-resistant tiles
Frequently asked questions
Can I tile over old bathroom tiles?
How many tiles do I need for a bathroom?
What grout is best in a shower?
How long before I can shower again?
Bathroom Tiles by province and city
- Johannesburg
- Pretoria
- Centurion
- Midrand
- Sandton
- Randburg
- Roodepoort
- Krugersdorp
- Randfontein
- Germiston
- Boksburg
- Benoni
- Kempton Park
- Alberton
- Vanderbijlpark
- Vereeniging
- Durban
- Pinetown
- Pietermaritzburg
- Richards Bay
- Newcastle
- Ladysmith
- Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth)
- East London
- Kariega (Uitenhage)
- Mthatha
- Cape Town
- Bellville
- Paarl
- Stellenbosch
- George
- Worcester
- eMalahleni (Witbank)
- Middelburg
- Secunda
- Mbombela (Nelspruit)
- Rustenburg
- Brits
- Klerksdorp
- Potchefstroom
- Mahikeng
- Polokwane
- Tzaneen
- Kimberley
- Upington
- Bloemfontein
- Welkom
- Sasolburg