Home improvement question.

Post by **Dale** » Mon Apr 23, 2007 9:54 am

I have a very small bathroom with a tile shower stall and a tiled floor. I'd like to have someone come in and replace the tile in the shower stall and on the floor. Again, very small bathroom. I haven't the slightest clue what a project like that would cost. I assume it's somewhere between $1000 and $10,000--that's how clueless I am. Anybody have a rough idea? I mean, rough, but not as rough as 1000k-10,000k.

Innocent Bystander · Post by **Innocent Bystander** » Mon Apr 23, 2007 9:56 am

My wife was looking into this. The main cost is the cost of the tiles and this can vary widely. (or wildly.) But apart from the tiles, I think we were quoted 500 GBP (which would be 1 Grand, American.)

djm · Post by **djm** » Mon Apr 23, 2007 9:58 am

For $10K I'll come down and do it for you.

You haven't given any measurements. These things are estimated by sq ft, but if its as small as you say, I wouldn't expect a pro to charge more than $3-5K max. And make sure he guarantees his work for a minimum 5 yrs.

djm

Tony · Post by **Tony** » Mon Apr 23, 2007 10:39 am

Do you want a Handyman job or Licensed, Insured Certified Contractor?

Doug_Tipple · Post by **Doug_Tipple** » Mon Apr 23, 2007 10:42 am

I recommend buying a different house with a newly completed tile bathroom. I hope this is helpful.

crookedtune · Post by **crookedtune** » Mon Apr 23, 2007 11:02 am

I think bathrooms are highly overrated.

djm · Post by **djm** » Mon Apr 23, 2007 11:05 am

crookedtune wrote:I think bathrooms are highly overrated.

How long have you been holding it?

djm

crookedtune · Post by **crookedtune** » Mon Apr 23, 2007 11:26 am

Dale, I'd probably narrow that to the $1-2K range, but it depends on lots of factors, such as choice of tile, obstructions, etc... This is one of those where you'll REALLY want to get some customer references. We got a talented amateur to do our kitchen cheaply, based on strong recommendations from friends. Worked out great. Good luck!

missy · Post by **missy** » Mon Apr 23, 2007 11:29 am

instead of re - tile- ing (that word just didn't look correctly spelled if I put it all together!) you may want to check into the fiberglass shower surrounds. They are easy to install, easy to keep clean, and much cheaper than tile.

Are the walls behind the tile drywall or plaster? If they are drywall (sheetrock), it's much easier to remove the old tile (you just cut the walls out). If plaster, you may wind up with a LOT of work (and cost) getting all the grout and mastic off and having a smooth surface to rework.

I can't give you current costs. The last bathroom I did was 23 years ago, and we were limited on tile choices (matching the tub because we didn't want to move it down the stairs to replace).

straycat82 · Post by **straycat82** » Mon Apr 23, 2007 11:41 am

There are a LOT of factors that come into play here. I used to sell flooring for a living and I learned a lot about the installation of it as well... I've only actually installed tiling once though. If you have some good instruction then it's worth the money you'd save to just do it on your own, in my opinion, providing that you've got the knees for it as well as a weekend or so of time to spare.
A couple small things that can play a large part in the cost are (and Missy's point was good as well) the custom shape tile cutting around the toilet (some contractors charge ridiculous amounts for this), the size of your bathroom and the size and design of tile used.
Also, make sure that you seal your grout between the floor tiles with a good penetrating sealer, (many people forget or don't know to do this) and it will add years to the life of your tile job. DO NOT use any of the quick fix or spray-on sealers, they put a light coat over the top of it that wears down quickly and doesn't protect that well.

hyldemoer · Post by **hyldemoer** » Mon Apr 23, 2007 11:43 am

Every contractor knows that just giving you an estimate doesn't mean they'll get the job so don't feel bad about getting several estimates, or at the very least three.
If you decide to actually get the project done,
you might not want to go with the lowest estimate.

Besides the cost of raw material, a contractor will estimate the cost per hour.
What's the going rate in your area?
In an urban area its probably going to be higher than rural.

Will you be taking the old tiles out yourself
and disposing of them in a rented dumpster?
I imagine there will be some dry wall replacement under the tiles.

When you change the tiles would be a good time to change the plumbing under them and of course there will be new fixtures.
You might want to upgrade the sink and toilet to match.

I decided to live with the tiles in my bathroom, get a new sink and invest in a lot of pretty eye catching towels.

jkwest · Post by **jkwest** » Mon Apr 23, 2007 11:56 am

Just do it yourself....

it'd be a fun weekend project!

Wanderer · Post by **Wanderer** » Mon Apr 23, 2007 12:00 pm

I recently had a guy come re-tile one wall of the shower stall. It took him about 5 hours. I don't know how much it cost, since the landlord footed the bill, but I can't imagine it cost more than a grand, if that much, based on the time he spent.

DCrom · Post by **DCrom** » Mon Apr 23, 2007 12:01 pm

We just did that a year or so (loose tiles in stall). I'd concur with the 1-2K estimates IF you can resist the urge to do more.

We ended up redoing the entire bathroom, so it cost us a bit more.

But that was want, not need - it *would* have been 1-2K if all we'd had done was re-tiling the shower stall and floor.

Post by **Nanohedron** » Mon Apr 23, 2007 1:49 pm

jkwest wrote:Just do it yourself....

it'd be a fun weekend project!

[voiceofexperience]Dont' listen to him, Dale. Weekends take on a whole different time frame from the norm with projects like that, especially if you've never done that sort of thing on a regular enough basis. I had one such "weekend" sure seem like it was two weeks, at least. Of course, I had to replace the floor and tub backsplash, too, but there's always something. Besides, contributing to the working stiff is patriotic. AND you don't have to blame yourself.

[/voiceofexperience]