A successful villa bathroom comes down to the order of operations: complete strip-out, substrate levelling, waterproofing of wet zones, a cement-mortar scratch coat — never gypsum — then large-format slabs laid on a perfectly flat substrate, with pipework concealed and invisible. Each stage sets up the next; skipping one is paid for in cracks or leaks.
- Typical duration
- 1 to 3 weeks on site
- Wall substrate
- Cement scratch coat, never gypsum
- Wet zones
- Liquid membrane under tile
- Recommended surface
- 120 cm large-format slabs
- Pipework
- Concealed, never exposed
Before you begin
A bathroom renovation is planned on paper: slab layout, position of water points, direction of veining, finished floor level. Materials and a dry-lay are approved before anything is stripped out — this is what guarantees aligned joints and continuous veining at the end.
- 01
Strip-out and survey
Complete removal of the old surface and exposure of the substrate. We check the state of the partitions, the plumb of the walls and the flatness of the floor before any decision.
- 02
Services and levelling
Routing and concealing of pipework (none is left exposed), then floor levelling and wall straightening to obtain a flat substrate, checked with a laser level.
- 03
Waterproofing
Application of a liquid waterproofing membrane on the floor and the shower and bath walls, with reinforcing bands at corners and junctions — this is the guarantee against leaks.
- 04
Scratch coat
Walls receive a cement-mortar scratch coat, never gypsum, which can't withstand the lasting moisture of a bathroom and delaminates.
- 05
Slab installation
Large-format slabs laid with full back-buttering, joints levelled with clips for a perfectly flush surface, veining matched to the approved layout.
- 06
Grouting and finishing
Grouting, silicone at corners and perimeters, cleaning and sealing if the material requires it. Final inspection in raking light.
Gypsum absorbs moisture, swells and loses its bond; tile ends up sounding hollow and delaminating. A cement-mortar scratch coat is stable over time against moisture.
