Why its a good idea to lay tiles first!

You are renovating your bathroom, the old tiles are removed, all cabinetry is in the bin, the new tiles have just arrived, its has gone from drab to fab and you are so excited as the process is coming along perfectly… well, until you need to order your new shower screen.

You have trolled through endless photos on instagram for the perfect replica bathroom you want, you have selected the perfect door handles to match the style of candles you have selected that will burn brightly along the basin whilst you are visioning the very first shower you are going to have in your newly renovated bathroom.

The perfect shower screen you selected is a fully frameless shower screen, seamless lines with a modern handle, which will make your bathroom expand and let all elements in the bathroom shine. You know it will take one week for your perfect custom shower screen to be made.

You are ready to make that ever, so exciting, phone call to your local glazing company “Hi, I know exactly what shower screen I want, please come around and measure up”.

The super friendly receptionist at the other end of the phone is super chipper that you know what you want and you are ready, then you were asked one of the most common questions that rolled off the tip of their tongue “have the tiles been laid”?

Your mind starts racing, thinking about it. The tiles have arrived, the tiler will be laying them next week, he is organised… but no! The tiles aren’t laid yet. “NO, the tiler has not laid the tiles”. As you hold your breath unknown to what will be said next.

The receptionist will then kindly inform that the tiles need to be laid prior to measuring. Gosh darn! “Why can’t you come out and measure the area, the tiles are 12mm thick, can you not allocate that in your measurements?”

This is where it gets tricky… With most bathroom renovations, the shower screens are custom made to suit your bathroom. When it comes to a frameless shower screen that is not a single panel, it needs to be made within 1-2 millimetres of installation. Especially when the manufacturing of glass is allowed to have a 5-8%  of flexibility for imperfections.

There are too many variables that come into play when the tiles have not been laid. Ask any tiler:

Is the lean perfect for the drainage?

Will the mud be 100% consistent throughout the entire bathroom floor and walls?

Will the spacers be perfect throughout the entire tiling?

You know the answer…. the answer will be NO. Why? It’s because its handmade. The entire process is all done with a human hand. Each tile and each stroke of the bonding mud is done with a human touch.

This is the reason why you need to wait until the tiles are completed prior to measuring that amazing shower screen. If you want your bathroom to have the finishing touches that you have spent endless nights, scrolling through a million insta post’s whilst cross referencing them through Pinterest… then this is the reason why you need to wait for your tiler to finish his craft, so your new shower screen can have its own time to shine for you.