07826 849205devonbuild.carpentry@outlook.com Mon–Fri, 8am–5pm - @devonbuildandcarpentry HomeAboutServices Our WorkReviewsAreas ContactRequest an Estimate Home - Services - Tiling Tiling · North Devon # Tiling done in-house,on substrates prepared properlybefore a single tile is laid. Tiling is often the last thing anyone sees before a bathroom or kitchen goes into use, and it is unforgiving of anything wrong underneath it. We carry it out ourselves as part of the build: tanking wet areas, levelling floors, and setting large-format and natural stone tiles on a substrate we have already checked is fit to take them. Request your free estimate07826 849205 Established 2020 · £5m public liability · 12-month workmanship guarantee · In-house team of five ~20 years in the trade Adam project-manages every job personally In-house, not subbed out Tiling completed by our own team £5m public liability Plus £10m employers' liability cover 12-month guarantee No-quibble workmanship cover after completion Certified where it matters Part-P electricians and gas-registered engineers for wet room services Service overview ## What tiling work with us actually involves Tiling comes up in almost every bathroom, kitchen and wet room we build, plus standalone jobs re-tiling an existing room. Because we also handle the carpentry, plastering and groundwork around it, the tiler is never the person left to fix somebody else's substrate. A tiling job starts with the substrate, not the tile. Floors need to be flat, structurally sound and, where there is underfloor heating, allowed to run through a commissioning cycle before tiling begins. Walls need to be dry, flat and correctly boarded, standard plasterboard in a dry area, moisture-resistant board or cement backer board in a wet area. Getting this stage wrong is the single biggest cause of tiling failures, and it is invisible once the tiles are on. Wet areas, showers, wet rooms, areas around baths, are tanked before tiling starts, using a waterproof membrane system taken up the walls and across the floor with the joints, corners and pipe penetrations properly sealed. This is what actually stops water getting into the floor and walls, not the grout joints, which is a common misunderstanding. We work with the full range of tile formats used in Devon homes today: standard ceramic and porcelain, large-format porcelain slabs that need a flatter substrate and different adhesive technique, and natural stone such as slate, limestone and travertine, which often needs sealing before and after grouting to avoid staining. Underfloor heating, whether electric mat or wet system, is factored into adhesive choice and expansion joint layout from the start. ### Who it is for Anyone fitting a new bathroom, wet room or kitchen, self-builders who want tiling handled by the same team as the rest of the build, and homeowners re-tiling a room where the existing tiling has failed or dated. ### When you need it Once first fix plumbing and electrics are in and boarding is up, or when re-tiling an existing wet area: ideally alongside checking the waterproofing behind the old tiles rather than tiling straight over a problem. ### Why proper tiling matters A leaking shower tray or badly tanked wet room can run water into a floor or ceiling below for months before it is noticed, by which point the damage is well beyond the cost of doing the tanking properly in the first place. What it costs to get wrong ## What goes wrong with rushed or badly prepared tiling Tiling failures rarely show up on day one. They surface months or years later, usually as a cracked tile, a soft floor, or damp coming through a ceiling below a bathroom. ### No tanking, or tanking done badly Relying on grout to keep water out of a shower or wet room does not work: grout is not waterproof on its own. Without a properly detailed tanking membrane, water tracks behind the tiles and into the floor or the room below. ### Tiling onto an unsuitable board Standard plasterboard in a wet area softens and fails over time. Cement backer board or a suitable tile backer is needed anywhere water is regularly present, not just where it is visibly wet. ### Large-format tiles on an uneven substrate Big porcelain slabs show every dip and high spot in the substrate as lippage between tiles, and are prone to cracking if not fully bedded in adhesive across the whole back of the tile. A floor that is fine for small tiles can be unfit for large format without extra levelling. ### Underfloor heating not accounted for Tiling over underfloor heating before it has been commissioned and brought up to temperature gradually can crack tiles and grout as the floor expands. Adhesive and movement joints also need to suit a heated floor, not just a standard one. ### Natural stone left unsealed Stone such as limestone and travertine is porous. Left unsealed, it stains from grout, grease and everyday use almost immediately, and once staining sets in it is very hard to remove. Our process ## Every stage planned, priced and signed off You always know what happens next, who is on site, and what it costs before the work starts. - 01 ### Site visit and free estimate We look at the room, the existing substrate or the plans, and discuss tile type and format, giving you an honest ballpark figure with no obligation. - 02 ### Detailed quote A full itemised quote is produced for a fee, refunded in full if you go ahead: covering substrate preparation, tanking where needed, tile supply if required, and finish. - 03 ### Substrate preparation Floors levelled, walls boarded with the correct backer for the environment, and underfloor heating commissioned and run through its cycle before anything is tiled over it. - 04 ### Tanking wet areas A waterproof membrane system applied across floors and up walls in showers and wet rooms, with joints, corners and pipe penetrations properly sealed and left to cure. - 05 ### Setting out and laying Tiles set out to minimise awkward cuts around fittings and doorways, laid with full adhesive coverage, and levelled to avoid lippage, particularly on large-format tiles. - 06 ### Grouting, sealing and guarantee Grouted, silicone sealed at movement joints and wet edges, natural stone sealed where needed, and the completed work backed by our 12-month no-quibble workmanship guarantee. What you get ## The difference it makes on your property Concrete outcomes, not promises: this is what changes when the job is run properly. ### In-house, not subcontracted out Tiling is completed by our own team as part of the build, so it is never a separate trade left guessing at what the substrate underneath is doing. ### Substrate checked before a tile goes down Because we control the carpentry, plastering and first fix around it, the floor and walls are already right by the time tiling starts. ### Wet areas properly tanked Waterproof membrane systems fitted correctly at floors, walls, corners and penetrations, not relied on grout alone to keep water out. ### Large-format and natural stone handled properly Substrates levelled to suit big porcelain slabs and full-coverage adhesive, and natural stone sealed to stop staining before it starts. ### Underfloor heating accounted for Heating systems commissioned and brought up gradually before tiling, with adhesive and movement joints chosen to suit a heated floor. ### Backed by a workmanship guarantee A 12-month no-quibble guarantee on completed tiling, plus £5m public liability cover on every job we carry out. In detail ## Tiling detail: substrates, tanking and materials The finished look of a tiled room depends almost entirely on decisions made before the first tile goes on. Here is what happens beneath the surface. ### Substrate preparation Floors are checked for flatness and, where timber, for deflection and fixing before anything is laid on them: a floor that flexes underfoot will eventually crack grout lines and loosen tiles regardless of how well they were fixed. Self-levelling compound or additional boarding is used where the existing floor is not flat or stiff enough. Walls in dry areas can generally be plastered or boarded conventionally, but anywhere water is regularly present needs a cement-based backer board or equivalent tile backer rather than standard plasterboard, which softens over time when repeatedly wet. ### Tanking wet areas Showers, wet rooms and areas around baths are tanked with a liquid or sheet membrane system before tiling. This is applied across the floor and up the walls to the required height, with reinforcing tape and corner pieces at every joint, internal corner and pipe or waste penetration, since those are the points that actually let water through. The membrane is left to cure fully before tiling starts. Skipping or rushing this stage is invisible once the tiling is finished, which is exactly why it is one of the most common causes of hidden water damage in bathrooms. ### Underfloor heating and tiling Whether it is an electric heating mat under a bathroom floor or a wet underfloor heating system across a larger area, the system is commissioned and run through a gradual heat-up cycle before tiling begins, and again before it is used at full temperature afterwards. Skipping this step is a common cause of cracked grout and lifted tiles. Adhesive is chosen to suit a heated floor, and movement joints are positioned to allow the floor to expand and contract without transferring stress into the tile joints. ### Large-format porcelain Large-format tiles need a substrate that is genuinely flat, not just flat enough for a smaller tile, because any dip or high spot shows immediately as lippage between adjoining tiles. They also need full adhesive coverage across the entire back of the tile rather than just at the corners and centre, using the back-buttering technique where required, to avoid hollow spots that crack under load. Handling and cutting large slabs safely also takes different tools and more than one pair of hands, which is factored into how the job is priced and sequenced. ### Natural stone Slate, limestone, travertine and similar stone tiles are porous and need sealing before grouting, to stop grout haze and staining working into the surface, and again after grouting for ongoing protection. Some stone also needs a specific adhesive and grout colour to avoid staining from the setting materials themselves. Natural stone varies tile to tile in colour and texture, so tiles are laid out and blended across the room before fixing rather than taken straight from the box in sequence. ### Fitting into a wider build On new builds, extensions, kitchens and bathrooms we complete, tiling follows straight on from plastering and second fix, once fittings such as sanitaryware and kitchen units are positioned. Being the same firm throughout means the tiler knows exactly where pipework, waste points and fixings sit, rather than working from someone else's guesswork. On standalone re-tiling jobs, we check the condition of what is underneath the existing tiles, particularly in wet areas, before quoting, since a re-tile over failed tanking is a job that will need doing twice. Questions ## Straight answers before you commit If your question isn't here, call Adam on the number above and ask him directly. ### Do you supply the tiles or do I need to source them myself? ### How do you stop water getting behind tiles in a shower? ### Can you tile over underfloor heating? ### Do large-format tiles need anything different from standard tiles? ### Do you seal natural stone tiles? ### Is tiling carried out by your own team or subcontracted? ### My old tiles have failed, can you just re-tile over them? ### How much does tiling cost? ### Is tiling work guaranteed? ### Which areas do you cover for tiling? Related work ## Other trades we cover in-house - BathroomsComplete bathroom installations finished as a single package. - KitchensSupply and fit, or fit your own units; tiling, electrics and plumbing covered. - RenovationsFull property refurbishments, including period and listed cottages. - CarpentryFirst and second fix carpentry led by a City & Guilds qualified carpenter.View all services Where we work ## Areas we cover - North Devon - Great Torrington - Bideford - Barnstaple - Holsworthy - Hatherleigh - Winkleigh - Braunton - Langtree - Shebbear - Buckland Brewer - Northam & Westward Ho! - AppledoreBack to home ## Get an honest figure for your tiling project Tell us about the room, the tile you have in mind and whether it is a wet area, and Adam will give you a free initial estimate, including what the substrate underneath actually needs. Request your free estimate 07826 849205 Owner project-managed · £5m public liability · 12-month no-quibble workmanship guarantee Carpentry-led general builders working with private clients across North Devon. Owner-run by Adam Harrison, on the tools and project-managing every job. ## Services - New Builds - Extensions - Renovations - Kitchens - Bathrooms - Carpentry - General Building - All services ## Areas covered - North Devon - Great Torrington - Bideford - Barnstaple - Holsworthy - Hatherleigh - Winkleigh - All areas ## Get in touch - 07826 849205 - devonbuild.carpentry@outlook.com - Langtree, Devon - Mon–Fri, 8am–5pm - @devonbuildandcarpentry ## Popular searches in North Devon - House extensions Barnstaple - Single storey extension Bideford - New build homes North Devon - House renovations Great Torrington - Kitchen fitters Barnstaple - Bathroom fitters Bideford - Carpenters North Devon - Groundworks and foundations Devon - Structural alterations and steel beams Devon - Plastering and skimming North Devon - Wall and floor tiling North Devon - General builders Holsworthy - Builders in North Devon - Builders in Great Torrington - Builders in Bideford - Builders in Barnstaple - Builders in Holsworthy - Builders in Hatherleigh © 2026 Devon Build and Carpentry. 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