Bathroom demolition
The bathroom comes out to a clean, sound substrate the waterproofer can actually warrant.
When people call us about bathroom demolition
- A bathroom renovation is booked and the new fitter will not start on the old substrate
- Tile is drummy and lifting and nobody knows what is underneath it
- You need the wall opened to move a stack or a valve
- A leak has been chased twice and the finish has to come off to find it
What bathroom demolition covers
- Tub, shower tray, WC, basin and vanity
- Wall and floor tile back to the substrate
- Traditional mud beds and wire lath, which is what most pre-war bathrooms sit on
- Failed waterproofing membranes
- Vanities, mirrors, cabinets and accessories
- Isolation and capping of supply and waste before anything is cut
Mud beds are the part people underestimate
A pre-war New York bathroom floor is usually a thick cement mud bed over wire lath on the slab, not tile on plywood. It is heavy, it comes out in slabs, and the volume is several times what the room looks like it should produce. It also means the debris weight matters for the lift and the container. We size for that before quoting, which is why our number is sometimes higher than a quote from someone who assumed tile-on-board.
How bathroom demolition runs
The order matters more than the tools. This is the sequence for bathroom demolition.
Isolate the water
Supply isolated and proved off, waste capped, so nothing is opened up live.
Fixtures out first
Sanitaryware and vanity removed whole where possible, which keeps the debris cleaner and the room workable.
Finishes off, substrate checked
Tile and mud bed removed, then we look at what is underneath and tell you what we found.
Out and swept
Heavy debris bagged in liftable loads, room swept, substrate left ready for inspection.
What moves the price on bathroom demolition
Every one of these moves the number, so you can see what a quote is actually responding to — and tell us the ones you already know when you call.
- Whether the floor is a mud bed or a modern build-up
- How far the tile runs up the walls
- Whether the stack or valves need opening up
- Floor level and the debris route, because mud bed is heavy
- Age of the building, which decides whether an asbestos assessment is needed first
Bathroom demolition: your questions
Can the bathroom be used during the work?
No. Once the fixtures are disconnected the room is out of service. If it is the only bathroom, that is worth planning for before we start.
Will you find out why it has been leaking?
Often. Once the finish is off, the failure is usually visible. We will show you what we find, though diagnosing and fixing the plumbing itself is your plumber’s work, not ours.
Do you take the old tub down the stairs?
Cast iron tubs are normally cut into sections on site rather than carried whole. It is safer for the stairwell and for the crew.
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Get a price for bathroom demolition
Call and describe the job. Most of the time we can scope it on the phone and confirm on site.
Seven days a week, 7am to 11pm. Emergency calls answered around the clock.
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