Bathroom tiling in Toowoomba
Bathroom floor and wall tiling in Toowoomba 4350: when to retile, how the job runs, Queensland wet area rules and published price ranges.
Retiling a bathroom usually means stripping the old tiles, repairing or replacing the wall sheets, laying a new waterproofing membrane, then fixing and grouting new floor and wall tiles. Published Brisbane ranges put the tiling labour for a whole bathroom at $1,500 to $4,500, with tiles and waterproofing on top. A local tiler you choose prices the job and does it; Toowoomba Tilers only passes your enquiry to them.
When does a bathroom need retiling?
Most people start asking after one of these shows up:
- Tiles that sound hollow when you tap them with a coin. That drummy sound means the adhesive has let go of the tile.
- Cracked tiles in a line, which often follows a crack or joint in the floor underneath.
- Grout that crumbles, keeps going black or has gaps along the shower floor.
- Staining on a ceiling below, on skirting boards next to the shower, or swelling at the bottom of a vanity.
- Loose tiles around the shower screen or the floor waste.
- A layout you want to change, such as removing a bath or widening a shower.
Grout and silicone problems can sometimes be fixed without touching the tiles. Staining outside the shower usually means the membrane under the tiles has failed, and new grout will not stop that.
Full retile or a smaller repair?
| Option | Suits | Watch for |
|---|---|---|
| Regrout and reseal | Sound tiles, worn or missing grout | Does nothing for a failed membrane |
| Replace a few tiles | One or two cracked tiles, spares on hand | Old tiles are hard to match |
| Strip and redo the shower only | Leaking shower, rest of the room sound | New shower tiles will not match the floor |
| Full strip and retile | Leaks, old membrane, new layout | Highest cost, and it can expose damaged framing |
If the house was built before 1990, the old wall sheets behind the tiles may contain asbestos. The Queensland Government advice is to assume a material contains asbestos until a sample is tested, and businesses removing it from a home need a Class A or B asbestos removal licence. Read the Queensland asbestos guidance for home renovators before anyone starts pulling sheets off.
What a tiler needs from you
Give the tiler enough to price the job properly:
- Floor and wall measurements, or a rough sketch with the room size and the wall tile height you want.
- Whether the floor is a concrete slab or timber. Many older Toowoomba homes have timber floors, which changes the waterproofing.
- Who is buying the tiles. Some tilers prefer to supply, others are happy to lay tiles you choose.
- Whether any taps, wastes or the toilet are moving. That part goes to a licensed plumber.
- Clear photos of the room, the shower floor and any staining.
How the work runs
- Strip out. Old tiles, sheets and the shower base come out and the rubbish goes in a skip or trailer.
- Check the frame and floor. Rotten studs, soft floor sheets and uneven walls are fixed before anything new goes on.
- Screed to fall. The floor is built up so water runs to the waste. Where a floor waste is installed, the NCC 2022 Housing Provisions set the fall at no less than 1:80 and no steeper than 1:50.
- Waterproof. The shower floor and walls get a membrane, with the walls done to at least 1800 mm above the floor. Membranes are applied to AS 3740 and the NCC. Our shower waterproofing page covers this step in more detail.
- Set out and fix tiles. The tiler plans the layout so cuts land in sensible places, then fixes tiles with full adhesive coverage. AS 3958.1 is the Australian guide to installing ceramic tiles.
- Grout and finish. Grout goes in the joints, flexible sealant goes at corners and around fixtures, and the room is cleaned.
What does bathroom tiling cost?
These are published Brisbane metro ranges from an independent Australian cost guide, checked in October 2026. Toowoomba quotes can sit above or below them.
- Wall tiling labour: $40 to $100 per sqm
- Floor tiling labour: $40 to $90 per sqm
- Waterproofing: $35 to $80 per sqm
- Removing old tiles: $20 to $55 per sqm
- Bathroom floor and walls with tiles supplied and laid, waterproofing extra: $2,800 to $7,500
Our Toowoomba tiling cost guide explains what moves a quote up or down and how to compare two quotes line by line.
Licences and home warranty in Queensland
The QBCC says a licence is needed for building work valued over 3,300 dollars. The wall and floor tiling licence class covers cutting and fixing tiles and applying waterproofing for wall and floor tiling. There is also a separate waterproofing licence class.
Tiling is listed by the QBCC as insurable residential work under the Queensland Home Warranty Scheme when the job is worth more than 3,300 dollars, counting labour, materials and GST. The QBCC page on who pays home warranty and when says the licensed contractor must pay the premium before work starts or within 10 business days of signing, whichever comes first.
What a careful tiler will not do
- Tile over a shower that leaks without finding and fixing the leak first.
- Lay tiles before the membrane has cured for the time the manufacturer states.
- Tile over old tiles inside a shower recess.
- Remove sheeting that may contain asbestos without testing or the right licence.
- Leave out movement joints at corners and where the floor meets the wall.
Toowoomba bathrooms
Toowoomba sits about 700 metres up on the Great Dividing Range, and winter brings cold mornings and the odd light frost. Adhesives, grouts and membranes all list a minimum working temperature on their data sheets, and curing slows down in the cold, so a July job can take longer between stages than a summer one.
Timber floors are the other local issue. In a Queenslander or an older timber house, the NCC Housing Provisions require timber floors outside the shower to be waterproof, not just water resistant. A tiler should explain how they will deal with that before quoting. See the Toowoomba area page for more on the city’s housing.
Next step
Measure the room, take photos of the shower floor and any stains, and describe your bathroom in the quote form. Note whether you want the tiles supplied and whether the plumbing is moving.
Frequently asked questions
- How long does a bathroom retile take?
A typical bathroom strip and retile runs for about a week of site time, sometimes longer, because the screed, membrane, adhesive and grout each need time to set or cure before the next step. Extra plumbing or carpentry adds days. Ask the tiler for a written timeline that shows each stage.
- Can new tiles go over the old bathroom tiles?
On a dry floor outside the shower, tiling over sound, well bonded old tiles is sometimes possible with the right primer and adhesive. Inside a shower it is a bad idea, because it hides the membrane and raises the floor at the waste. Most tilers will strip a shower back to the frame.
- Do I need a plumber as well as a tiler?
If taps, the shower mixer, the floor waste or the toilet are moving or being replaced, yes. That work must be done by a licensed plumber, and in Queensland plumbing and drainage need a licence at any value. Tilers who do a lot of bathrooms usually work with a plumber they know.
- Will the new tiles match the rest of my house?
Only if you choose tiles to match, and exact matches for older tiles are rare. Many owners use the bathroom retile to change the look completely. If only part of a room is retiled, pick a contrasting tile on purpose rather than a near match that looks wrong.
- What tile size works best in a small bathroom?
Medium sized tiles on the floor make it easier to form the fall to the waste, while larger tiles on the walls cut down grout lines. Very large floor tiles in a small shower can make the fall hard to achieve. A tiler can lay out a few options before you buy.