Quick answer
A bathroom is fitted in a fixed order: strip-out, first fix, tiling, second fix, then finishing. Each stage depends on the one before — you can’t tile until the pipes and waterproofing are in, and you can’t hang the suite until the tiles have cured. Get the sequence wrong and you’re either chasing pipes back out of finished walls or fitting on surfaces that aren’t ready.
The five stages, in order
There’s a reason every good bathroom follows the same rhythm. Each stage prepares the ground for the next, and skipping ahead is how snags creep in. This is the sequence we work to on every Plymouth job.
1 · Strip-out
The old suite, tiles and flooring come out, back to bare walls and floor. We check for damp, rot and tired wiring while everything’s exposed — it’s far cheaper to fix a problem now than after the new room is built over it.
2 · First fix
With the walls open, new pipework, waste runs and electrical cables go in — feeds for the basin, bath, shower, toilet, towel rail and extractor. Walls and floors are squared up and made flat. A wet room or walk-in shower gets its former and tanking at this stage.
3 · Tiling
Now the surfaces are ready, tiling can begin — but only after any waterproofing has cured. Tiles are set out, fixed, left to cure, then grouted and sealed. This stage can’t be hurried, and nothing wet goes in until it’s done.
4 · Second fix
The room starts to look finished. The suite, taps, shower, screen, towel rail, lighting and extractor are fitted onto the tiled surfaces, then connected, tested and commissioned hot and cold.
5 · Finishing
Silicone seals, trims, decorating, mirror and accessories — the details that lift a good job to a brochure finish. Then a full clean-down and a walk-round with you.
Why the order is fixed
Pipes must be hidden before tiling; tiles must cure before fittings hang on them; seals go in last so they’re not disturbed. See the full bathroom installation we deliver to this sequence.
First fix vs second fix — the bit people ask about
If you’ve heard a fitter mention “first fix” and “second fix” and wondered what they meant, it’s simpler than it sounds. First fix is everything that disappears behind the walls and floor — pipes, cables, waste, and on a wet room the waterproofing. It happens while the room is open and rough.
Second fix is everything that goes on top once the surfaces are tiled and finished — the visible fittings you actually use. The two are deliberately separated by the tiling stage, because once the pipes are buried and the tiles are on, you don’t want to be cutting back into them. That’s why moving a toilet or basin to a new position has to be decided before first fix, not after — a change of mind at second fix means undoing finished work.
First fix hides the pipes and cables; second fix mounts the suite and fittings onto the finished, cured surfaces.
How the order changes for different bathrooms
The five-stage backbone stays the same whatever you’re having, but the detail shifts. A wet room adds a tanking step inside first fix and waits for that membrane to cure before tiling. A walk-in shower with a low tray slots the tray-setting into first fix. An en-suite or cloakroom may need a macerator or pump added at first fix if it’s far from the soil stack. Underfloor heating goes down before tiling, never after.
What never changes is the principle: anything that hides goes in first, anything that shows goes on last, and the curing stages sit in between. Following that order is how we hand over a watertight, snag-free bathroom — and it’s why our timelines are realistic rather than optimistic.
Common questions on the fitting order
Does the floor or the walls get tiled first?
It depends on the room, but commonly walls are tiled down to the floor line and the floor tiled afterwards, so the floor protects against splashes and the wall tiles sit cleanly. We decide per job based on layout and tile.
When does the electrician come in?
Electrical first fix — running cables for lighting, the extractor and any towel rail or shaver point — happens during first fix while the walls are open. Final connections and testing are part of second fix, once the fittings are in.
Can I change the layout part-way through?
Best not to. Layout decisions need to be locked before first fix, because moving a fixture afterwards means cutting back into buried pipes and finished tiling. We finalise the plan with you up front to avoid exactly that. Our design service helps you get it right first time.
Ready when you are
Get a fixed quote with a stage-by-stage plan
We’ll set out exactly what happens at each stage of your bathroom and when — so you know the order, the timeline and the price before we start.