Which finish works in which bathroom: how it copes with steam, what it costs per m² installed and where each solution fails when it is badly executed.
The bathroom is where badly chosen materials age worst: constant humidity, thermal swings, soap and limescale. A finish that behaves perfectly in a living room can degrade inside a shower in two years.
Here we compare the solutions we use in high-end projects and the execution each one demands. Because in a bathroom the material is rarely the problem: the problem is almost always the waterproofing underneath it.
Total continuity with no joints, 2–3 mm applied over the existing substrate: ideal in renovations where you would rather not strip the tiling. It needs a waterproof membrane beneath and a polyurethane sealer above; without both, shower tidemarks appear within a year.
Slabs up to 120×280 cm that cut joints down to almost nothing, with convincing marble reproductions at a controlled cost. The whole effect depends on setting out: one badly cut slab in a corner ruins the continuity.
Travertine, Calacatta, limestone. The most characterful and the most demanding: sealing, no acidic cleaners and no standing water. On shower floors we specify a honed finish for slip resistance.
Piece by piece, with irregularities that catch the light. It brings craft and texture to vanity walls and niches. We avoid it across large shower surfaces because of the sheer quantity of grout.
Continuous, inherently waterproof and extremely tough underfoot. The aesthetic is technical rather than warm; it works well in guest bathrooms and contemporary schemes.
Teak or thermally treated oak in dry zones and spa floors. It brings warmth where everything else is cold, but it needs real ventilation and annual oiling.
Membrane or liquid system across the whole wet zone, rising 20 cm above the shower head with reinforcing bands at every junction. It is the cheapest line in the budget and it prevents 90 % of failures.
1.5–2 % towards the drain, with a linear channel if the shower tray is built in situ. A bad fall leaves standing water that stains stone and degrades grout.
Epoxy grout in showers, neutral silicone where materials meet, and no rigid joint in corners. Limescale builds up in the joints, not in the material.
Mechanical extraction sized to the volume of the room. Without air changes, any finish — porcelain included — ends up with mould in the joints.
Includes substrate preparation, material and labour. Waterproofing and plumbing are budgeted separately.
| Finish | Indicative price (installed) |
|---|---|
| Microcement | €90 – 160 / m² |
| Large-format porcelain | €80 – 180 / m² |
| Marble and natural stone | €180 – 450 / m² |
| Handmade zellige | €140 – 260 / m² |
| Continuous epoxy resin | €100 – 190 / m² |
| Wet-zone waterproofing | €35 – 60 / m² |
Between €90 and €160 per m² installed. A complete 6 m² bathroom with walls and floor usually lands between €3,000 and €6,000 for the finishes alone.
Yes, provided there is correct waterproofing underneath and a polyurethane sealer on top. Without those two layers, tidemarks and flaking appear within months.
Microcement gives absolute continuity and avoids stripping the tiles; porcelain is tougher and far more forgiving of imperfect execution. For heavily used showers we usually recommend porcelain.
Yes, with a honed or textured finish for slip resistance, periodic sealing and a properly executed fall. Avoid acidic cleaning products.
Three to five weeks for a complete bathroom, including strip-out, services, waterproofing, finishes and sanitaryware.
Yes, with microcement or a thin slab if the substrate is sound and flat. It saves demolition and debris, but the wet-zone waterproofing must be reviewed first.
Seamless bathrooms, saturated earth tones and 2,700 K lighting are structural shifts, not fads. We analyse them here:
If you would rather speak to a person, our opening hours, phone and email are on the contact page.
Send us the dimensions and a photo of the current bathroom and we will return a combination of finishes with a budget range.