28 June 2026

When is your bathroom due for renovation?

Crumbling grout, black sealant edges or a damp patch on the ceiling below: the signs your bathroom needs attention — and when a partial renovation still suffices.

As a rule of thumb a bathroom lasts 15 to 25 years — the technology usually longer than the looks. The signs that more is going on than dated tiles: sealant edges that stay black or come loose, grout that crumbles or won't come clean, tiles that sound hollow, and damp patches on the adjacent wall or the ceiling below. Those are not cosmetic flaws but cracks in the wet room's waterproof shell.

Don't sit on those signs too long. Behind a loose sealant edge, shower water soaks into the wall or floor, and repairing damp damage costs many times more than preventing it. If the damage is limited and the pipework still good, a partial renovation of € 1,500 to € 7,500 often suffices: the shower corner redone, new tiling, fresh sealant and grout.

If the bathroom is ageing and several things play up at once — outdated pipework, wiring below today's standards, a layout that no longer fits — then a complete renovation is the more honest route: € 5,000 to € 25,000, with most renovations landing between € 8,000 and € 15,000. Tackling everything at once works out cheaper than doing a part three times.

In doubt? Request quotes and have the condition assessed on site: a good specialist tells you honestly when a partial renovation still works and when it would be money wasted. Set the proposals against the price index and choose on reasoning, not just on the amount.