How long does a bathroom renovation take in Dubai?

A standard apartment bathroom takes 5–10 working days. Larger bathrooms, or any with layout changes, take 2–3 weeks. The timeline is confirmed before work starts.

Can I use my other bathrooms during the renovation?

Yes. We renovate one bathroom at a time, so your other facilities stay usable throughout.

Do you handle waterproofing?

Yes, and we treat it as non-negotiable. Every bathroom gets proper membrane waterproofing before tiling. It is the most commonly skipped step in cheap renovations and the cause of most leak damage in Dubai apartments.

Can you match the style of my existing apartment?

Yes. We work to your aesthetic, whether that is modern minimalist, warm Japandi or classic marble, and can advise on tile and fixture combinations if you want guidance.

Do you handle permits if required?

For structural changes such as moving walls or relocating plumbing stacks, jointly owned buildings may require permission from building management. We advise on this at consultation.

The Bathroom Guide | Everything That Goes Into a Dubai Bathroom

01Layout

Start here. Everything else follows from where the wet zone goes.

A bathroom is decided by drainage. Moving the soil stack is expensive and sometimes prohibited outright in a Dubai tower, so the layout usually has to work around where the waste already is.

Walk-in shower

Glass panel, open entry, drained floor. The default for a modern apartment bathroom.

Tub and shower

Both, if the room can take it. Needs roughly 2.4m of wall.

Wet room

No tray, no threshold. The whole floor falls to one drain.

Double vanity

Two basins on one run. Wants at least 1.8m of wall.

Jack and Jill

One bathroom, two doors, shared between bedrooms.

02Waterproofing

The layer you never see and cannot skip.

This is the most commonly skipped step in a cheap renovation and the cause of most leak damage in Dubai apartments. Tiles and grout are not waterproof. The membrane underneath is.

Strip back to substrate

old tile and adhesive come off entirely, no tiling over tile

Level and prime

the screed is corrected before anything waterproof is applied

Liquid membrane, two coats

walls to 1.8m in the shower zone, the full floor everywhere

Corners and penetrations taped

joints and pipe entries are where leaks actually start

Flood test before tiling

the floor is filled and left. This is the step cheap jobs skip

03Flooring

It has to survive standing water, not just spills.

Anything going on a bathroom floor needs a low slip rating when wet. Check the building rules too: some Dubai towers require acoustic underlay under hard flooring.

Porcelain or ceramic tile

Durable, water resistant, available matte, polished or textured. The default.

Natural stone

Marble, granite or slate. Luxurious and timeless, and it needs sealing.

Microcement

Seamless and minimal, no grout lines at all. Ideal in a wet room.

Wood-look tile

The warmth of timber with none of the water risk.

Heated floor

Electric mat under the tile. Wire it in before anything is laid.

04Wall finishes

Where most of the surface area is.

Full-height tiling in the wet zone is non-negotiable. Beyond that it's a choice between tile, seamless finishes and paint — and the labour gap between them is larger than the material gap.

Large-format porcelain

Few joints, fast to lay, calm surface.

Mosaic

Sheets on mesh. Handles curves and niches other tiles cannot.

Natural stone slab

Marble or granite, continuous. The most expensive and the quietest.

Subway tile

Running bond. Cheap, timeless, forgiving of an uneven wall.

Microcement

Seamless, no grout at all. Needs a skilled applicator or it cracks.

Waterproof paint

Satin or gloss. The cost-effective answer for a guest WC.

Accent wall

One wall in something louder. Contains the cost and the risk.

05Showers

The part of the room that gets used every day.

Frameless glass and a level entry read as expensive but cost little more than the alternatives. What costs money is the ceiling void a rainfall head needs, and the falls in the floor a wet room needs.

Frameless

10mm glass, no metal frame. Visually disappears.

Walk-in

A single fixed panel, open on one side. Nothing to step over.

Rainfall

Ceiling-mounted head. Needs a false ceiling to hide the pipework.

Dual system

Fixed head plus handheld. The practical choice for a shared bathroom.

Shower bench

Built-in seat, tiled to match. Worth it if anyone will ever need to sit.

Tiled niche

Recessed shelf inside the wall. Decide before the blockwork goes up.

06Baths

Worth having, if the room can genuinely take one.

A freestanding bathtub needs clearance on all sides and a floor that can carry it filled. In a Dubai apartment, an alcove tub is usually the honest answer.

Freestanding

A statement, and it needs clearance on every side.

Alcove

Three walls, one open side. The space-efficient default.

Drop-in

Set into a built platform. Tiled surround, tailored look, more build.

Soaking

Deeper than standard for full immersion. Check the floor loading.

Whirlpool

Jets and a pump. Needs an access panel and a power supply.

07Vanities and storage

Storage is what a bathroom renovation usually gains.

Style, finish and top are three separate choices. A floating vanity in gloss white and one in oak with a stone top are the same unit with entirely different results.

Styles

Floating

Fixed to the wall, floor clear underneath. Makes a small room read larger.

Wall to wall

Runs the full width. Maximum worktop and storage.

Freestanding

On legs, movable. Traditional, and easier to replace later.

Double

Two basins. Needs 1.8m minimum or they crowd each other.

Open shelf

Towels on show. Light and airy, unforgiving of clutter.

Finishes

Matte

No sheen, hides splashes.

Gloss

Bounces light in a windowless room.

Woodgrain

Warmth against hard tile.

Stone top

Quartz or granite over any carcass.

08Toilets and bidets

Small item, large effect on how the room reads.

A wall-hung pan needs a concealed frame built into the wall, which costs more and takes space, and gives you a clear floor to mop. Decide before the blockwork.

Toilets

Wall mounted

Cistern hidden in the wall, pan floating. Easiest floor to clean.

Back to wall

Cistern concealed behind a panel, pan on the floor. No wall works needed.

One piece

Cistern and pan moulded together. No seam to scrub.

Smart toilet

Integrated bidet, heated seat, sensors. Needs a socket behind it.

Toilet features worth asking for

Soft-close lid

stops the slam, and the hinge is what fails first on cheap pans

Rimless bowl

no hidden rim channel, which is where limescale and bacteria collect

Dual flush

two button sizes. Standard now, worth confirming it is fitted

Deodorising and UV cleaning

smart models only, and a genuine luxury rather than a need

Bidet options

Electronic bidet seat

fits a standard pan, needs a socket nearby

Integrated bidet toilet

one unit, cleanest look, most expensive

Handheld sprayer

simple, cheap, and what most Dubai homes already use

Wall-mounted bidet unit

a separate fixture, needs its own drainage

09Fixtures and hardware

Finish first, then the pieces.

Pick one metal finish and hold it across taps, shower, hinges, towel rails and hooks. Mixed metals almost never look deliberate in a room this small.

Finishes

Matte black

Bold and current. Shows limescale in hard water, and Dubai water is hard.

Brushed nickel

Soft, subtle, forgiving of fingerprints. The safest choice.

Polished chrome

Timeless and cheapest to replace. Every brand makes it.

Brushed brass

Warm and upscale. Check the finish is PVD or it will wear.

Gunmetal

Dark and unusual. Fewer matching accessories available.

Rose gold

Distinctive, and harder to pair with tile than it looks.

Essential hardware

Basin and wall-mounted taps

wall-mounted frees the countertop but must be set before tiling

Shower mixers and diverters

a diverter is what lets one valve feed two heads

Handheld sprayers and rain heads

the handheld is what actually cleans the enclosure

Towel bars, hooks and paper holders

fix into blockwork, not plasterboard

Robe hooks and grab bars

a grab bar costs little now and a great deal to retrofit

Worth considering

Sensor taps

no touch, no smears, and no way to leave it running

Thermostatic controls

the shower holds temperature when a tap runs elsewhere

Water-saving aerators

lower flow with no perceptible drop in pressure

Integrated LED lighting

in niches, under vanities, behind mirrors

10Lighting and mirrors

The difference between a bathroom and a good one.

One ceiling light behind you puts your face in shadow at the mirror, which is the one thing a bathroom mirror exists for. Light the face from the front or the sides.

Lighting

Vanity lighting

either side of the mirror, not above it, or you light your own shadow

Recessed ceiling lights

general light. Keep them out of the shower zone unless IP rated

LED strip

under the vanity or behind the mirror. Glow, not glare

Statement fixture

a pendant beside a freestanding tub, if the ceiling height allows

Dimmer control

a bathroom used at 7am and at 11pm needs two different brightnesses

Mirrors

Backlit

LED behind the glass. Even light on the face, no shadow under the eyes.

Frameless

Polished edge, nothing around it. Cheapest and quietest.

Round

Softens a room full of straight tile lines.

Mirrored cabinet

Storage behind the glass. The best use of a shallow wall.

Smart mirror

Anti-fog, presets, a display. More to go wrong.

The bathroom guide.