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What order of jobs for full bathroom reno?

Hi there,

I am just chasing some advice for the ideal sequence for jobs in our bathroom reno.

I completed all the demo, the plumber has been in to sort out floor wastes and chase + install all the pipes in the walls for the double vanity and double shower. Brickie was around yesterday to construct the hob and nib walls.

Struggling to work out the next steps from here. I was thinking I would put the vanity in before tiling as it is quite a large vanity and will save us some money for tiling labour. If I did this, I think I will need an extra cabinet panel either side of the vanity to allow for the thickness of the tiles + adhesive so the vanity doors can still open?

But will I need to have the brick nib walls (and any other walls that need it) rendered before the vanity can go in? Or can this be done after the vanity? Obviously this would change the dimensions of my vanity slightly so would need to know before ordering the cabinet.

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MitchellMc

Hi @bigkid,

I’ve definitely seen the trend of installing vanities before tiling (especially in new builds), but personally, I’d strongly recommend against it for a bathroom. It turns what should be a fully sealed, water-resistant space into one with a built-in weak point.

When the vanity goes in first, you’re effectively leaving an untiled section underneath it. That means any water that gets onto the floor, whether from splashes, cleaning, or a small leak, has a pathway to get under the cabinet and into the subfloor. Because the vanity sits directly on that surface, water can also pool there without being visible. If the cabinet is made from particleboard or MDF (which most are), it will absorb that moisture over time and can swell, deteriorate, or fail prematurely.

From a cost perspective, the savings are usually pretty minimal. You’re only talking about a small additional tiled area, often just a square metre or two, and once you factor in the need for extra end panels, fillers, and the added effort to size everything perfectly to allow for tile thickness, those savings can disappear quickly anyway. It also locks you into exact dimensions early, which reduces flexibility if anything shifts slightly during finishing. We've recently had a discussion on How to fill gaps around a replacement vanity that illustrates some of the issues with this type of install in the future.

In terms of sequencing, a more robust approach would be:

Complete any wall prep first (including rendering nib walls if needed, so your final dimensions are set)
Waterproof the entire wet area properly if required
Tile floors and walls
Then install the vanity on top of the finished surface

This way, the room is fully sealed, drainage works as intended, and the vanity is sitting on a durable, water-resistant base. It also makes future replacement or upgrades much easier without damaging surrounding finishes.

So while installing the vanity first might seem like a shortcut, in practice it tends to introduce more risk than it’s worth. Finishing the room properly first is the safer and more durable option long-term.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Mitchell

bigkid

Yeah that seems fairly logical. I should have mentioned my floor is concrete slab and walls are brick, not sure if that makes a difference at all.

The only downside then is that my cabinet maker has a 4 week lead time. So if I have to wait until the tiles are in before I can measure and order the cabinets it will delay the project by nearly a month, possibly longer.

Measuring the bare walls and estimating the final thickness of tile + adhesive to get the vanity order processed sooner seems quite risky.

MitchellMc

Concrete slab and brick walls definitely help in terms of durability @bigkid (you don’t have the same rot risk as timber), but they don’t really change the core sequencing advice. The weak point isn’t just the substrate, it’s the lack of continuous tiling, especially in a wet area. Even on slab, water can still sit under a vanity, creep into joints, affect adhesives, and cause long-term issues (plus make future replacements messy).

Where your situation does change things is the lead time vs accuracy trade-off. You’re right that guessing tile and adhesive thickness is risky, especially with tight cabinetry like a double vanity between nib walls.

A practical middle ground most trades use:

Render and fully prep walls first (including nibs) so your structural dimensions are locked in
Confirm tile selection early (tile thickness is usually known—e.g. 8–12mm, adhesive ~3–5mm)
Then:
- Either order the vanity slightly undersized (leave ~10–15mm total tolerance and use filler panels later), or
- Order it to max size but design in scribes/fillers on both sides (this is very common and gives you adjustment room)

Cabinet makers deal with this all the time. If you tell them it’s going between tiled walls, they’ll usually recommend built-in tolerance rather than a perfect wall-to-wall fit.

That way, you can place the order now without boxing yourself in.

As I mentioned earlier, not tiling behind a vanity seems to be more common. It's just a huge shift from what would have been considered acceptable 10 years ago. Not fully tiling a wet area would be unthinkable, the same way installing a desk in a bedroom without sheeting a wall behind it would be, except you're dealing with a moist and wet environment here.

Let me tag @Nailbag to get his thoughts.

Mitchell

bigkid

Thanks for the info Mitchell.

Can you please explain the two options a little clearer for someone with no cabinet installing experience?

MitchellMc

Sure thing, @bigkid.

Option 1: Order it slightly smaller (with filler panels later)

You deliberately order the vanity a bit narrower than the gap between the tiled walls.
Example: if the space ends up 1500mm wide, you might order a 1480–1490mm vanity.
After installation, you fill the small gaps on each side with matching filler strips/panels (basically flat trim pieces).

Why people do this:

Gives you “wiggle room” if walls or tiles end up slightly off.
Much safer when measurements are estimated early.
Easier installation.

Downside:

You’ll see thin vertical strips on the sides (though they’re usually colour-matched so they blend in).

Option 2: Order it full width, but allow adjustable side trims (scribes/fillers)

You order the vanity to be close to the exact finished opening size.
But instead of relying on a perfect fit, the cabinet maker designs it with:
- scribes, or
- custom filler panels built into the sides

These are adjustable or trimmed on site so the vanity can be made to fit neatly even if the walls aren’t perfectly square.

Why people do this:

Cleaner “built-in” look when done well.
Still allows small adjustments during install.
Common in custom cabinetry between tiled walls.

Downside:

Slightly more complex install.
Needs a bit more coordination with the cabinet maker.

Both options avoid the risky approach of trying to measure everything perfectly before tiles are done. Instead, you design in a bit of flexibility so the vanity can still fit after tiling is finished.

I would suggest having a word with your cabinet maker about the situation. I suspect they would have some helpful input.

Mitchell

bigkid

My cabinet maker is a local flatpack manufacturer but I will try and call them up to see if I can get any advice.

I don’t like the idea of having thin vertical strips for option 1, I think that won’t look very nice even with colour matching so will give that a miss.

I think I understand what you are saying for option 2. The side panels you are talking about, they sit flush with the cabinet doors and are scribed to the profile of the wall correct? Kind of like a fascia to hide the gap between the side panels of the cabinet carcass and the wall?

MitchellMc

Yes, you’ve got it @bigkid

For option 2, the side panels are full-height “finished” panels attached to the ends of the cabinet. They sit flush with the doors at the front, and the back edge is cut (scribed) to match any uneven wall, so there’s no visible gap.

So instead of thin filler strips, you’re basically extending the cabinet sides with proper panels that get trimmed to fit the wall neatly and make it look built-in.

Mitchell

bigkid

Yes I think I may have seen them in kitchens before.

So in that case you would not order the cabinet full width as you suggested but have it short on either side to fit the side panels? In which case how much shorter should they be? Is there a common width for these panels?

And how do these panels attach to the cabinet carcass?

EricL

Hello @bigkid

If for example the space available is at 1500mm the cabinet could be ordered at 1440mm which would give you side trims of 30mm on each side. That would be in theory plenty of room for adjustment. But just to be safe I suggest adding an extra 10mm on each side of the side trims to give you 40mm as a margin of safety in case the render is not level or square with the nib wall. This is something that you can discuss with your cabinet builder and decide if you want a larger side trim. Just keep in mind that as the trim gets bigger your cabinet gets smaller. Generally speaking, there is no fixed standard for the side trim, it all depends on how big you want it to be.

The side trim fitting technique is also used in kitchen cabinetry when you have a gap at the end of the cabinet run, and you don't want to see a finishing panel but a straight panel that makes it look like extended cabinet sides. It can be attached using angle brackets or painted timber moulding. My best advice is to get a kickboard that runs a tad longer than the available space. You can then trim it down so that it fits neatly to the space of the vanity with no visible joins.

If you need further assistance, please let us know.

Eric

Nailbag

Hi @bigkid

From several bathroom reno's this has always been pretty much my order of progress.

Demolition.
Rebuild walls and floors as required
Buy plumbing fixtures and have the plumber rough them in
Get sparky to rough in. Taking into account any sub-tile floor heating, low voltage feature lighting like behind the bath, surrounding the mirror and in cabinetry GPO's
Line walls with whatever combination is required for Aqua-check plasterboard and blue board walls and tile underlay for the floor.
Seal all joins
Have the room professionally waterproofed with certification
Tiling
Install vanity if not built in-between walls. In which case measure and order.
Order any return shower glass
Install custom vanity
Install shower glass and mirror
Plumber to fit off plumbing fixtures
Sparky to fit off
Clean up
Publish the project on the Bunnings Workshop 👌

Later this year I'll be doing my last bathroom, kitchen and laundry rebuild. I've said it before but this is it!

Nailbag

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