Tiling in Lancy: fitting, renovating and comparing quotes

Are you looking for a tiler for your home? Tiling in Lancy covers very different situations: a flat in a Grand-Lancy apartment block, a villa with a garden in Petit-Lancy, a kitchen to modernise in an older building. This page explains what those situations change for floor and wall tiling, and how to prepare a useful quote request.

The tiler’s trade, learned through a CFC (Swiss federal vocational certificate), covers floor and wall tiling, splashback tiles, mosaic, natural stone, screed and waterproofing under tiles in wet rooms.

Tiling in Lancy: bathrooms and kitchens in Grand-Lancy apartment blocks

Lancy is a commune in the canton of Geneva, to the south-west of the city. Grand-Lancy and Petit-Lancy have many apartment-block neighbourhoods, alongside villas and parks. For a tiler, that mainly means wet rooms in shared housing: bathroom, shower room, WC, kitchen.

In these rooms, the most common jobs are:

• replacing worn or cracked tiles on the floor and walls;
• converting a bathtub into a shower, with the waterproofing and wall tiles redone;
• fitting new wall tiles behind a sink or around a worktop;
• a full bathroom renovation, where the tiling is coordinated with the plumber’s work;
• redoing the grout, when the substrate is sound and only the appearance has aged.

In an apartment block, the wet area is a sensitive point: poorly executed waterproofing under a shower can cause damage in the neighbour’s flat below. That is why a quote should clearly mention waterproofing under the tiles, and not only the fitting of the tiles.

Uneven floors, underfloor heating and screed in Lancy’s buildings

The commune’s apartment blocks and villas are not all the same age. In an older building, floors can be uneven, with slopes, dips or a substrate in poor condition. Laying tiles directly on it gives a poor result: the tiler may have to level the floor or redo a screed before starting. This preparation is part of the cost and must appear in the quote.

If your home has underfloor heating, tiling remains a very widely used covering, but a few precautions are needed: suitable adhesive, movement joints, and gradual heating up according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Tiles laid without taking this installation into account can come loose or crack. So state in your request whether underfloor heating exists and, if possible, which type.

If your project combines tiling with an energy improvement, note that energy matters in the canton fall under the cantonal energy law (LEn) and the Office cantonal de l’énergie (OCEN), on which the Programme Bâtiments subsidies in Geneva depend. Conditions change: check them with the relevant cantonal department before signing anything.

Terraces and villa entrances in Petit-Lancy: frost and water

Villas in the residential neighbourhoods often have a tiled terrace, balcony or entrance. The Geneva climate is urban, with mild winters on the plain and hot summers in town. That does not remove the risk of frost: water that seeps into a joint or under a tile can freeze, expand and lift the covering.

For an outdoor area, the points to examine are:

• the slope, which must drain the water rather than let it stand;
• the waterproofing under the covering, especially above a living space or a garage;
• the choice of tiles suited to outdoor use, notably for their frost resistance and their grip when the floor is wet;
• the expansion joints, because summer sun and temperature swings make the substrate move;
• the thresholds and the connections with the door, where water tends to seep in.

A terrace that has cracked once will often do so again if the cause is not dealt with: ask the tradesperson to describe what they found in the substrate, not only the price of the replacement.

Permits, property managers and co-ownership: the formalities for tiling in Lancy

Laying or replacing a floor covering generally requires no particular permit, but that changes if the work affects the structure, the facades, the use of the rooms or energy performance. In Geneva, building permits are issued by the canton, through the Office des autorisations de construire. For any project that goes beyond simply replacing tiles, check with the commune or the relevant cantonal department before placing the order.

If the building is protected, which the canton indicates for certain neighbourhoods and buildings, the rules may be stricter, for example for original tiling in an entrance hall or stairwell. Check the situation of your building with the relevant departments.

On the private side, two agreements matter as much as the official paperwork:

• Tenant: the canton has many rental buildings managed by property agencies (régies). Ask for the written consent of the agency or landlord before any change of tiling, all the more so if it involves waterproofing or connections to the pipe risers.
• Co-owner: the shared parts (landing, facade, shared terrace) fall under co-ownership. Consult the rules and, if necessary, the owners’ meeting before starting work.

Also think about the building’s constraints: working hours, use of the lift, protection of shared areas, removal of rubble. They affect how the site is organised.

Preparing your tiling quote request in Lancy

The more precise your description, the more comparable the offers. In your request, state:

• the room concerned and its approximate surface area;
• what exists: tiles to remove or to cover over, condition of the substrate, presence of underfloor heating;
• the type of tiles you want, or failing that the style and use (kitchen floor, shower, outdoors);
• your situation: owner, tenant with the landlord’s consent, co-ownership;
• the floor and access: lift, stairs, courtyard, garden.

A good quote itemises separately the removal, the preparation of the substrate, the waterproofing, the supply of the tiles, the fitting, the grout and the disposal of waste. Be wary of a single line with no detail: it does not allow comparison.

The cost varies with the surface area, the condition of the substrate, the material and size of the tiles, the complexity of the cuts (niches, corners, patterns), whether waterproofing is needed and how difficult the access is. Prices are not given here, because only a tradesperson who sees the premises can set them. To obtain several offers, you can request a quote, free and without obligation: your request is passed on to tradespeople and firms in the area, who then contact you.

When the offers arrive, compare what they include, not only the total. A cheaper offer may simply leave out the preparation of the substrate or the waterproofing. Do not hesitate to ask to see comparable completed projects.

Other useful pages for tiling in Lancy

To go further, here are the pages related to your project:

• the trade: tiling;
• the commune: work in Lancy;
• the canton: canton of Geneva;
• in the same commune: kitchen renovation in Lancy, thermal insulation in Lancy and plumber in Lancy.

Tiling is often coordinated with plumbing in a bathroom and with a kitchen renovation: if your project combines them, mention it in the request so that the trades can coordinate.