A quick read on the trade conditions shaping bathroom and tiling work this month. The headline is a softer market for repairs and improvements, materials that keep getting dearer, and the year’s biggest installer show landing at the NEC. Here is what it means if you are pricing or planning a job.
Builders’ merchants downgrade their 2026 outlook
The Builders Merchants Federation has cut its 2026 baseline forecast from growth of 2.3 per cent to a fall of 1.8 per cent, blaming geopolitical uncertainty, subdued consumer confidence and weak economic conditions. For tilers and bathroom fitters that points to a more competitive market for the rest of the year, with homeowners shopping around harder on quotes. It is a good moment to be sharp on pricing, clear on what a quote includes, and quick to follow up enquiries. Builders’ Merchants News has the detail.
Tile and adhesive prices keep rising even as volumes fall
The latest Builders Merchants Building Index shows like-for-like value sales in the first quarter of 2026 down 3.2 per cent on a year earlier, with volumes down 8.1 per cent but prices up 5.4 per cent. In plain terms, customers are buying less yet paying more per unit, so tile, adhesive, grout and sundry costs are still climbing. Build a margin into material budgets and warn clients that a quote can date quickly if the job slips a few weeks. See the index figures.
InstallerSHOW returns to the NEC on 23 to 25 June
InstallerSHOW is back at the NEC in Birmingham from 23 to 25 June, with more than 40,000 visitors and over 900 exhibitors expected. The InstallerK&B zone covers kitchen and bathroom installation alongside heating and renewables, so it is the easiest place to see new wet-room systems, tile and substrate products and tools in one trip. If you fit bathrooms it is worth a day out. Show details and registration are on the InstallerSHOW site.
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