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A shower wall tiled in mixed blue rectangular tiles with a chrome dual-head shower

Tiling Trade News: 36% Now Add a Bathroom Accent Wall

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Two weeks of tiling and bathroom trade news, read from the buyer’s side. Houzz has new numbers on what people actually do to their bathrooms, the schemes meant to protect homeowners from bad installers are being rebuilt, two bathroom furniture makers have changed shape, and merchant prices are still climbing while volumes fall.

A third of bathroom renovations now include an accent wall

Houzz’s 2026 UK Bathroom Trends Study, which polled 569 homeowners, found that 36% added or updated an accent wall during a bathroom renovation. The shower area is the most common place for it (21%). Colour is the usual way to make the feature (59%), ahead of pattern (43%), surface material (35%) and texture (34%). Green is the most popular accent colour at 15%, then blue at 12%. The study also found that 41% of renovated bathrooms are under five square metres, and that 88% of homeowners still bring in a professional.

Why it matters: a single feature wall in the shower is one of the cheaper ways to change how a small bathroom looks, because you are only buying the expensive tile for one wall. It is also the wall that takes the most water, so the waterproofing behind it matters more than the colour. Our shower tiling walkthrough covers the order of work. Source: kbbreview, 30 September 2026.

TrustMark is consulting on stronger protection, and responses close on 27 October

TrustMark, the government-endorsed quality scheme for work in and around the home, has opened a public consultation on changes to how it runs. The proposals include a direct relationship with every registered business, a single point of contact for consumers when something goes wrong, stronger financial protection for work done under the scheme, and changes to registration and lodgement fees. Responses close at 11:59pm on 27 October 2026, and TrustMark says it will publish a summary response in December.

Why it matters: if you have ever tried to get a bad tiling or bathroom job put right, you will know the hard part is finding out who is responsible. A single contact point and better financial cover would help homeowners most. Anyone can respond. Sources: TrustMark consultation page; kbbreview, 28 September 2026.

BiFIS will run the Approved Code register for fitted interiors

The British Institute of Fitted Interiors Specialists (BiFIS) has been appointed as a code operator for the government’s new Approved Code, which is run by the Chartered Trading Standards Institute. BiFIS will host the register for installers in its sector, which covers kitchen, bedroom and bathroom fitters. It also expects to launch an overhauled online register around the beginning of November, where homeowners will be able to find installers signed up to the Approved Code. BiFIS is also becoming a TrustMark scheme provider.

Why it matters: the Approved Code was announced in August alongside Trusted Payments, the app that holds renovation money and releases it as stages are finished. Until now there was no sector body running it for bathroom fitters. From November there should be a register to check before you hire. Source: kbbreview, 2 October 2026.

Utopia sold to Brand K, and Gower files a notice to appoint administrators

Utopia Furniture, which builds bathroom furniture to order in Wolverhampton and supplies more than 600 independent showrooms, has been bought by Brand K Group, owner of Kartell UK, Just Trays and Carron Bathrooms. Separately, Halifax-based Gower Furniture, a kitchen and bathroom furniture maker that supplies Wickes among others, has filed a notice of intent to appoint administrators. Interpath Advisory says it expects to complete a rescue shortly, and a source at Gower told kbbreview that staff will not be affected and the business will trade on as Gower Productions.

Why it matters: if you have a vanity unit or bathroom furniture on order through a showroom, ask who the maker is and whether delivery dates have changed. Neither story suggests orders are at risk, but it is a sensible question to ask before you pay a balance. Sources: kbbreview on Utopia, 21 September 2026; kbbreview on Gower, 1 October 2026.

Merchant prices up 7.6% in July as volumes fell by the same amount

The Builders Merchant Building Index for July 2026 shows merchant sales by value down 0.6% on July 2025. Underneath that, volumes were down 7.6% and prices up 7.6%. Over the first seven months of the year prices were up 5.9%. Timber and joinery sales by value were down 0.7% in the month, and heavy building materials down 2.6%.

Why it matters: materials are a smaller share of a tiling job than labour, but adhesives, boards and trims bought through merchants are costing more than a year ago. Quotes from the spring may not hold. Our bathroom tiling cost breakdown shows where the money goes. Source: BMBI, 28 September 2026.

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