Finishing a flat, step by step

Why the order matters

The order matters because almost every stage covers the one before it. Once plaster goes on, the conduits and pipes behind it disappear; once the floor is laid, the waterproofing under it cannot be inspected; once a gypsum ceiling is closed, the AC drain inside it cannot be reached without cutting.

So the rule is simple: nothing gets covered until it has been finished, tested and photographed. Every time a team skips that rule to save a day, the cost comes back later as broken tiles, chased walls or a ceiling opened up after the paint is done.

The sequence below is the usual one for an apartment taken from red brick. A semi-finished unit joins it further down the list, and a villa or chalet follows the same logic with more work at every stage.

The sequence, step by step

Fourteen stages, in the order they are normally done. Some overlap on a real site, but none should start before the stage it depends on has been checked.

1. Decide before anyone builds

   Fix the layout, the kitchen and bathroom plans, the AC type (split or concealed), the lighting plan and every socket position. A change on paper costs nothing; a change after plaster means breaking walls.

2. Walls, openings and door frames

   Build or remove partitions, correct the openings, and fix door frames so the plaster can finish against them. Check that frames are plumb and set to the planned finished floor level.

3. Electrical first fix

   Conduits, back boxes, the panel position, power for the AC, and data and TV points. Check every run against the drawing, and photograph the walls before they are closed.

4. Plumbing first fix

   Hot and cold supply pipes, drains with their falls, and a point for every fixture. Supply pipes are pressure-tested and left under pressure before anything covers them.

5. AC first fix

   Copper pipes, drain lines to a proper outlet, and ducts if the AC is concealed. A drain needs a steady fall; a flat drain is the classic cause of water on a new ceiling.

6. Plaster

   A bonding coat, levelling dots and screeds, then the plaster itself. Cement plaster is kept wet for several days so it cures instead of drying out and cracking. Check walls with a long straightedge and corners for square.

7. Waterproofing the wet rooms

   Bathroom, kitchen and balcony floors are waterproofed, with the membrane turned up the walls. Then a flood test: the floor is filled with water and left for a day or two while the ceiling below is watched. No tiles until it passes.

8. Screed and floors

   The floor screed is laid to level, with falls to the drains in wet areas, then porcelain, tiles or marble, plus wall tiling in the kitchen and bathrooms. Finished floors are covered and protected for the rest of the job.

9. Gypsum board ceilings

   Ceilings and bulkheads go up once everything they hide is in and tested: AC ducts and drains, lighting cables, access hatches. Some teams do ceilings before floors; either works if the floor is protected and nothing above is left open.

10. First paint coats

    Sealer, filler and sanding, then the first coats on walls and ceilings. The final coat waits until the heavy trades have left the site.

11. Fitted work

    Aluminium windows, interior doors, the kitchen, wardrobes, vanities and stone tops. Kitchens and worktops are measured on site once walls and floors are final, never from the drawing alone.

12. Second fix

    Sockets, switches and light fittings, sanitaryware and mixers, the water heater and the AC units. Every circuit and every tap is tested as it goes in.

13. Final paint, polish and clean

    The last coat of paint, touch-ups after the fitters, marble polishing where there is marble, and a deep clean of floors, glass and fittings.

14. Handover

    A room-by-room inspection against the written quotation, with every defect written down and a date agreed to fix it.

Where does your unit join the sequence?

• From red brick: start at stage one and go through every stage.
• Semi-finished from the developer: first fix and plaster are usually in place. Start by checking them: test the electrics and plumbing, check the walls for flatness, and decide whether the existing routes suit your design before any floor goes down.
• An old apartment: start with demolition and removal, then inspect the old wiring and pipes. Replacing them is usually more sensible than patching, because opening the walls a second time costs more than doing it once.
• A villa: the same sequence floor by floor, plus facades, roof waterproofing and outside works, planned so that outside work does not damage finished rooms inside.
• A chalet on the coast: the same stages, with materials chosen for salt and humidity, and a programme that respects the compound's rules and the summer season.

Common sequence mistakes

• Final paint before the AC units are fixed: drilling and pipework mark the walls, and the room is painted twice.
• Tiles before the flood test: if the waterproofing leaks, the new tiles have to come up to find it.
• Gypsum closed before the AC drains are tested: the first leak shows as a stain on a finished ceiling.
• A kitchen made from the drawing alone: walls that are a few centimetres out on site mean gaps, filler strips or a worktop that does not fit.
• Door leaves hung before the floor is laid: a door cut for ceramic will not clear a thicker marble floor, and leaves a gap above a thinner one.
• Socket positions decided after plaster: every late change means chasing a finished wall.

How long it takes, and what sets the pace

There is no honest single figure: the time depends on the size and state of the unit, the level of finish and how quickly decisions are made. A villa takes longer than an apartment, and an apartment from red brick takes longer than a semi-finished one.

What actually sets the pace:

• Curing and drying: plaster, screed and waterproofing need time before the next layer, and rushing them causes cracks and damp later.
• Made-to-measure items: kitchens, wardrobes, doors, aluminium and stone tops are measured on site and made afterwards, so they should be ordered as soon as they can be measured.
• Decisions: tiles, marble, colours and fittings chosen late are the most common reason a site stands still.
• Access and approvals: building or compound rules on working hours, deliveries and permits. Find out what they are before you start.
• The season on the coast: some compounds limit building work during the summer, which is why chalets are usually finished out of season. Check your compound's rules early.
• Continuity: a site where each trade follows the last without a gap moves faster than one where every trade waits to be called.

How Itmam runs the sequence

We run every stage as one job, against one written, itemised quotation. We visit and measure before anything starts, so the quotation describes your unit and not an average one.

On a finishing contract you pay each supplier directly and the tax invoice is in your name; our fee is for supervision and execution, agreed in writing before work starts. Kitchens, wardrobes, doors, vanities, metalwork and stone tops are made in our own workshops, and stone is templated, cut and installed by the same team, so the fitted-work stage stays in one pair of hands.

We work in Alexandria, along the North Coast and in New Cairo, and elsewhere in Egypt when the job suits.