Home Renovation in Dubai: Where to Start, What Order and Which Surfaces to Redo

A home renovation in Dubai goes wrong when the finishes are chosen first and the hidden problems are found last. The reliable order is: building or community approval, then a survey of what you cannot see — leaks, AC, hollow tiles, the roof — then the trades that open walls and floors, and only at the end the surfaces you will actually look at. Whether the home is a flat or a villa changes the details, not the order. Most homes do not need everything replaced: sound tiles, plaster and cabinets can often be kept, refreshed or covered, and that is where most of the saving and almost all of the dust-and-noise relief comes from.

We do one part of a home renovation: the surfaces — seamless floors and walls in microcement, lime finishes such as Venetian plaster, marmorino and limewash, and resin bound for driveways and paths. We do not do plumbing, electrics, AC, joinery, kitchens or tiling, and we do not supply tiles, paint, wood, vinyl or panels. This guide covers the whole project anyway, because surfaces only last if the work under them was right. If you already know the type of home, go straight to the apartment renovation guide or the villa renovation guide.

Home renovation in Dubai: what to do first

Start with paper and a survey, not with a mood board. Three things decide the whole project before a single finish is chosen.

1. Approval. Almost every tower and most villa communities ask the owner to apply to building or community management for a work permit before any renovation starts, with limits on working hours, noise, lifts and rubble. Rules differ from place to place, so ask your management office what they need for your plans and how long it takes. If you rent, get the landlord’s agreement in writing: a seamless floor or a lime wall is permanent.
2. What is hidden. Look behind and under the wet rooms for damp patches, swollen door frames and blackened silicone; tap the floor tiles for hollow sounds; ask how old the AC units and ducts are and whether any room never cools; check the roof and terrace waterproofing in a villa. Every finish sits on top of these.
3. Your real goal. A tired look, a leak, a changing layout and a small budget are four different projects. A look that has gone tired is usually a surface job; a leak or a new layout is a trades job first.

Keep, cover or replace?

For each element, ask whether it is sound. Sound things can be kept or covered; failed things have to be replaced.

Element	Keep and refresh when…	Cover when…	Replace when…
Floor tiles	You like them and they are sound	Sound and dry, but you are done with the grout or the look	Hollow over whole areas, cracked from movement, or the levels are changing
Walls	Paint is the look you want	You want lime plaster or a seamless finish on sound plaster	Plaster is loose, damp or badly cracked
Bathroom	Tiles sound, the shower never leaked	Tiles sound, you want the grout gone	Leaks, hollow tiles, a new layout
Kitchen	Cabinets dry and solid	Sound floor tiles and splashback	Swollen cabinets, a new layout, services moving
Driveway and paths	Pavers level and drained	Sound base, tired surface	Base sinking or cracked

The middle column is the one most owners do not know exists. Microcement over existing tiles adds about 3 mm, so doors still swing and thresholds still line up, with no jackhammer and no rubble. It is for homes and normal-use rooms only — never garages or busy commercial floors — and it fails over tiles that are hollow, so test them first.

The order of work in a home renovation

Work from hidden to visible, and let each trade finish before the next one covers its work.

1. Scope and approval. The list from your survey, the permit, lift bookings and working hours.
2. Protection. Corridors, lifts, lawns and gates covered before anything comes in.
3. Strip-out. Only what is coming out — a kitchen or bathroom being rebuilt, hollow tiles, damaged plaster.
4. First fix. Plumbing, electrics, AC ducting and data cabling while walls and ceilings are open.
5. Plastering, screeds and ceilings. Repairs, then drying time. Lime and seamless finishes need a dry, sound base.
6. Waterproofing. Showers, balconies, terraces — checked before it is covered.
7. Surfaces. Floors and walls: tiles, microcement, lime plaster, paint. Dusty work first, the most delicate finishes last.
8. Joinery and kitchen. Wardrobes, doors and cabinets go in on the finished floor, protected.
9. Second fix and clean. Sanitaryware, lights, sockets, AC grilles — then a deep clean.

The classic mistake is booking the floor before the permit, then losing weeks waiting with the trades already scheduled.

Which surfaces suit which room?

Choose by zone, because each room punishes a surface differently.

• Living areas, bedrooms and corridors. Microcement runs joint-free across rooms. Floors start from AED 250/m², supplied and installed. It is a hard mineral floor, like the tiles it covers, so it does not change how footsteps sound; timber or carpet on an acoustic underlay is softer — see flooring options for UAE homes for an honest comparison, including the floors we do not supply.
• Feature walls. Lime finishes give a depth paint cannot, and they breathe, which suits AC-cooled rooms. They are priced per project after a site visit. Wall finishes for humidity and AC explains the differences.
• Bathrooms. The room that gains most from going seamless — no grout to blacken in a humid shower. It must be a full wet-zone system with waterproofing and a sealer; microcement wet zones start from AED 350/m². See the bathroom renovation guide.
• Kitchens. Cabinets, worktops, floor and splashback are separate decisions; the kitchen renovation guide sorts them. We coat floors and walls, not worktops or cabinets.
• Balconies and terraces. Microcement can go outdoors in the outdoor-rated colours only, on normal foot traffic, once drainage and waterproofing are right.
• Driveways, paths and pool surrounds. Resin bound starts from AED 170/m² plus a one-off AED 3,500 mobilization fee per project; the quote after the site visit can be higher. See resin bound vs pavers.

How much does a home renovation cost in Dubai?

Nobody honest can give a total for a whole home without seeing it, because hidden items — leaks, AC, hollow tiles, a roof — move the figure more than any finish. What we can give is our part, as starting rates:

• Microcement: walls from AED 220/m², floors from AED 250/m², wet zones from AED 350/m², supplied and installed.
• Resin bound: from AED 170/m² plus a one-off AED 3,500 mobilization fee per project.
• Lime finishes — Venetian plaster, marmorino, limewash — priced per project after a site visit.
• Everything else — plumbing, electrics, AC, joinery, kitchens, tiling — is priced by the trades who do it.

The microcement cost guide explains what moves a quote, and the price calculator gives a quick figure for your own area.

How long does a home renovation take?

The slowest trade sets the programme, not the finish. Our part is days per room, mostly curing time between coats; a renovation that includes plumbing, AC and a new kitchen runs to weeks or months, and permits come before all of it. Doing the home room by room lets you stay in it, but a home with one bathroom is hard while that bathroom is being done.

Which one should you choose?

• The home is sound and only looks tired: keep the services, cover the floors and refinish the walls. It is the quietest route.
• A leak or a stain on the ceiling below: fix the waterproofing first and choose the finish last.
• Hollow tiles across whole rooms or a new layout: strip those rooms out, put the services right, then cover or tile.
• Your building restricts hard floors: ask management before choosing; timber or carpet on an acoustic underlay may be the honest answer.
• A small budget or a rental: paint, a deep clean of the grout and new silicone often do more than any new finish.

Send a few photos of the rooms, floors and bathroom, with rough sizes, on WhatsApp, or call +971 4 587 7086. Tell us what you found on your survey and what your building allows. We have worked on UAE homes for 8+ years — our microcement, resin bound and lime finishes are applied by crews trained in-house, never subcontracted — and if part of your home needs a different trade rather than us, we will say so.

Related guides

• Apartment Renovation in Dubai: Keep, Cover or Replace?
• Villa Renovation in Dubai: Keep, Cover or Replace?
• Bathroom Renovation in Dubai: Keep, Cover or Rip Out?
• Kitchen Renovation in Dubai: Keep, Cover or Replace?
• Can Microcement Go Over Existing Tiles?

FAQ

Where do I start a home renovation in Dubai?

With approval and a survey. Ask your building or community management what permit they need and which working hours apply, then check for leaks, hollow tiles and AC problems before choosing any finish.

What is the right order of work for a home renovation?

Approval, protection, strip-out, first fix (plumbing, electrics, AC), plastering and screeds, waterproofing, then floors and walls, then joinery and the kitchen, then second fix and cleaning. Dusty work comes first and the most delicate finishes last.

Do I need permission to renovate my home in Dubai?

Usually yes: most towers and communities require a work permit from management before renovation starts, and structural, plumbing, electrical or AC changes usually need more than cosmetic work does. Rules differ, so ask your management office. Tenants also need the landlord’s written agreement.

Can I renovate without demolition?

Often. Sound floor tiles can be covered with microcement at about 3 mm, sound walls can be refinished in lime plaster, and a sound bathroom can be made seamless over its tiles as a full wet-zone system. Demolition is needed where something underneath has failed or the layout changes.

Can I live at home during a renovation?

Usually, if the work goes room by room. Expect closed work zones and some fine dust from sanding. A home with one bathroom is hard to live in while that bathroom is being done.

Do you do the whole home renovation?

No. We apply the surfaces — microcement, resin bound and lime finishes. Plumbing, electrics, AC, joinery, kitchens and tiling are done by those trades, and we work to their programme.

How much does a home renovation cost in Dubai?

We cannot give an honest total without seeing the home. Our part starts from AED 250/m² for microcement floors, AED 220/m² for walls and AED 350/m² for wet zones, and resin bound from AED 170/m² plus a one-off AED 3,500 mobilization fee; lime finishes are priced per project after a site visit.