Tiling Tub Surround

Tiling a tub surround

Why do home owners consider tiling tub surround?Maybe a mold problem. Maybe they are tired of that old look and want to give that bathroom some life.Fixtures can add to the enhancement of a bathroom but, installing the right tiles for tiling a tub surround can improve the appearance of a bathroom even more. Before you go ahead with tiling bathroom surround you must read the following.

If you want to do a good job and avoid frustration, you must make sure to prepare the surface for a tiling bathroom surround properly.

Follow these steps before and during tiling a tub surround.

• Walls should be plumb.
• Use mold resistance material. "Green E Board" is a good choice
• Screws must be coated
• Joints must be covered with fibreglass tape and then coated with fast set taping mud or thin set.
• Any low or high areas must be levelled.
• Leave at least 1/8 of an inch space in height between the board and tub.
• Leave at least 1/8 of an inch space in height between the tiles and tub.
• Tiles must be as level and plumb as possible. ( You might get away with 1/8" difference on the plumb side).
• Use plastic spacers to space the tiles. Rubber spacers might allow a heavy tile to slide down somewhat with it's own weight.
• Use a strait edge (a four foot level is best) to check for height evenness of the tiles. If the tile is too high then try to tap it down with a rubber mallet to lower the height of the tile. You can also use a piece of wood and a hammer (with extreme care not to break the tile) to tap the tile down. If the tile is too low, pull the tile off and add more thin set to the tile.
• If the tub is not level you will have to trim the tiles so they run horizontally level.

Tools and Accessories

Although there are many tools and accessories on the market for tiling tub surrounds, the following is a list of some of the gear that makes a tiling job look better and easier.

• Trowels - come in different sizes and have notches that are different in shape and size. The bigger the notch, the more thinset applied to the substrate or tile. Types-Of-Trowel-Notches.jpg
• Margin trowel - although not a necessity, margin trowels are good to mix small amounts of thinset.
• Levels - are good to check the tiles' surface for high and lowareas..
• Powered Drill - makes life easer when mixing thinset.
• Grout Floats - are available with different rubber bottoms (soft and hard).
• Buckets - one for mixing the thinset and one for cleaning the grout off the tiles.
• Sponge and scrubbing pad - a good quality sponge will help to clean excess from both the thinset and grout .
• Caulking Gun - for applying caulking beads to the corners.
• Masonry Hole Cutter - with a pilot drill bit to drill holes for pluming pipes.
• Wet Saw - this tool makes professional looking cuts. It comes in handy when making internal and u shaped cuts.

Safety

No matter what job is being performed, safety is always of top priority. Always protect yourself with the proper safety gear.

• Rubber gloves will protect your hands from dryness and irritation while laying and grouting tiles.
• Work gloves will protect your hands from splinters and sharp edges during demolition and repair.
• Wear safety goggles to protect your eyes from chips and other flying debris.
• Ear plugs or ear protectors should be used when using noisy power tools.
• Wear dust masks and respirators to protect your lungs.

Knee pads are not considered as safety gear but will protect your knees from stress while kneeling for a long time.

The side walls

Start the first tile at about two or three inches from the end of the bathtub and continue towards the back wall. Cut the corner tile to fit as tight to the wall as possible. If the back wall is not plumb, then take both top and bottom measurements of the of the space between the back wall and the last glued tile and cut the tile to those measurements. (turn the tile to be cut with the back facing you and mark the top and bottom. Draw a line along the two lines allowing for the spacer and transfer the marks to the front of the tile. Cut the tile on the marked line.If the faucet has two, on and off handles, drill two holes for the fittings. If the faucet is controlled by an inverter, cut a square or a round opening one inch smaller the faucet plate. Ex; If the cover plate is 5-1/2", cut the opening at 4-1/2" on center.Drill a hole for the faucet fitting Drill a hole for the shower head fitting.( ask your local hardware store for the right hole cutting saw). It's better to use fortified thin set for wall tiles. Use the right size notched trowel. The bigger the tile the bigger the notches. (Bigger tiles are heavier therefore, more thinset is needed to hold the tiles in place).Clean the tile groves from any excess thin set just before it hardens. Use a damp sponge to clean any thin set off the tile face and rinse the sponge often, while the thin set is still fresh, (like right away). Wait for 24 hours before applying the grout.Remove the grout off the tiles but be careful not to remove the grout from the grout grooves. Wait for the grout to harden and wipe the tiles with a soft cloth.After 72 hours, the grout can be sealed with a grout sealer. A small bottle with a brush on it works best. Wipe off any spills immediately.

There you have it. If you follow this guide, you should be able to tile your bathtub surround with no problems. If you run into problems, contact me by using the free contact page on this site.

Tile setting/laying

Before you try to attempt to lay or set tiles on walls or floors, you need to know a few things, such as; preparation for different tiles. Ceramic and porcelain don't need to be sealed. On the other hand, some tiles such as natural stone , marble and limestone are pores, therefore, they need to be sealed before grouting.

Remove old tiles if any and replace or repair the backing board if mold or damaged areas are present .Lay a torpedo level on top of the bathtub check all three sides and take note of the lowest side of the bathtub .At the lowest point of the bathtub, place a tile and draw a horizontal line with a level (the longer the level the better) on all the walls that surround the bathtub. Make sure that the tile is level .Measure the long side of the bathtub and make a mark at the center of the wall.If you're using 1/4" spacers, mark a line at1/8" to the right or left side from the center line. If you're using 1/8" spacers make a line at 1/16" to either side of the center line, and so on.

Setting the first row of tiles on the back wall or the long side of the bathtub.

Place the first tile to the right or left center mark, lined up with the spacer mark.If the tile is higher then the horizontal marked lined, trim or cut the bottom of the tile to line up with the horizontal line. Install the rest of the tiles in the same manner to complete the bottom/first row. Usually, you will have to trim the end tiles to fit. Lay a level on the row of tiles and cheek for level. Make any adjustments needed.All the rows should follow the same procedures as the first row.Check every row for level and plumb and adjust the tiles as needed..Use the long edge of a level or a strait edge to make sure that the face of the tiles are even with each other.

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