Kitchens by Riland

There are a few people who prefer their bathroom tubs to be enclosed with tiled walls. Tiles are not only unmatchable in their durability and beauty but they could be installed easily with minimum expertise. Here would basically discuss how a bathroom tub could be tiled to give it a more elegant look.

The basic layout of a bathroom tub surrounded with tiles produces a proportionate appearance with minimum cutting. You could start by just aligning numerous tiles along the straightedge of the floor having a 1/8 inch spacer in every joint. Even though several tiles have an integral spacing blocks, typically they create a secured joint which is about 1/16 inch wide, which might look weak. Preferably the grout joints need to be 1/8 inch as they look stronger, clean and crisp.

Tile spacers which are plastic pieces X-shaped are easily available in different widths through any of the tile stores. The more the tiles represent the time taken to fix them up right from the ceiling till the top of bathroom tub. A tape could be stretched from the end of one tile to record the actual distance towards each point. Correlating all these figures with the exact wall dimension will allow you to plan out all the cuts before you start tiling.

The walls behind the bathroom tub generally look good with some similar vertical rows of tiles at every end. You need to make a centerline vertically on the wall, then plumb in a level in it and then draw a line from the tub towards the ceiling on backer board. While you are laying the tiles you need to start working right from centerline on both directions. The end walls should have a vertical line so that you can mark an outboard edge of all field tiles. During this job, your plumbing wall will require a vertical row consisting of all cut tiles that can be placed either in front or in rear. As the wall on the opposite side will have all full tiles we need to put the same full tiles on the back as well to match it and cut the trim tiles in the front.

Rather than drawing layout lines horizontally on that wall you need to level one straightedge just above the bath tubs rim with shims. Then start tiling from straight edge towards the ceiling, now remove that straightedge and start filling all bottom courses.