I’m about to re-tile around the tub. I cut the existing drywall about 1†above the existing tile and then pulled down the old drywall and tile. I found that for the original installation they did not shim the studs. The drywall was just nailed in place and bent over the lip of the tub…which is probably why it leaked.
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Question 1
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What is the best way to shim out the wall? I was thinking of ripping some 2†wide strips of ¼â€ plywood and stapling them against the studs.
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Question 2
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What is the best way to transition from the concrete backer board to the existing ½â€ drywall? Do I install the bull nose tile and then cut the concrete backer board flush with the top of the bull nose tile? Not quite sure how to do this. (see section)
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Question 3
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(see pics). This is what the bathroom looked like before I took the old tile down. As you can see the tile runs across the back of the tub right to the window frame. At the front of the tub the tile runs from the corner all the way across the tub to the corner of the next wall. Is this the correct way to tile? I always thought it looks kind of weird. What is standard practice when tiling a tub?
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Thanks to everyone at Breaktime for the continued help!
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Trevor
Replies
1-Your shim idea will work just fine.
2-Tile just past the joint between the backer and drywall. (Do yourself a favor and tile it all the way up to the ceiling.)
3-Yes, what you had is a very common way to tile a tub area. You can do it anyway you want it is your house.
Do yourself a favor and tile it all the way up to the ceiling.
Why do you say this? Is it just to protect the wall surfaces?
I like to tile up to about 7' or so. However, I've avoided tiling all the way to the ceiling because I have feared that I could end up with a funny-looking partial row, or (worse yet), find out that the ceiling is not parallel with the tub, forcing a tapered row (which I thought would also look bad by drawing attention to a framing flaw).
Have I been overreacting? How do you address these problems when you encounter them?
Edited 6/11/2006 4:04 am ET by Ragnar17
Yes, it protects the wall, is easier to clean, doesn't need painting, imho looks better.
The tapered row goes around the tub. Draw a level line and measure from it. You can layout some of your tile on a flat surface and see if you get a too narrow tile band and adjust the layout to eliminate funny looking rows. Adding an accent row of a different color or size tile can add interest and adjust the layout. Draws ones eyes to it and away from the edges.
It would be rare to find a tile job that would not need some cutting and adjustment to do the job well.
I once did a kitchen backsplash that used only full tiles. Only tiling I've done with no cuts.
a) I have never shimmed a wall so that the CBU overlaped the tub/ shower basin lip.
b) The CBU always stops 1/4" above the tub/ shower basin lip.
c) The thickness of the CBU insures that its face is within the tub/ shower basin area.
d) Tile runs down to, -1/16th, the tub/ shower basin. Yes, it hangs below CBU. This is proper.
e) 1/16" gap is caulked with a rubberized silicone - clean-up with thinner only.
f) Tile to ceiling.
g) If you don't want to tile to ceiling, top row of tile should cover CBU/ GWB seam.
Frankie
There he goes—one of God's own prototypes—a high powered mutant of some kind never even considered for mass production. Too weird to live and too rare to die.
—Hunter S. Thompson
from Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas
The window was just framed too close to the tub. Pretty hard to end the tile in a classy manner under that condition.
I run the CBU down over the lip of the tub if I can. Shimming will allow that. Then I caulk the CBU/tub lip with silicone. Then tile over. Then caulk the tile/tub junction with silicone.
The "back-caulking" I feel adds an extra measure of safety against water infiltration, and it's cheap and easy. Doesn't have to look nice, just get a good seal.
Pete Duffy, Handyman
How about a moisture barrier behind the concrete board so when the grout lets water in it doesn't simply weap down the concrete board, on to the unprotected studs and down behind the tub?
For those who will say that the grout shouldn't let water in, it's just not so with 90% of the maintenance homeowners provide. Give any tile job a dozen years and the grout is most likely in rough shape.
Many corner joints will have simple grout joints, which are cracked because that's what corner joints do because of the normal expansion/contraction of different planes. From almost day one there's going to be water wicking into these joints. Simply using a colored and sanded caulk is much, much better.
Best of luck
I beleive most recmmend chaulking corners in tiled tub surrounds. There will be movement in the corners and grout will not hold.
Having finished two tile surrounds and getting ready to do my third, I'd agree with most of the previous advice, with a couple of added notes.
I'd run the last upper course of tile so that the shower angle-arm goes through the tile. I'm using larger tiles than 4X4's, but with careful measurement, you can cut the hole in the tile just slightly larger than the chrome tube, then once installed, put a bead of silicone round the tube where it goes through your cut hole. This prevents splash-back (from tall people standing right under the shower head) from going down the tube into the wall. And if somebody in future years decides to replace the shower head, the old silicone can be scraped off and a new bead put on.
I also put #15 felt up against the studs under the hardi backer board...but you've got to cut the bottom so it laps out over the lip of the tub's edge and under the bottom edge of the backer...else why do it. But this requires leaving a couple of little drain holes in your caulking along the bottom.
And I"m sure you know this already, but a good tile job is all in the layout before you trowel on the thinset.
BruceM
Thanks for all the advice!