Remove Skirting Boards For Ceramic Tiles?

i_love_it

I'm having a bathroom refurb and the fitter has advised against ceramic tiles, saying the grout will come away from skirting boards and look untidy.

I don't really want vinyl flooring.

Would removing the skirting boards be the answer and tile the floor and all walls to meet.

Debt_Free_Chick

i_love_it wrote: »

Would removing the skirting boards be the answer and tile the floor and all walls to meet.

That's what I've got

Not sure if there are other options though .... what about sealant in the gap between the tile and the skirting board?


Hang around for suggestions from the better informed

sooz

Remove skirting boards, tile & then replace boards. Your fitter doesn't sound very confident in tiling

Porcelain tiles are better for a floor than ceramic. If the floor under is boards rather than concrete, pay the extra to have a layer of Ditra added. Cracked tiles are a total pain.

evilgoose

i guess tiles to the floor would give clean lines, but I like skirting boards.
I think debt_free_chick suggestion should be ok, dont grout the bottom edge of the tile - use a flexible silicon sealant instead.

BB1984

I've just tiled my bathroom, and we tiled all the way to the floor (well, to about 5mm from the floor), but didn't grout under the bottom tiles. I used flexible silicon sealant all the way round the edge instead. If you use flexible grout for the floor tiles, you should be ok, I wouldn't have thought it would come away. I think skirting boards in bathrooms are simply personal preference. If you want boards, you could remove them, then run the floor tiles slightly under the line of the boards, so the boards cover the gap round the edge of the tiling....?

BB

i_love_it

Thanks for the info everyone, will make the suggestions.

Hoploz

If you're tiling onto floorboards make sure you have sufficient thickness to support them, so preventing nnecessary movement. Can't remember but I think it was meant to be 18mm ply over the floorboards or something (we settled on vinyl in the end)

jockster211

Floor tiles are normally laid on 18mm Exterior (wbp) plywood or Ditra (as previously mentioned). If you are tiling the floor & walls, then floor tiles first & wall tiles next. Don't grout the floor wall junction, use silicon sealant.

Yes porcelain tiles are nice, but usually more expensive than ceramic. There are no major differences between one & the other.

There should be no problem wall tiling onto the skirtings. In fact I do this regularly.

Jockster

brownbake

jockster211 wrote: »

Floor tiles are normally laid on 18mm Exterior (wbp) plywood or Ditra (as previously mentioned). If you are tiling the floor & walls, then floor tiles first & wall tiles next. Don't grout the floor wall junction, use silicon sealant.

Yes porcelain tiles are nice, but usually more expensive than ceramic. There are no major differences between one & the other.

There should be no problem wall tiling onto the skirtings. In fact I do this regularly.

Jockster

No major differences apart from the fact that porcelain are about 10 x harder than ceramic!!!

Shouldn't matter in a bathroom but in an area for heavy traffic or where things are likely to be dropped like a kitchen porcelain would be longer lasting

i_love_it

thanks again everyone.

my fitter is on holiday and i have more questions.

he has quoted to tile walls and make floor good (plywood i think) but not to cover floor, he did advise against tiles.

I have decided on large porcelain tiles 60x30 for both floor and walls (with the shower wall in v expensive 10x10 glass tiles, because i love them and have to have them!)
I have also decided to loose the floor boards.

So, jockster says the floor should be tiled first, someone else is doing this. Is this essential as it will hold up the fitter a couple of days in middle of job i guess?

Should i buy this ditra or ask him to use ditra, is it instead or aswell as the plywood?

The man in the tile shop says the porcelain 60x30 tiles are suitable for walls as well but says use floor adhesive, does that sound right? I am tiling floor to ceiling everywall & floor. ( i realise ceramic will be cheaper but can't find the look i am after in ceramic)

Fitter also advised keep old radiator but it is tatty looking and i want to replace, i guess i need someone else to do this, when does that fit in regards the tiling.

Its turning into a very big and expensive job, no wonder i've avoided it for years!

jockster211

Hiya

Tiling floor first is generally considered to give a better finished look, but is not essential so long as sufficient expansion gap is left.

Ditra is more like an insurance policy. Floor tiles can come loose when not fitted correctly. Using ditra adds cost, but it allows the tiles & subfloor to move independently (amongst other things), & so prevents the tiles coming loose. When I use it it is as well as ply (which I then usually use 12mm).

Porcelain tiles (as BB said) are heavy. They & your glass tiles should be fitted using a cementitious adhesive (usually comes in a bag & has to be hand mixed not ready mixed in a bucket).

The rad can be changed after tiling, however I'd have thought your fitter would take it off the wall to tile behind it anyways? If he wasn't, make sure he does, as when you do change your rad you don't want a big untiled space behind the new rad? I always try & get the customer to change their bathroom rad as they are invariably dirty/stained/rusted/etc & a new chrome towel rad adds little extra cost. Should be an easy change when he's got it off the wall?

So sorry to give so much techy stuff. Hope it all helps.

Jockster