When to tile around bath and basin?

chrisb1357

Hi

We have just had all our walls and celling skimmed in our bathroom and I wanted to know when the best time is to tile around bath and basin. We are looking at only applying tiles around 2 to 3 tiles high with a line of mosaic tiles in between.

Do I miss coat the walls first then paint and then apply the tiles or miss coat then tiles then final paint?

Also do I paint right down to edge of bath or do I measure what height the tiles will be and only paint down to them.

Does plaster need to be treated before applying tiles

Chris

Leif

It sounds like you need a good book on tiling and bathroom fitting.

First, you need to allow sufficient time for the plaster to dry. If it is a skim, then 1 week is more than enough.

If you use cement based tile adhesive, then you must apply a primer such as Bal Primer to the walls. Do not use PVA. Do not tile on bare plaster. If you use an acrylic adhesive, check the datasheet, it might need a primer, and there might be a tile size limit.

Don't paint then tile. Once you have tiled, paint the bare plaster, with a mist coat then normal coats. I like acrylic paint in a bathroom, it is more resistant to damp.

So was it skimmed with the bath, loo and sink in place? Bizarre.

chrisb1357

So paint and finish the celling then tile then do walls.

Many thanks for tips

Chris

Leif

You need to take care where tiles meet the bath, there is a way to do it right, and with luck someone experienced will tell you. You also need to layout the tiles correctly, so it looks right. Generally it should be symmetric. There are books, and online guides. My feeling is that you have not done enough research/learning, and you risk making a mistake. I tiled a small floor, and spent ages working out how to do it properly.

wallbash

You also need to layout the tiles correctly

I tiled my first WC when I was eleven , now grand old age of 60 .
I still draw my tiles on the wall esp if doing any sort of 'random/patten too easy to start placing tiles on the wall , face nearly touching the wall and NOT seeing the whole picture.
If you need a piece of tile less than 2 inchs wide to fill a gap , stop and have a rethink , few seconds thought is better than years of looking at a badly planned wall.
Personally I look at the wall before buying the tiles , a different tile size might be a great help . Ofcourse that may not suit the person i.e wife who wants to choose the tiles in the first place.