I am getting ready tile a tub surround for a friend of mine as a favor, I have done a lot a tile floors before but this will be the first time I have done tile on a wall. The first question I have is how high above the tub rim do tile setters usually set the tile. My other question is what do you guys prefer for backerboard, Durock or Hardie board ?
Any help would be appreciated, I am a GC by trade and normally would sub this out, but my friend has a new addition to his family “mother in-law” and dose not have the funds to sub the job out. So any help passed on to me will be passed on to help another.
Replies
Although I use Densheild often, I am changing over to Durock. Whichever, follow the instructions about the mudding and taping with the cementatious caulk. Make sure you put in your vapour barrier. My tiler normally sets the bottom tiles about 3/16" off the rim, just enough to get the caulk into place.
Quality repairs for your home.
Aaron the Handyman
Vancouver, Canada
Hardie or cement board both work well. The Hardie is cleaner to work with. Don't forget the vapor barrier / membrane. If you have time, go buy Michael Byrne's book Setting Tile ... HD and Lowes usually carry it. According to him, 30# felt is one of the best barriers. Keep the hardie about 1/4" up and the tile about 1/8" off the tub. Be sure to put something in the bottom of tthe tub to protect it from dropped tile and other grit.
Whenever you are asked if you can do a job, tell'em "Certainly, I can!" Then get busy and find out how to do it. T. Roosevelt
aside from keeping the tile a "caulk joint width" off the tub itself ...
for first timers doing walls ... here's another tip.
do your layout ...
and make a level line all the way around that represents the bottom of the first row above the tub ....
pretty much just leaving out the bottom row that touches the tub ...
cut and set a ledger that hits that line on the lip of the tub ...
and use that as your starting point.
This way ... everything stays level ... doesn't follow an old crooked(or new and crooked) tub .... and the ledger keeps it all from slipping down the wall ...
next morning ... cut and fill in the bottom row.
I even make some sort of brace for the 30 in side walls ....
or tape the cap tiles around the corner if they're flush ...
years ago had one wall "slip" overnight ... one was enough for me.
now ... I make sure everything is "locked in" .....
if there's drywall outside the cap/return tiles ... I just screw a thin strip thru that ...
and dab the screw holes with fastNfinal the next day.
Jeff