Tiling instead of baseboard in the bathroom

[trax]

I am planning to tile around the bathroom instead of baseboard. I
have seem tile in bathroom remodels and think it looks good and is
practical because if it gets wet, it will not stain. The bathroom
floor is already tile.

I have 2 questions:

1. When tiling the wall, do you put backer board on first and then
tile?
2. How big should the tile be (going up the wall) 3", 4", 5" ?? Or
does it matter?

Thanks...

[Oren]

On Sat, 5 Nov 2011 16:27:48 -0700 (PDT), trax <pcwe...@gmail.com>
wrote:

>I am planning to tile around the bathroom instead of baseboard. I
>have seem tile in bathroom remodels and think it looks good and is
>practical because if it gets wet, it will not stain. The bathroom
>floor is already tile.
>

Good for you.

>I have 2 questions:
>
>1. When tiling the wall, do you put backer board on first and then
>tile?

No, just use mastic type adhesive. Attach to the wall.

>2. How big should the tile be (going up the wall) 3", 4", 5" ?? Or
>does it matter?
>
>Thanks...

4".

I must admit my entire house has tile "baseboard".

[aemeijers]

Looks best if you can find matching baseboard tile, cove to bullnose. Of
course, that only works on a new install, since it needs to set in the
floor. With plain bullnose sitting on floor (like on a retrofit), you
have all the usual corner problems with a grout joint, since floor and
wall flex relative to each other.

--
aem sends...

[k...@att.bizzzzzzzzzzzz]

On Sat, 5 Nov 2011 16:27:48 -0700 (PDT), trax <pcwe...@gmail.com> wrote:

>I am planning to tile around the bathroom instead of baseboard. I
>have seem tile in bathroom remodels and think it looks good and is
>practical because if it gets wet, it will not stain. The bathroom
>floor is already tile.
>
>I have 2 questions:
>
>1. When tiling the wall, do you put backer board on first and then
>tile?

I've always torn out the sheetrock and put up backer board. Mastic on
sheetrock is crap.

>2. How big should the tile be (going up the wall) 3", 4", 5" ?? Or
>does it matter?

That's purely a personal aesthetics thing. My master has 18" tile. I'd go
larger rather than smaller (but 18" is a little over). Larger is easier and
looks better, IMO.

[Uno]

On 11/05/2011 08:03 PM, Oren wrote:
> On Sat, 5 Nov 2011 16:27:48 -0700 (PDT), trax<pcwe...@gmail.com>
> wrote:
>
>> I am planning to tile around the bathroom instead of baseboard. I
>> have seem tile in bathroom remodels and think it looks good and is
>> practical because if it gets wet, it will not stain. The bathroom
>> floor is already tile.
>>
>
> Good for you.
>
>> I have 2 questions:
>>
>> 1. When tiling the wall, do you put backer board on first and then
>> tile?
>
> No, just use mastic type adhesive. Attach to the wall.

Oren's a hell of a nice guy, but the word "mastic" won't help you much
when you go to the home depot, lowe's, or a tile store.

On my latest couple projects that involved laying tile vertically, I've
used a couple different things but was called "wall mortar with
polymer." I spent $40 on a white bag of it at the tile store to start
out the project but then went to the same product at lowe's for $18, and
definitely go with the white. Both products adhere the shit out of it.

I talked with a guy who was buying a bag of it in line, and he just uses
the mortar as grout: voila. It'll be here longer than he or I will.

>
>> 2. How big should the tile be (going up the wall) 3", 4", 5" ?? Or
>> does it matter?
>>
>> Thanks...
>
> 4".

Right (altho it's obviously a matter of taste)

Get a good top line on it by using painter's tape about 5/16" above the
tile. You can just eyeball it. Fill the top with a 6" putty knife.
Err on the side of having too much loaded on without wanting to create a
mess by wiping it off.

Use a 1" blade to make a final diagonal shape or, a tablespoon for a
slight concavity. Let it set for 5 minutes or so and then pull off the
tape, slowly and slightly from above. Clean.

Make final edge with a dry putty knife, nudging all material flush to
the wall.
--
Uno

[Uno]

On 11/05/2011 10:08 PM, k...@att.bizzzzzzzzzzzz wrote:
> On Sat, 5 Nov 2011 16:27:48 -0700 (PDT), trax<pcwe...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> I am planning to tile around the bathroom instead of baseboard. I
>> have seem tile in bathroom remodels and think it looks good and is
>> practical because if it gets wet, it will not stain. The bathroom
>> floor is already tile.
>>
>> I have 2 questions:
>>
>> 1. When tiling the wall, do you put backer board on first and then
>> tile?
>
> I've always torn out the sheetrock and put up backer board. Mastic on
> sheetrock is crap.

That's an old wives tale. Like almost old wives tales, it's partially
true, depends on circumstances not mentioned, and almost always admits
of a previous failure that would undermine any building system.

>
>> 2. How big should the tile be (going up the wall) 3", 4", 5" ?? Or
>> does it matter?
>
> That's purely a personal aesthetics thing. My master has 18" tile. I'd go
> larger rather than smaller (but 18" is a little over). Larger is easier and
> looks better, IMO.

Or larger is gregarious and hideous.
--
Uno

[HeyBub]

Backer board? Whatever.

My wall is just plain sheetrock. For the first room I did, I used Liquid
Nails with tape to hold the tile in place 'til the glue sets. I used mastic
on the second room. I don't think the tile cares much...

As to height, artistically, I suppose, the height should in proportion to
the room size but in keeping with the function. How tall was the baseboard
you removed? My observation is that 3" is way too short.

I used 6" for a bath in that it was convenient to cut the tiles in half, but
whatever looks good to you. You might survey existing public bathrooms
(YMCA, McDonalds, etc.) to see what seems appropriate.

[Norminn]

We had tile baseboards in baths in fairly old condo, both with terrazzo
floors. Surprisingly, they were grouted at the corners but never
cracked. If there were fine cracks, I didn't notice them. I'm not sure
there was anything between tile baseboard and the floor...fine line of
caulk along the top. I also put down a very fine line of caulk along
ends of wallpaper in the baths...lots of steam and paper never came loose.

[Nate Nagel]

Another option for you; recently helped a friend redo a bathroom in his
basement. He wanted to use baseboard but had concerns about using wood
because of it, well, being a bathroom. He found some PVC molding that
matched the profile of the molding used elsewhere in the house and it
looks good, and will take caulk to seal between the molding and floor.

nate

--
replace "roosters" with "cox" to reply.
http://members.cox.net/njnagel

[dadiOH]

trax wrote:
> I am planning to tile around the bathroom instead of baseboard. I
> have seem tile in bathroom remodels and think it looks good and is
> practical because if it gets wet, it will not stain. The bathroom
> floor is already tile.
>
> I have 2 questions:
>
> 1. When tiling the wall, do you put backer board on first and then
> tile?

I have 100s of feet of tile baseboard. It is all on the sheetrock. It is
all stuck on with plain thinset. "Modified thinset" is only good for the
store selling it at many times the $0.10 per pound price of regular thinset.
IMO, YMMV and I don't care if it does.
____________

> 2. How big should the tile be (going up the wall) 3", 4", 5" ?? Or
> does it matter?

How high do you want it? IOW, it doesn't matter as long as it looks good to
you.


--

dadiOH
____________________________

dadiOH's dandies v3.06...
...a help file of info about MP3s, recording from
LP/cassette and tips & tricks on this and that.
Get it at http://mysite.verizon.net/xico

[k...@att.bizzzzzzzzzzzz]

On Sun, 06 Nov 2011 00:34:40 -0600, Uno <U...@example.invalid> wrote:

>On 11/05/2011 10:08 PM, k...@att.bizzzzzzzzzzzz wrote:
>> On Sat, 5 Nov 2011 16:27:48 -0700 (PDT), trax<pcwe...@gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>>> I am planning to tile around the bathroom instead of baseboard. I
>>> have seem tile in bathroom remodels and think it looks good and is
>>> practical because if it gets wet, it will not stain. The bathroom
>>> floor is already tile.
>>>
>>> I have 2 questions:
>>>
>>> 1. When tiling the wall, do you put backer board on first and then
>>> tile?
>>
>> I've always torn out the sheetrock and put up backer board. Mastic on
>> sheetrock is crap.
>
>That's an old wives tale.

Wrong. Shetrock is crap. Any building you build on crap is crap.

>Like almost old wives tales, it's partially
>true, depends on circumstances not mentioned, and almost always admits
>of a previous failure that would undermine any building system.


>>> 2. How big should the tile be (going up the wall) 3", 4", 5" ?? Or
>>> does it matter?
>>
>> That's purely a personal aesthetics thing. My master has 18" tile. I'd go
>> larger rather than smaller (but 18" is a little over). Larger is easier and
>> looks better, IMO.
>
>Or larger is gregarious and hideous.

I like my tile to be sociable.

18" is larger that I would prefer (it's laid on a bias), but 8-12", not so
much. I really liked the 5x10" I had put up in my first house.

[Oren]

On Sun, 06 Nov 2011 00:31:05 -0600, Uno <U...@example.invalid> wrote:

>Oren's a hell of a nice guy, but the word "mastic" won't help you much
>when you go to the home depot, lowe's, or a tile store.

Thanks for the compliment.

"Construction mastic adhesive is a high grade adhesive that can be
used by construction professionals and around the house."

Mine was left over from setting 16x24 porcelain tiles. Given the
price, I was not going out to buy thinset...

[Oren]

On Sun, 6 Nov 2011 06:09:04 -0600, "HeyBub" <hey...@NOSPAMgmail.com>
wrote:

>My wall is just plain sheetrock. For the first room I did, I used Liquid
>Nails with tape to hold the tile in place 'til the glue sets. I used mastic
>on the second room. I don't think the tile cares much...

I used mastic from the start. I took a long view, that the tile could
be removed easily in the future. Each tile was not fully back
buttered. Just a "dollop" -- enough to hold them on the sheetrock.

Then grouted.

I have bullnose outside corners at 22 degree. Only two small pieces
have failed on a corner. After years. Clean 'em up and stick them back
on the wall.