How to Install Bathroom Shower Tile
While tiling a shower stall, you have to think about a few additional things compared to tiling a regular wall. Since you're likely to have to cut the tiles to fit around the faucets and other obstructions, you'll need a wet saw instead of a straight-cut tile cutter. You'll need a waterproof base behind the tiles, so install cement board, not drywall, before tiling. You'll have to seal the grout against moisture and caulk the corners, rather than grouting them. A professional should install your shower based before you tile the wall. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Tape measure
- Pencil
- Level
- Thinset mortar
- Mortar trowel (notched along one side)
- Shower tiles with self-spacing nubs on the sides
- Wet saw
- Grout
- Grout float
- Sponge
- Silicone caulk and caulk gun
- Grout sealer
- Small paint brush
Instructions
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1
Use your level and pencil to mark a level line horizontally along the bottom of one wall of the shower, up from the shower floor by the height of a tile plus 1/4 inch. (Example: If you're using tiles that are 5 inches tall, the level line should be 5 1/4 inches up from the shower floor.)
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Mark a vertical line from the bottom to the top of the shower wall, right in the center.
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3
Spread thinset mortar along the bottom of the wall, high enough to accommodate a row of tiles, using your notched trowel. Set the first row of tiles in place starting at the middle, where the horizontal and vertical lines intersect, with the top edges of the tiles lined up under the horizontal line and the bottom of the tiles hanging about 1/4 inch off the floor. (The nubs on the sides of the tiles will provide the proper spacing.)
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4
Cut the tiles for the ends (by the adjacent walls) on your wet saw, leaving about 1/8 inch of space between the cut edge of the last tile and the adjacent wall.
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5
Build up the wall, row by row, cutting the end pieces as necessary and keeping that small space open by the adjacent walls. Cut the tiles to go around the plumbing fixtures and other obstructions, using your wet saw. Repeat the process for each of the other walls. Let the tiles set overnight.
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6
Grout the tile starting at the top of each wall and working your way down. Grout by pressing the grout into the spaces between the tiles with your grout float, then using the long edge of the float to scrape it off the tile face. Wipe off the excess grout with a damp sponge. Grout the whole flat surface of each wall, but don't grout the corners where the walls meet each other or where they meet the floor.
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7
Let the grout set for a day. Run lines of silicone caulk in the spaces along the corners where the walls meet each other and where they meet the floor.
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8
Let the grout cure for another three or four days and then apply grout sealer over the grout lines, using a small brush.
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Tips & Warnings
Wear eye protection when using your wet saw.
