How to Install a Ceramic Soap Dish in the Shower/Bath Tub Area?

Ceramic soap dish on wall.

Ceramic soap dish holders are helpful for holding soap in the bath and shower area. However, sometimes the builder will not install one and the homeowner will have add one after they move into the home. This requires removing a tile. Before you remove the tile it is a good idea to note the location where water splashes the wall so that you can place the soap dish away from that area and avoid melting the soap.

Things You'll Need

• Sharpie
• Grout saw
• Awl
• Nail set
• Hammer
• Cold chisel
• Drill
• Masonry bit
• Tile adhesive
• Painter's tape
• Grout
• Putty knife

Instructions

1. Mark the tile you want to remove with an "X". Use a grout saw and saw through the grout on all sides of the tile. You can scrape with an awl if you don't have a saw. By removing the grout you remove the pressure on the tile so that it will not press on adjacent tiles as it is being removed.

2. Tap a nail set against the tile in an X shaped pattern. A nail set is a metal rod that is similar to a chisel. The end of the nail set typically is used to recess nails. You want to punch small holes in the tile but not go through the tile to the backer board.

3. Drill holes using the divets left by the nail set. Use a 1/4-inch carbide tipped drill bit and wear safety goggles and a face mask to protect yourself from chips and inhaling silicates. As soon as the tile starts to crack switch to a 1/4-inch cold chisel and hammer and tap out pieces of tile until the entire tile is removed. Clean up as much of the underlying thin set mortar as you can.

4. Apply a thin coat of tile adhesive to the back of the ceramic soap dish and in the hole on the wall. Press the soap dish into place and secure using painter's tape crossing the soap dish in two directions. Allow the adhesive to dry for 24 hours before using the tub.

5. Apply grout along the grout lines using your finger or a small putty knife. Clean off any excess and allow the grout 12 hours to dry before using the bath area as normal.

Tips & Warnings

• Instruct family members and children not to use the soap dish as a grab bar or to put their weight on it when standing as the soap dish is not secured for that use.

References

• This Old House: How To Install A Soap Dish