How to Tile an Existing Shower

Shower tile provides protection to the shower wall, with a hard, easy-to-clean surface that can be found in just about any color or style you might want. Tiling a shower wall is similar to tiling any other wall, except you have to cut the tiles around the shower fixtures. That part of the job requires a tile saw instead of a standard tile cutter. Start with a backing of cement board or wetrock.

Things You'll Need

• Tape measure
• Pencil
• Level
• Thin set mortar
• Notched tiling trowel
• Sealed wall tiles
• Tile spacers
• Tile saw
• Grout
• Grout float
• Sponge
• Caulk

Instructions

1. Measure the width of the first wall of the shower. Mark the middle. Make a vertical line at the middle, from top to bottom, using a level and pencil.

2. Apply thin-set mortar to the bottom two or three feet of the shower wall, using your tiling trowel.

3. Press the bottom row of tiles into the mortar, starting at the center line and building to the sides. Set spacers between the tiles, and also below them, to separate them from the shower floor.

4. Cut the tiles at the ends of the row on your tile saw. Cut them so there is a 1/4-inch space after the tile, in the corner.

5. Hang the rest of the tiles on the wall in the same fashion, building up row by row, starting each row at the center line. Put spacers between all the tiles. Use a tile saw to cut the tiles around the shower fixtures. Tile the entire wall and the other walls in the shower.

6. Let the tiles set overnight. Pull out the spacers.

7. Spread grout over the walls with a grout float, starting from the top and working your way down. Press the grout into all the spaces except those along the bottoms of the walls and in the vertical corners. Wipe up the excess grout with a damp sponge.

8. Let the grout set for a full day. Caulk the spaces along the bottoms of the walls and in the vertical corners. Let the caulk set for a day.

References

• Tile Doctor: Tiling Showers