Installing Vinyl floor tiles in bathroom but walls are not exactly straight?????

Question

I'm laying out my vinyl floor squares in my bathroom but have discovered that the walls are not exactly 90 degrees with the tub. So if I put the tile snug against the tub, the was has a 1/4 to half inch gap to it. If I put the tile snug to the wall, the TUB has the 1/4 to half inch gap to it...

What do I do?

Should I just cut some "mini" pieces to stick in the gaps?

Can't turn back now... aleady ripped up the nasty carpet.

Answer 1

Lay out the tiles so that there are partial pieces along all the edges. Do it by following these directions:


Measure the distance from the north wall to the south wall, and mark the half-way point.

Measure the distance from the east wall to the west wall, and mark that half-way point.

Mark 2 lines through the room that cross at the middle point, dividing the room into 4 equal quarters. Lay out tile (BUT DON"T GLUE THEM DOWN YET) along the longest of these lines. They should have about the same amount of space at each end. Lay out tile (but don't glue it yet) along the other line. You should also have about the same amount of space at each end.

If you like the results, and don't have any odd skinny pieces at the cabinetry, door, etc, then use these lines to align your tile, and glue it down permanently. If you don't like this alignment, then shift everything a few inches one way or another until you do like it. TRY TO AVOID HAVING LONG SKINNY SLIVERS AT THE EDGE OF THE WALL IF AT ALL POSSIBLE, THOUGH. Those really look bad, and they tend to come up sometimes.

For more detail on how to do this, go to Home Depot, Menard's, etc, and buy the book on flooring how-to.

Answer 2

For the right floor tiles, you'll end up paying more than it's worth. The glue on floor tiles isn't tough enough to stick to wall tiles. Then, they'll fall off because of the humidity from showers.. I would go with the paint idea. Make sure the paint works on ceramic tiles, and you should be good. Or, better yet. Deal with it until you move. It can't be that ugly, can it?

Answer 3

You should start in the center of the room, lay out two lines at right angles and lay your tile from there to each wall. That way you will have almost a full half tile on each edge.

I believe that is the way most professional installers work. They don't like little pieces either.

Answer 4

Do exactly as Rolfcode explained, he knows what he is talking about.