how do you lay ceramic tiles in a shower walls and floors?

Answer 1

Valid answers so far.

After installing thousands of sq. ft. of tile, and remodeling more baths than much else I might ask a question or two.

What is the current substrate? Most especially in the shower area; is there and existing PAN? OR even a Molded shower flooring; often a Fiberglass composite; or is this floor on a concrete slab. is this a remodel; or New construction?

Most especially in the shower area the PAN should currently be intact. The walls should be concrete backer board, and with no disrespect to anyone, NOT GREEN BOARD. The shower area should be tiled to the ceiling (personal opinion) The floor tiles in the shower can be individuals, as can the wall tiles, most dependant on the size you choose...Usually 4x4...6x6...2x2...with decoratives included or not.

The 2x2's often are sold with a mesh backing to hold them together in a 12x12...etc. sheet. The backer board should come to within a fraction of the molded shower floor or the pan, assuming that water will not FILL the stall and back up under the substrate. If the PAN and substrate MEET, then you can assume that spacing the bottom course of the wall tile will be grouted in the 90 degree against the floor tile. The job truly will be more tedious in a situation where you have a SLOPE to the drain, of any obvious measure. Walls anywhere,,,My choice is to set the bottom course; allow it to dry/cure, then build up the walls from there.

Thin set is a standard. I use exterior grade/ poly blended mortar. "Thin Set" is like a Nickname.

Your more important issue however is the PREP. A few extra hours spent in not having a shower; will equate to not having it after the fact, for repair work. I'll assume you're either beginning at the studs, or without knowing the current situation, you might go down to studs and start over. No matter your eventual choice; a vapor barrier should be included, as well as sealing the butted joints of all the substrate.

In the prep; a common, over used term, "measure twice; cut once" is extremely valid. It most relates to the finish in this case in any TILE Cuts you'll have to make. I often lay out a course in two directions to determine cuts, and make the cuts the last part of the install. IE: 12x12 floor tiles for instance; usually have an inch added for every 4 tiles, using 1/4 inch grout line spaces. That equates to some cutting in a 4 ft. span of floor or wall.
Walls are best at 1/8 inch grout line/spacing.

Floors are the same. Measure and SQUARE the area to be tiled, snapping two perpendicular chalk lines as a center/start point,,,and to determine not only CUTS, but the best view of full pieces on the floor,and perhaps less waste in cuts by equaling the perimter cuts.

Clean subtrate, follow the square of the area; Thin set to the consistency of mashed potato; a 1/4 inch, rectangular square toothed blade/ trowel; NO voids in spreading; set the tile, without extreme pressure on each piece, a level or your hand to determine FLUSH with each subsequent, adjacent piece, rubber spacers; BACK out of the area in small steps IE: 4 x 4; allowing NO pressure again on any installed piece, and wait.

Grouting can probably be accomplished, after the fact, depending on tempt and moisture conditions, within 24 hours. I won't bore you with grout details now, here.

Steven Wolf
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Answer 2

Well first you would form a mud base if you don't have a base, with the middle of the shower, where the drain is, slightly sloping. Then put backerboard on all the walls. Next comes the thinset. You can get it in buckets already made, or dry containers to mix with water at the time of application. Spread the thinset on a small area (about 5 * 5) so that it won't dry before you get done working with it. Then stick the tile up on the wall. Be sure to use the little plastic tile spacers because the tile will slide down a little if you don't.

Do this over the whole area you want tile on. When it comes to the floor, it's better to use a small tile. 6 x 6 is the smallest, but the smaller the better. This is because since the floor is slopled, the tile will crack if they are large tile.

Wait untill the next day to apply grout. The grout it pritty easy to use, most of it comes in dry form and you just mix it with water but be sure to read the instructions because some take special formulas.

Take a Tile spreader (you can get them at your local hardware store (very inexpensive) and scoop out some of the grout that you have in a bucket. Spread the grout all over the tile. It will settle in the groves between the tile. Then take a cloth and wipe off the excess grout that's on the tile.

Hope this helped.

Answer 3

I would recommend getting a professional tile setter to do the job but I will give you all the help I can if you want to DIY. In the shower you should use tiles that are on a mesh. Reason being a shower in not level. The edges are higher than the drain area so the water can go down the drain. You will need a wet saw, and certain tools to do a tile job. This web site has tools, Side bar with "how to etc" information, a DIY section that has a "how to" video, and other free informative information. Hope this helps you, good luck.

Answer 4

To tile a shower wall:
- Measure the walls carefully; shower walls are seldom perfectly square and plumb. Do a dry layout of the tile (including spacers) on the floor using your measurements. This will allow you to determine where cuts should be made and where to start setting the tile.
- Use a laser level or carpenter’s level to mark a line for starting the first course. Sometimes, especially with large format or heavy tiles, it’s necessary to screw a starter board directly to the cement board on your starter line to set the first course.
- Working in a small section, spread thinset with a notched trowel and press the tile into place. You may want to wipe the cement board with a damp sponge before applying thinset.
- Insert spacers and check level. Typically, you have about 10 minutes to set the tile before the thinset starts to set up.
- If you can’t trowel the thinset directly to the wall, such as in a narrow area too small for a trowel, back butter thinset directly on the back of the tile with a notched trowel.
- Use a wet saw to make accurate straight cuts, and a diamond-grit hole saw to make small holes for the showerhead.
- When the tile has set – typically about 24 hours – you can apply the grout
- Once you’ve grouted a section of the wall, let it dry and create a haze. Remove the haze with a clean sponge and water.
- Wait 24 hours and apply sealer to all the joints – and the tile if recommended.
See more at: http://www.proconstructionguide.com/how-to-tile-a-shower-wall/

Answer 5

If this is something you have never attempted before, please go to a Home Depot or Lowes and attend a tile workshop. Before you even consider tiling, do you have the proper underlayment? Is the shower pan in good shape? Even a small space can be overwhelming until you are comfortable with the process. We have just completed a tile job in our LR/DR and that was the last room in the house to be done. It is hard work (not difficult...just hard especially on your back and knees!) but so satisfactory when completed! Good luck.