One of the common questions we get asked at Expert Tiling Courses UK is about how to tile a bath panel, as well as how to build the frame. Tiled bath panels have a superior look to the flimsy plastic bath panels, and add a luxury feel to a bathroom. However, they need serious consideration.

The approach you need to take when building and tiling a bath panel will depend on the type of access (if any) through the panel that your customer needs for the plumbing underneath the bath. It is always advisable to ensure that the water and waste connections under the bath are accessible in case they start to leak in the future.

Options for access include

• Hinged access panels - expensive and can be difficult to install.
• Tile magnets - Small magnets attached to the frame of the bath panel, that hold a section or number of tiles in place with metal plates fixed to the back.
• Removable section - often a section of the panel that is siliconed in rather than grouted, which can be removed by cutting the silicone. Can be quite noticeable.
• Access from elsewhere - In some instances, the underside of the bath can be accessed in an emergency from another place.

In this example, the bath was fitted in a recess between the rest of the bathroom, and a bedroom. The wall behind the bath is the wall from inside the neighbouring bedroom and the customer elected to have a continuous, unnafected bath panel and agreed that access would be through the wall behind a wardrobe in the bedroom. This meant the bath could be fully tiled in meaning a seamless, professional looking finish, and in an emergency the plumbing was still accessible.

Step 1:

Build a frame under the front edge of the bath. This serves two purposes. Firstly, it acts as a structural strengthening for the bath, removing any flex or sag from the fibreglass bath when it is loaded with water. Secondly, it creates a firm and strong frame to tile to without experiencing flex or movement that can result in cracking of tiles or grout. Thought needs to be given here about how far back from the front lip of the bath this frame needs to be recessed. In this example, they needed to allow for 6mm hardiebacker boards, 10mm tile thickness, and circa 3mm adhesive. As such, the frame was installed 19mm back from the front edge of the bath and a 360 degree laser level was used to ensure it was consistent across the entire front edge, and also installed plumb. The frame was packed in tight and screwed down in to the floor and up in to the timber frame of the bathtub.

Step 2:

Once you have your frame installed and exactly where you want it, now it’s time to create a surface to tile to. In this example, they have elected to use Hardiebacker board. Hardiebacker is a solid-core cement tile backer board and is available in 6mm or 12mm thicknesses. While generally it is advised to use the 12mm board for direct to stud installations, in this small section of bath panel, with such an over-engineered timber frame, it was decided that 6mm would suffice and help with the somewhat limited depth available under the bath lip. These boards were screwed on to the frame and some gap-filling construction adhesive was also used to aid with adhesion and remove any undulations in the frame.

Step 3:

Now it is time to tape any joints in the boards and install your trim. Hardiebacker boards need taping and jointing. They manufacturer an alkali-resistant scrim tape which will not deteriorate when high levels of alkali (cement tile adhesive is alkali) attack it. The tape is stuck to the joints and then smoothed over with a thin bed of tile adhesive. This joins the boards together. In this instance it was decided that a square box trim was required to cover the cut-edge of the tiles along the top, and also to give a similar flat trim appearance to the trim used in the rest of the bathroom. The trim was installed exactly where it was required and stapled in place. The tiling was set out and the laser level set up to continue the horizontal grout joints from the two side walls.

Step 4:

Now’s the fun part! All the prep work is done, and it’s time to start tiling the bath panel.

These bathroom tiles were installed using an 8mm square notched trowel on to the tile backing boards, and a flat backskim on to the back of the tiles. Back skimming (or sometimes referred to as back buttering) is where you apply a thin bed of adhesive to the back of the tiles, as well as the tile adhesive on to the wall or floor.

Back skimming is beneficial for two reasons. Firstly, it helps with your adhesive coverage. By flattening the back of the tile off with adhesive, it removes the cavities on the back of the tile, along with reducing any bow in the tiles. This helps to ensure a high level of adhesive coverage between the tiles and the wall. Secondly, it increases bond-strength. When you apply adhesive to both surfaces, and then get a wet-on-wet contact between the two surfaces, the strength of the bond between the two is increased dramatically.

The first row of tiles are cut to height using the laser and is installed on to the adhesive. A 1-2mm gap along the bottom and the sides is left to allow for expansion but also for a silicone joint. You can see they have used wedges to manipulate and hold the tiles exactly where they need to be.

Step 5:

Finish tiling the bath panel. You should always try and work cleanly, and clean away any adhesive on the surface of the tiles or inside the grout joints across the entire panel. This will save lots of hard work and time later on!

Step 6:

Now it‘s time to grout the tiled bath panel. Mix your grout with water following the instructions on the back of the bag. It is advisable to allow the grout to stand for 5-10 minutes after mixing, this allows the chemical reactions to begin which give the grout its strength in the long run. Apply the grout using a grout float (small rubber pad with a handle) in to the grout joint. Be sure to force the grout in to the back of the joint, and fill the joint fully with grout. Try and work cleanly and wipe excess grout off the surface of the tiles as you go.

Step 7:

Wash off the grout from the surface of the tiles using a sponge and clean water. A washboy system (tub of water with a grill for separating excess grout from the sponge, and a set of rollers for removing excess water from the sponge) can be very useful for this task. Use circular motions initially to emulsify the grout on the surface of the tiles, and then diagonal strikes with a clean sponge to remove excess grout residue from the surface and shape the grout inside the joints. Once clean and finished, allow the tiles and grout to dry.

Step 8:

Buff off any excess grout dust and then you’re ready to apply your silicone sealant around the bath panel perimeter edges. This silicone bead serves a number of purposes including hiding cut edges of tiles, waterproofing gaps, and allowing for expansion and contraction. Everybody has their own favoured approach for installing silicone, however the method we teach on our intensive tiling courses is to apply the bead as cleanly as possible on to dry surfaces, then spray the surrounding areas with a fine mist of soapy water, and then use a rubber profiling tool to profile the silicone and remove any excess. The soapy water stops the silicone from spreading across the surrounding tiles and sticking to the profiling tool.

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Step 9:

Stand back and admire your work!

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If you’d like to learn the tiling and grouting skills then we’d love to welcome you to our tiling training centre to attend one of our highly rated intensive tiling courses.