When laying tiles in the bathroom, many owners of apartments and houses decide to overlay the screen as well. And if everything is clear with the lining of the floor and walls, then when carrying out the mentioned work, it is necessary to observe some nuances. For example, fastening a tile should be carried out on a base, which can be:
- moisture resistant plywood;
- drywall;
- brick;
- foam blocks.
The design should provide for an inspection hatch and a vent. The screen is best made from the same material as the walls.
Alignment and layout
We cover the bathtub with tiles, not forgetting about leveling, because this is the key to a quality result. If you do not level the base, then you may encounter fallen tiles. The walls must be plastered and the floor must be poured to the desired level. The part to be treated in the bathroom must be brought into proper condition, for example, the angles between the walls and the floor must be 90˚.
It is important to take care of waterproofing, which will protect the cladding from destruction. The surface is treated with a primer or PVA glue, which will increase the adhesion of the tile and wall. We cover the bath with tiles, carrying out preliminary marking. It should start from the far corner from the door. With a rail you can check the evenness of the floor.
Features of work
Draw a line and then a second one. Their intersection should form an angle of 45 ˚. A bar should be fixed on the wall, which can act as a building level. It will serve as the basis for the first row. In the upper corner for the highest accuracy, you must set the vertical level. It can be a plumb line or twine rope. It is important to take into account the obstacles that stand in the way.
Preparing the bath
Installing a bathtub before tiling it is carried out almost according to the same principle as in the case of a bathtub under the screen. Plumbing is connected to the sewer and set according to the level. If necessary, the bottom can be fixed with bricks or mounting foam. The perimeter of the bath at the next stage should be bricked. Before you start laying it, the perimeter must be marked so that the brick partition allows the board to protrude 2 cm outward. If you increase this parameter, then you can add space for light plaster.
Since the thickness of the brick is greater than the thickness of the side of the plumbing fixture, when installing the third row, the brick will rest against the bath. Thin bricks are not produced for this, so productscut to thickness with an angle grinder. You can use a grinder with a diamond disc. It may also happen that the brick breaks, then you can make a partition from the wreckage.
The upper rows of bricks are glued to the bath with glue, which will make the partition and the plumbing fixture a single unit. If you are wondering how beautiful it is to tile a bathtub, then you should not forget about practicality, leaving a hole on the side of the siphon when laying bricks. A hand should pass freely into it, which will be required to replace the siphon. Sometimes a hole is left for the legs. It can be placed in the center of the bath. The opening will be 40 cm wide and 15 cm high from the floor.
Using a brick base
Before tiling your bathtub, you should think about what material will underlie it. Brick, for example, has many advantages. It retains heat, is durable and strong, and also guarantees reliability. Brick is commonly used to create straight screens. Laying is carried out along the perimeter of the open sides of the plumbing fixture. The base must be drowned 2 cm inward from the side. This is necessary for applying plaster and installing tiles, which should be flush with the sides.
The upper row of bricks is glued not only to each other, but also to the edge of the bath. After the masonry dries, it should be treated with an antifungal agent and primed. Next, the plaster is applied to givebase smoothness. If there are small differences and defects, it's okay, because they can be leveled when installing tiles.
Using drywall
If you know how to tile the bathroom in the screen area, you should think about what the frame will be made of. It can be drywall, which is a great alternative to the above option. The advantages of this framework are ease of work, low cost and lighter weight of materials. In addition, with the help of sheets you can create almost any form. This factor is especially relevant in cases where an acrylic bathtub is tiled, because it is most often curly.
If you want to know how to tile a bath in a bathroom, you should ask about technology. It involves the use of drywall as a screen, which will have the quality of moisture resistance. Sheets must be fastened by screwing to a metal frame made of profiles. The latter are installed around the perimeter of the screen.
The weight of the tile is quite impressive, so the design must be fixed with additional rails, they are installed across. The step between the profiles must match the level of the wall in the bathroom. This suggests that the top bar should come close to the bowl under the sides. After the frame is ready, you can start screwing the drywall sheets. They are treated with an antiseptic and coated with a primer. Additionally, a serpyanka mesh is attached.
The nuances of tiling a bathtub
Many novice home masters ask professionals about how to properly tile a bathtub. One of the main nuances is that there is no need to create a slope for water flow, because the bathtub already provides for it. You must install the plumbing fixture exactly in level. If you decide to make a drywall frame, then you will need ceiling guides. Of these, a blank is made by cutting the edges of the profile. They must be bent so that the vertical segments are at the edges. The center will be the distance between the walls.
U-shaped structure with self-tapping screws or dowel nails must be reinforced to the walls. Before tiling the bath with your own hands, you will also need to fix the guide to the floor, and then install the vertical racks. They will give the structure additional rigidity.
If you want to increase the rigidity of the screen even more, then you can attach the upper guide to the body of the cast iron plumbing fixture. In this case, it is necessary to use "Rotband" or tile adhesive. One or more drywall sheets of the required dimensions are cut off in the next step. Sheets are installed on the frame so that the joints fall on the guides. Fastening should be done with self-tapping screws.
Description of the veneering process
Quite often, novice home craftsmen wonder how to tile an acrylic bathtub. In this case, it is necessary to follow the algorithm. At the first stage, the technology provides for the treatment of the surface of the base with an antiseptic, which will exclude the formation of mold and fungus. The draft screen must be well primed.
Following the laying pattern, you must make a markup. The tiles are soaked in water. Next, you can start preparing the glue. It should not be closed in large volume. The solution is applied to a section of the screen of such an area, which will be enough to fix 4 tiles. In this case, we are talking about an area of \u200b\u200bnot more than a square meter.
The composition is leveled with a notched trowel. Laying starts from the most noticeable place. In this case, you need to use a whole tile. The seams on the lining of the bathtub and the wall must match, so work should begin from the second row from the bottom.
We cover the bathtub with tiles, cutting the missing elements in parallel. Next is their installation. Such a tile is laid out in the least visible places. Throughout the process, the tiles should be tapped, which will allow you to check the level of the masonry. The seams should be the same.
Final stage
Crosses should be removed from the joints between products. Next, the grout mixture is prepared. It should have the same shade as for the walls. Using a rubber spatula, a small amount of grout is applied to each seam. It is rubbed so that the level of the joint with the tile is equal. Surplus must be removed.
The tile is washed with a damp sponge and left until the grout dries. On the corners, in the places wherethe screen is adjacent to the bathroom, walls and floor, and near the hatch and ventilation, it is necessary to carry out the treatment with silicone sealant, which will prevent the ingress of microbes and moisture inside. On this we can assume that the screen is ready. Making it yourself is not that difficult.
In conclusion
We tile the bathtub to make the room more ennobled. After carrying out the work, it is also necessary to follow the care tips, because the material will be constantly exposed to moisture, shock, vibration and temperature changes. In order to protect the tiles from limescale and give them a shine, it is necessary to regularly remove water drops from the screen. It is recommended to wipe its surface with a glass or tile care agent.
