How to tile if the base isn't level.
by
Carolyn
+2
I am putting glass tiles around the garden tub in the master bath. When I checked if the surround that the tile will rest on was level I found that there is at least 1/4 inch difference from one side of the front and back of the tub to the other side. Any suggestions on tile placement. I can't imagine it looking right with small triangular pieces of tile along the bottom. The length side of the tub is level.
could it be the house itself leans and the surround is level? How do I know?
thanks
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If the house was leaning you would have settlement cracks on the walls, where the ceiling meets the walls, and above the doorways. It;s possible the tub has actually settled or was just installed that way. I would install the tile staring on the level side and work my way around, using spacers, along the unlevel side. Caulk should fill the gap.
Since I can’t see your tub myself, I have to ask if it be possible to level up your tub? Usually there just sitting in place with maybe silicone around the outer edge of the tub. You may be able to pry up the lower side and shim it where it be level again. If it was ever level? Then you could resilicone the tub and do your tiling!
This happens to me all the time when I re-tile bathrooms for clients. Nothing is level!
Because your variation is actually quite small (1/4" is nothing, I've had to do multiple inches across the width of a tub), there's a fairly simple way to tackle this problem.
Start on the high side and remove 1/4" from the bottom of your first tile. Slowly work your way to the low side removing slightly less tile until you're back to a full tile by the time you reach the end of the low side. Obviously this will involve a little math on your part, but it will give you the nicest looking results and is what I usually do. Your first row of tiles will be time consuming to install but it makes the rest of the installation a breeze.
To make life easier for yourself I would cut the first row of tile before you mix your mortar. The larger your tile are the less noticeable this will be. Truth be told though, because it's the first row of tiles, no one will ever see what you did.
If your house was that unlevel, you'd know it. But you can check real easy. Get a ball, where the tub surround is on the higher side, put it on the floor. If the ball rolls it the direction the you tub surround does, get your foundation check. It is very possible that the tub was not installed properly. It should be level in all directions. If it isn't, depending on where the drain is located, you may have trouble getting all of the water to drain out of it.