135 deg internal corners help...

[zzr-matt]

About a year ago I finished tiling the bathroom with the help of the forum. Th only mistake I made was in the shower enclosure where I have some 135deg internal corners. This was the first bit I tiled and the first tiling I had done. With the sealant in the corners the joint width varies on the way down as can be seen in the pic below. Every day it stares me in the face and gets on my nerves.

How would you pro's cut the tiles on the central section? straight cuts or cut through the tile at a 45 deg angle? Any minor lipping on the section on the left or right gets really shown up by the silicone as the joint width varies by the lipping amount

I've got spare tiles etc and I'm willing to do some hacking and prep work to get it looking better but I don't want to end up in the same situation again. Or does it not look as bad as my mind thinks it is..





One other bit I need to finish off is around the base of the curved tray. Any tips for tiling round this?

[AllurePTS]

I don't think that shower corner looks too bad mate ....hard to get a true sense of it in a picture though .....maybe get some corner tape to get the silicon joints even - personally, I'd try that before I'd re-tile ....I know what you mean though ....stuff like that annoys me too !!!

As for the rounded shower front ...I would just buy the plastic panel that's designed for the tray ....think that's the only way it will look right ....maybe someone else has some other ideas tho ???

[doug boardley]

provided your central section is plumb and parallel,I'd put a 45 degree back cut on tiles that meet upto the central section, this means that you're not grouting/sealing a hypotenuse angle that would widen the joint, if you see what I mean

[theyomper]

Re the shower base.
2 Options

1. Go to your local upvc firm and buy some white cloaking profile or similar, cut to size and silcone to curve of tray. Looks neat and tidy and blends in well with the tray plus would probably be a lot cheaper that buying the one for the tray.

2. Form some ply aroung the base and tile to match the floor or find a mosaic to match in.

[MICK the Tiler]

On 135deg internals you need to bisect the angle so that your tiles meet neatly and flush to each other making sure you are plumb and straight as you work your way up. I also don't silicone these type of corners, because as you have discovered it is hard to get a nice fine joint.

With the curved shower base you will need to source some flexable sheeting to wrap around the arc. Then to tile with the same tiles as the shower you will need to cut them into vertical strips say 100mm wide or narrower if it is a tight curve. Or you could use eome small mosaic tiles they are perfect for curve work.

[grumpygrouter]

On 135deg internals you need to bisect the angle so that your tiles meet neatly and flush to each other making sure you are plumb and straight as you work your way up. I also don't silicone these type of corners, because as you have discovered it is hard to get a nice fine joint.

With the curved shower base you will need to source some flexable sheeting to wrap around the arc. Then to tile with the same tiles as the shower you will need to cut them into vertical strips say 100mm wide or narrower if it is a tight curve. Or you could use eome small mosaic tiles they are perfect for curve work.

What do you do instead Mick?

[MICK the Tiler]

What do you do instead Mick?

Grout Grumps

It is hard to get these corners right, you have to make sure you get them dead plumb so that all your cuts are identical. If they are not then something is amiss and you will need to re-do your set-out.

But like anything in tiling no two tilers will do it the same, so if you feel that you need to do a silicone joint then by all means do so, but for asthetics you need to match the colour of your grout exactly, if not it will always be hard on the eyes,

With the example shown I'd simply remove the silicone joint and replace with the same coloured grout as the rest of the walls. I think it would soften the overall look and not be so harsh on the eye.

Sometimes as tilers we have to 'TRICK' the eye. This example would be a good case for that.

[zzr-matt]

Thanks guys. The colour match is pretty good except under the camera flash, both the grout and sealant are Mapei Manhatten Colour.

Whats this corner tape stuff?

[MICK the Tiler]

Hi zzr-Mat,

Look at the sponsers bar at the right of the page 3rd sponser down

[zzr-matt]

Whoops I missed that!

Basically looks like a foil tape with a backing on it to give accurate spacing?

I have tried with masking tape before, but my technique wasn't brilliant. How soon after smoothing the sealant should the tape be removed and should you smooth again after removing the tape? Is the corner tape easier to use than masking tape?

[sWe]

On 135deg internals you need to bisect the angle so that your tiles meet neatly and flush to each other making sure you are plumb and straight as you work your way up. I also don't silicone these type of corners, because as you have discovered it is hard to get a nice fine joint.

Grout Grumps

It is hard to get these corners right, you have to make sure you get them dead plumb so that all your cuts are identical. If they are not then something is amiss and you will need to re-do your set-out.

But like anything in tiling no two tilers will do it the same, so if you feel that you need to do a silicone joint then by all means do so, but for asthetics you need to match the colour of your grout exactly, if not it will always be hard on the eyes,

With the example shown I'd simply remove the silicone joint and replace with the same coloured grout as the rest of the walls. I think it would soften the overall look and not be so harsh on the eye.

Sometimes as tilers we have to 'TRICK' the eye. This example would be a good case for that.

Aye, I agree. I treat these as I would double external trim corners, minus the trim; the trick is to get identical cuts, and to grout, not silicone. Though it may necessarily be entirely easy, it isn't all that complicated, really.