Tiling around baths

[dave030801]

I've just taken out a bath ready to replace with a new one. The bath was fixed to the wall with two brackets behind the bottom row of tiles. I had to remove the tiles to get to the brackets. The bottom row of tiles were not butted 2mm above the top of the bath, but went behind and below the top edge of the bath.

Questions:
1. Is it better to tile behind and below the top of the bath and seal the bath against the tile, or to tile to just above the top of the bath and to seal the gap? Does it depend in how square the walls are?
2. Is it better to fix the bath to the wall using metal brackets, or to just fix a baton to the wall and lay the edge of the bath onto it?
3. If using the baton method, is it necessary to fill the bath with water before sealing?
4. Any other tips please!

Dave

[Frosty]

Baton the wall under bath perimeter.
Fit bath and silicone the vertical edge against plaster.
Tile down to top of bath, leaving a small gap between tile edge and bath (the wedge spacers from Dave at TradeTiler work brilliantly here).
Silcone bath to tiles.

Job done, look at it proudly and open a can of beer to celebrate

[CDS]

I think Frosty means the 'horizontal edge' of the bath!

To clarify - put bath in place and make sure its level then pull back from the wall and get a thick bead of silicone all around the edge where it will touch plaster and then push the bath back into the wall. A baton along the bath edge will help support if the bath edge is a bit flimsy.

Tiling down to the bath then allows you to get a much cleaner silicone seal around the bath edge once tiled and helps cover any run-out in the walls.

[Frosty]

Hey there CDS, it depends how many glasses of red wine you've had i 'spose

I actually meant the small vertical edge about 1.5 inches high around the bath perimeter touching the wall.

If Dave don't get what we both mean by now, then JUST SQUIDGE SILICONE EVERYWHERE!!!!!!

Cheers

[dave030801]

Thanks guys.

What's the best way to get the baton in the correct position, bearing in mind I can't get at the wall to mark a line with the bath in the way?

[CDS]

Frosty, thanks for clarifying... I was thinking you knew something I didn't... or that I'd had too much vino rouge too!!

Dave - Once you've got your bath level and the feet height set can you not reach under the bath and get a pencil mark at each end of the bath? You can then pull the bath away from the wall, fix your baton and as frosty suggests 'get the silicone out'!

[Tony Wilson]

Have found good way and quickest is to level bath,
use the two metal brackets and screw down feet.
Tile down onto bath leaving small gap between tile edge and bath.
Fill bath with water, silicone bath in telling customer to leave water in for
24 hours.
Will have a solid result.

[jay]

sounds like you dont put a concrete slurry under the bath over there