Top row of tiles at uneven ceiling

[diizz]

Hi everyone, I've just joined and need some advice before finishing off my bathroom tiling.

I've tiled my whole bathroom in large white bumpy tiles floor nearly to the ceiling. There won't be any skirting and eventually there will be large black polished floor tiles laid up to the white wall tiles and join at gaps with silicone.

I started at the floor level measuring the floor tile and position and fitted the tiles in order to get a good fit at the edges between the wall and floor tile and leaving plenty gaps. All is ok and worked my way up, to minimize cuts and to have as many full tiles as possible and leaving the last row where the wall meets the ceiling.

I specifically measured and bought wall tiles to suit so that the final row at the ceiling would not be very small, the final tile on the top was to have been cut to approx 5".

Before I start cutting the final row of tiles where the wall meets the ceiling the ceiling is slightly uneven. Presently at the top of first row of tiles the gap between the top of the tile to the ceiling is 15cm and this lowers to 13.5cm and the end of the final row.

The questions I have are :

Do you cut all tiles the same size based on the smallest size, you'll see the run off and then fill it in?

Or do you cut each tile with it's own size at an angle with a slight decreasing height, to give the same gap at the top to take into account the ceiling run off ?

Great forum by the way.

Thanks in advance

dave

[diamondtiling]

Welcome to the forum Dave, can you not overboard the ceiling and skim to get it level, or just skim over as it is now? All the uneven cuts are going to spoil the finish, cutting them the same all round and filling with grout will also be unsightly.
You always fit a decorative batton around the ceiling edges to hide the cuts.

[diizz]

Hi thanks for the quick reply. Already got a replacement ceiling fitted, skimmed and painted months ago. Can't do that again. I believe the original ceiling was slightly off, as I discovered the walls weren't too plumb.

Just now when you stand and look at the wall, due to the top row of tiles just now being about 5 inches from the ceiling you can't really see the run off/slope of 1.5cm. Only when you measure it does it really become apparent.

I think I'll cut a few tiles individually, each giving the same gap at the ceiling to test and cut them so they lower/raise at a slight angle. I think that's what will have to be done then fill the gap with white silicone.

I was also thinking if it looked dodgy to bond a thin white quadrant strip along where wall meets ceiling.

cheers

dave

[Colour Republic]

Welcome to the forum Dave, can you not overboard the ceiling and skim to get it level, or just skim over as it is now? All the uneven cuts are going to spoil the finish, cutting them the same all round and filling with grout will also be unsightly.
You always fit a decorative batton around the ceiling edges to hide the cuts.

Did you mean that Dom? Or did you mean "You CAN always fit a decorative batton around..."? i.e suggesting an alternative


In answer to your question Dave, you cut each tile to suit so at one end it would be 15cm falling down to 13.5cm at the other end of the room. You say they are large tiles so please keep in mind that the cuts may not be straight i.e on one tile the cut could be 15cm at one end and 14.7cm at the other taking into account the fall of the ceiling over 1 tile distance.

Depending on how big the room is and the fact the tiles and ceiling are both white (i assume) you may never notice a 15mm drop, in fact it's quite normal in many rooms.

if you are using say 2mm spacers between your tiles, i would measure the gap then take 5mm off this and mark you tile, this allows for a 2mm gap underneath the tile and 3mm above.

(The reason the top gap is larger is because even though the spacing between the other tiles is 2mm, once grouted it will look more like 3mm once the grout has come over the shoulder of the tile... if that makes sense, now because cut edges don't have a shoulder whatever gap is left will be the finished grout width.)

[doug boardley]

just to add what CR has posted, I use decorators caulk around the ceiling/wall juncture as it takes emulsion (silicon doesn't)

[diamondtiling]

Did you mean that Dom? Or did you mean "You CAN always fit a decorative batton around..."? i.e suggesting an alternative


In answer to your question Dave, you cut each tile to suit so at one end it would be 15cm falling down to 13.5cm at the other end of the room. You say they are large tiles so please keep in mind that the cuts may not be straight i.e on one tile the cut could be 15cm at one end and 14.7cm at the other taking into account the fall of the ceiling over 1 tile distance.

Depending on how big the room is and the fact the tiles and ceiling are both white (i assume) you may never notice a 15mm drop, in fact it's quite normal in many rooms.

if you are using say 2mm spacers between your tiles, i would measure the gap then take 5mm off this and mark you tile, this allows for a 2mm gap underneath the tile and 3mm above.

(The reason the top gap is larger is because even though the spacing between the other tiles is 2mm, once grouted it will look more like 3mm once the grout has come over the shoulder of the tile... if that makes sense, now because cut edges don't have a shoulder whatever gap is left will be the finished grout width.)

I missed out the word 'can'

[diizz]

Hi guys, thanks again for the replies. Thats what I've been trying out over the past hour, test cutting four tiles each slightly different to fit at the top of the wall next to the toilet door, it doesn't have as large a difference only about half a centimeter from one end to the other.

So far so good from the floor they look fine but only from the ladder looking a foot away you notice. So once filled in I think it should be fine. The plan is everything white the floor shiny black. New ceiling is already flat matt white wall tiles are white reflections 198mmx248mm. Trying for a modern shiny look.

I was also doing final measuring for the cuts I've got to do to finish.

Whats the norm around a door as you stand and look at it, tile sides and above ?

My bathroom door has two narrow wall sides. That are in no way plumb. Gap at the left side is 2 inches at top of the doorframe going to 3 inches at bottom and the right side is 1 inch at top going to 1 and 3/4 inches at the bottom.

I'm thinking this would look stupid tiled as you would notice the differing sizes of cut tiles from top to bottom and just to paint it and tile above the door, or just paint about the door as well ? To tile or not to tile that is the question??

Great suggestion about using caulk instead of silicone. Only problem with caulk is shrinkcage I've found (done loads of caulking of late and tried many) but it can easily get touched up.

Thanks again

dave

[Colour Republic]

Great suggestion about using caulk instead of silicone. Only problem with caulk is shrinkcage I've found (done loads of caulking of late and tried many) but it can easily get touched up.

Thanks again

dave

Cualk doesn't shrink that much, you may be over wetting it when smoothing. Or are you saying that the paint is cracking over the cualk, if so then you are painting too early before it has had a chance to dry. Normal gap filling with cualk, 1-2mm, will take around an hour to dry, if it's larger then leave longer

[diizz]

I think from memory every type of caulk I've used, and thats a lot from screwfix and BQ, shrink and you can see cracks somewhere along the line. Specifically when its an area with no movement. After much trial an error I really just use this one "Vallance Decorators Caulk 380ml" due to the fact it's the same colour once it's dried as the white paint on my walls. So I can go over any cracks I find. Believe me it is left long enough to dry and isn't always painted over.

The only product I have found that doesnt shrink or crack is Mangers ready mixed all purpose filler that comes in a sort of big toothpaste tube. Its bloody hard to get it out of the tube sometimes but it has never shrunk or cracked. Don't know why they don't do that product in a gun tube. By the way one of the worst for cracking I've found is mangers decorators caulk. Lots of hairline cracks visible after a few days.

And I've finished testing out 4 tiles, measuring and cutting each one separately that have a slight gradient and it's worked out pretty well I'd say. The gap at the top next to the ceiling looks even, so I'll try out the same method for the other top rows.

Any thoughts about the doorframe I mentioned in my previous post? To tile or leave ?

[Alan.P]

Any thoughts about the doorframe I mentioned in my previous post? To tile or leave ?

I think it would look out of place if you didn't tile it, if the rest of the walls are floor to ceiling then deffo tile it. IMHO

[diamondtiling]

Dulux caulk does not crack if its from a decorators merchants, B and Q sell diy products.