help needed; whats the proper way to install a bath and tile around it?

my mate says, tile the walls first and then fit the bath up to the walls and seal.
i recon, fit the bath tub and tile down onto the top edge of the bath and seal.
either way could work/leak but which is the proper way??

also who uses those plastic edging strip jobbies to finish the tile edges? are they good or gash?

your mates right

and half fill the bath before sealing

Half fill bath with water before sealing
EDIT: ah beaten to it or did you edit?

so the walls will need to be nice and flat me thinks (which they are not!)

I was told to seat the bath in a frame so it was fixed solid, then tile down to the bath.

I did it the otherway around and it's been hard to maintain the seal.

If you mean the plastic quadrant thingies to do external corners (like a windowsill) I think they're pretty good.

If you mean the plastic thingies for internal corners such as a tiled wall onto the side of a bath. They're gash. Mask up and use a proper bead of high quality sealant.

IMHO

Fit the bath snug to the wall then tile down to the bath so that the tiles hang over the bath leaving a 2-3mm gap to fill with sealant.

Otherwise you're tiling behind the bath surely?

well thats what i was told to do,tile behind and thats the proper way.i cant se whats gained by doing this?

In order to avoid getting soaked, just stand in the bath while you seal it, and add a bag of weights, to simulate the weight of all the water.

And those internal plastic trims are shit. My Landlord has fitted one, and water seeps under the edge of it, and down the wall behind, and into downstairs' ceiling…

Make sure that you get 80s pop sensation Sinitta to help you out with your bathroom DIY. She could cheer you up by singing some of her chart hits, while you work.

So Macho
He's got to be
So Macho
He's got to be big and strong enough
to turn me on
He's got to have, big blue eyes
Be able to satisfy
He's got to be big and strong enough
to turn me on

You could ask her about the Eugenic Aryan overtones in that song, but do get her to do the grouting. 80s pop sensation Sinitta is a whiz at grouting.

Glen Medeiros is a dab hand with a blow-torch, if you need any pipework done, too.

I've always done it tiling up from a level baton 1 tile width above the bath, then put in the bottom row at the end. Can't assume the ceiling is level, and the bath should not be level anyway, so its the only way.

Oh and the lip of the bath should be recessed into the wall, not snug, so the bottom row of tiles has a good overlap.

We have a bath that has been tiled down to the bath, however the taps are really tight against the tiles and are awkward to turn.

Depends on whether you think you'll change the bath before you need to change the tiles.
If yes, tile all the way down, if not don't waste tiles.

put the bath in level (the fall is in the base)& tile down to it, fill/ half fill then seal, I usually pva the bare plaster where the rim touches and get a really thick bead of silicone that basically sticks the bath to the wall before the tiling is done, been doing it that way since 1989 never had a complaint about leaks.

im getting contradictions here! arrrgghhh!
the old one was recessed into the wall and tiled down onto i must say…
this could run and run….

OP Hug ^ sounds very much like he's a professional!

Hug is closest to the mark, I'm a pro tiler/bathroom fitter so hope I know what I'm doing.

1-Fit the bath level ( the fall is pre set in the base so no need to allow one) and flush up to the wall (chop brackets in BUT don't chop actual bath rim in unless out of square).

2-Silicone between wall and bath BEFORE tiling.

3- Tile away, baths are hardly ever flat so bear this in mind when setting out. allow a 2mm gap between bottom tile and bath (to allow silicone somewhere to go.

4- Half fill bath with water to add some weight and deflection Silicone (using low modulus sanitary grade silicone)

5- Grout. (silicone 1st allows a good waterproof seal to form, if you get grout in joint 1st it's difficult to get a nice seal.

6- DON'T under any circumstances use those crappy plastic/rubber bath seals down to the bath. the never seal and look lousy.

7- Stand back and admire handywork.

But what about Sinitta?

Grouty grouty!

As a landlord I go for tile the wall and fit bath to wall, but then I hassle the plasterer to fit the marine ply to square the wall up or plaster the wall square if its brick.. This gives me the best and longest reliability and is easier to fix.

I also always use steel baths as they last for ever.

Blazing saddles (No offence mate each to their own, I'm sure you are brilliant what you do) method is the one I hate the most as when the seal goes or goes black (often in a let house) then its a bastardo to replace as its all wet and soggy in there. Whereas when the seal goes on a tiled wall with bath up to tiles the tiles/bath interface is easy to clean and dry and fit a new seal. Done in minutes.

Problem with tiling the wall 1st is that if the seal 'goes' then the water just tracks down between tiles and bath, underneath the bath to the floor. using my method there is a double seal and done properly is very unlikely to leak. the 1st seal can be cut away and replaced as required.

Either way is as bad as each other if done badly.

Blazin-saddles – Member

Problem with tiling the wall 1st is that if the seal 'goes' then the water just tracks down between tiles and bath,

They always go, both methods, in the end and leak down anyway, once you accept that as true, my method is easy to fix, your method is horrific to fix..
I have 3 rental props of my own, 2 of them with 2 bathrooms, and I used to manage 35 properties for a rich landlord mate, after always using your (blazing saddles) method as recommended by plumbers and builders we found when they leak (always do) it involved taking the bath out and some of the tiles to get it right. UGhhhh. Switched to the tiles first method as it makes it a piece of P*sh to repair.

(sorry not meaning to appear rude or dismissive, I just really hate that method as its cost me lots of money and time, the new method means I can do 5x bath or shower seals in a morning, do em all every year/change of tenancy now)

+1 for hugs advice i would add that its worth fixing battens to the wall to support the underside of the bath edges

Most problems with baths are caused by the bath sitting on spindley legs on chipboard floors. Best thing is to fix a level batten to walls then stick/fix the bath down on to it. With a steel bath the radius of the edge is usually quite big, meaning that if you tile first you have one hell of a gap to fill with silicon. Always use top quality silicon with anti-fungal properties e.g. Dow Corning.
This don't put the bath in level is not a good idea: Showerscreens won't seal, tiles will look gash: Once had to level up a bath after a plumber had slagged off my joinery skills for making bath recess off square; Bath was square to recess once I lowered one end of the bath by 25mm!

Think I'll agree to disagree on this one. I'm still not keen on the tile 1st method.

Blazin-saddles – Member

Think I'll agree to disagree on this one. I'm still not keen on the tile 1st method.

Fair enough, like I said each to their own. I have had one contractor who has refused to do it my way..