Bathroom Remodeling: What is the best order for tub/tile/sink?

January 26, 2006 8:30 PM

Bathroom remodeling - which comes first? Tile, toilet, floor tile, sink, tub? Also we have a non-standard sized tub area (damn do-it-yourselfers built this house).

I'd assume it goes in this order: shower tile, tub, floor tile, toilet & sink???? Please relate your experiences to me! Also the area around the tub is juuuust too long such that there's about 2-4 inches leftover at the end of the tub (so the wall are about 5'4" apart rather than a standard 5') - right now there is a 90deg angle "step" thingy going from the tub to the wall and it's tiled over. (See the picture in the above link). What will happen when we take this out (remove tub & tile)? Can the tiling guy handle this (I'd ask him but he has a thick accent & doesn't understand much English)? Dry-wall, greenboard, concrete board, plywood?! Help! Any other related tips are appreciated.

posted by mojabunni to Home & Garden (8 answers total)

My family has supported myself for a long, long time doing ceramic tile, so I do have quite a bit of experience.

First, the order. You almost have it. You tile around a tub, but under a toilet and sink. Assuming you have a tub/shower combo, you put that in first and then tile, not the other way around.

That step may contain pipes, so beware of that. The tile guy should be able to do it, but be prepared to pay him as ripping stuff out is a -huge- pain in the ass. If it is in a shower/tub area, you want a concrete backer board.

Also, I urge you to make sure that your tiler is skilled, and knows how to put down a wetbed for the floor. Ceramic tile can make a crooked, badly built room look decent or it can make a great room look horrible.
posted by Loto at 8:37 PM on January 26, 2006 [1 favorite]

Also, paint first, then tile. It makes things easier.
posted by Loto at 8:38 PM on January 26, 2006

Anything that has to be plumbed goes first. So I'd do the tub, the toilet, and the sink first, then once they are set where you want them to be (or where the existing plumbing dictates they must go), then move on to the tile and paint. Do the floor tile last.

And if you're into ripping up walls, stub in a shower over the tub while you are doing this. You don't have to put a head through the wall, but run your water up and cap it off. Then leave a hole in the wall for the future showerhead with a piece of tile or a screw-in cover over it, so if you ever decide to put a shower in you won't have to go back and tear out all your beautiful tilework, or run ugly water pipes outside your walls.

And don't tighten the bolts too tight on the toilet, you'll crack the porcelain, says one who knows.
posted by BitterOldPunk at 12:11 AM on January 27, 2006

We had a non-standard tub "space" and a standard tub...here is how we solved the problem.
posted by jeanmari at 6:08 AM on January 27, 2006

We did something similar to jeanmari, although our box on the end also houses the heating register for the room.
posted by plinth at 6:23 AM on January 27, 2006

To clarify my statement, and BitterOldPunk's a bit, he is more or less correct about placing plumbed items first. Get them where you want, run the plumbing, and then take them out and tile where they were, leaving the pipe sticking up. Do this with the sink and toilet, but not the tub.

The only time you leave the sink in is if it is built into a cabinet, because the cabinet also gets screwed into the wall. If it is a sink on a ceramic base, it comes out and gets replaced after the floor tile is in.
posted by Loto at 6:31 AM on January 27, 2006

Anything that has to be plumbed goes first. So I'd do the tub, the toilet, and the sink first, then once they are set where you want them to be (or where the existing plumbing dictates they must go), then move on to the tile and paint. Do the floor tile last.

To clarify... You absolutely need to tile under the toilet...

We did tub/shower > tile > toilet > sink/vanity cabinet.
posted by jerseygirl at 7:30 AM on January 27, 2006

Depending on how much space you have, you could get a cast-iron tub. We essentially gutted the bathroom and replaced a very crappy regular tub with a brand-new (but old-fashioned) cast-iron claw-foot. You can got fairly small ones - I think ours is 5 feet long. Plus it looks AWESOME.

If you go this route, the tub goes in last. Tile everything else first and then just put the tub in place and connect the plumbing. You may want to put in anchor bolts in the floor to secure the tub, but we didn't. It stays put pretty well on its own.
posted by GuyZero at 8:07 AM on January 27, 2006