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Bob Mariani · 11-12-2009, 10:04 AM

drywall 1" above tile. Baseboard will cover this gap.

drywall, cbu then tile

leave a 1/4" gap. fill tub after tile and grout. No grout in corners or tub edge. caulk these areas with color caulking to match grout which you will find at the tile supplier.

leave gap above surround (1/4") which allows space for caulking to grab.

Vikeologist · 11-12-2009, 12:36 PM

OK, I might have changed my mind again! lol

How much more work is it to tile the tub surround instead of buying one? How high up the wall do you tile on the 3 sides of the tub surround walls? do you put the cement backer board right over the studs on the walls, and how high up?

do you butt the cement board right to the top lip of the tub? do you have to seal the tile after grouting and stuff?

Bob Mariani · 11-12-2009, 12:40 PM

tile will take a day, tub surround 2 hours.

tile up as high as you want, usually about right below the shower head. CBU slighly lower so the CBU / drywall seam gets covered with the tile

keep the CBU 1/4" up from tub edge

tape CBU seams and coat with waterproofing like Redguard

Seal with grout sealer. Caulk edges and corners.

pyper · 11-13-2009, 11:43 AM

Tile will take longer every time you have to clean it...

Regarding the insulation in your ceiling -- if you have easy access to the area, you might want to move it with a rake. You can also just let it drop into the room. It makes a mess. Wear a mask. That's what we did when we took the living room ceiling out -- just let it fall.

Don't try to put it back though -- just get new. It's pretty cheap and moving it kind of mats it down. It doesn't work as well, and you really want good insulation in a bathroom.

Regarding the fan, the instruction manual should tell you if you can put insulation on it. More particularly, it will definitely tell you if there are required clearances.

Do you need to take a bathroom fan through the roof? Around here they usually either go through a wall (like a dryer) or end inside the soffit. That ending in the soffit leaves me uncomfortable, but a licensed guy who does a lot of them tells me he's never seen any problem as a result.

Vikeologist · 11-13-2009, 01:36 PM

so if i just move the insulation in the attic, and then spread it back out when im done, that will be ok right?

Also, I cant go out the wall since it is only a single story, and there isnt enough room, and I live in Minnesota, and I don't like the thought of hot moisture going out my soffit and rotting out the wood or going back into the attic.

I would much rather go out the roof.

How hard is it to keep tile clean in a shower? is it worth going that route instead of a surround?

Bob Mariani · 11-13-2009, 01:40 PM

tile is not hard to keep clean. The fan will help a lot there also. What I do is use a squeegee after each shower to wipe the tile and glass door down. It takes only a few seconds. Never had to do more to keep it looking new for many years now. Also seal the grout twice helps and should always be done.

pyper · 11-13-2009, 01:47 PM

You could spread it back, but it won't be as good, and insulation is really cheap. If it was me I'd put new in.

My parents house has tile surrounds on steel tubs. The grout is always nasty looking. Whether it's worth the extra hassle depends on how much you want it vs. how much you don't like cleaning it. How hard it is to keep clean depends in part on your water. It also depends on the size of the tiles -- bigger tiles have fewer grout lines.

We have a one piece fiberglass tub/surround in the bathroom we just put in. It's not something we use on a regular basis, so for us it would have been silly to put in tile. In our main bathroom we have a fiberglass shower. Tile would look nicer, but it would have cost more and taken more time.

If you have tile you have to scrub the grout lines individually. Or spray them with heavy cleaners.

Vikeologist · 11-13-2009, 04:27 PM

I have heard of some tub surrounds leaking where the surround meets the tub...

man im just not sure what i want to do...

I have blown in insulation in the attic, so its not that easy to replace, have to buy the insulation, rent the blower, and do that entire process over again.

Vikeologist · 11-16-2009, 05:13 PM

Is it ok to gut the bathroom down to the studs and still use the bathroom for taking showers? It gets pretty steamy in there, but I almost have to use it while doing the work, or is this something I should not do?

Bob Mariani · 11-17-2009, 06:07 AM

Should be no problem unless water is splashing out and sitting on the floor. Any studs that get wet will dry. The moisture problem happens when water cannot escape.( a sealed wall)

Vikeologist · 11-17-2009, 08:01 AM

ok so if the walls are exposed, it wont hurt if the moisture from the shower gets into the walls and maybe some into the attic for a little while?

it is our only bathroom, so we need to do this on the fly...

Bob Mariani · 11-17-2009, 08:04 AM

I cannot see how it gets into the attic. This would have insulation which should not get wet. Seems like a better solution will be to tack some 6 mil plastic to the ceiling and walls leaving it overhang the tub or shower base edge.

Vikeologist · 11-18-2009, 10:52 AM

what kind of grout sealer do you use? Lowes has something called 'Grout Boost', you add it to the grout instead of water, and it says you never have to seal the tile again.

Also, would you tile the tub surround all the way to the ceiling, or only about 6 feet up, then dry wall the rest of the way up to the ceiling? which would look nicer?

if i tear down everything but the walls, will that keep the moisture out of the attic, as long as the ceiling is still up... remember i do not have a moisture barrier up until i tear down the old drywall ceiling and replace it.

Bob Mariani · 11-18-2009, 11:03 AM

use a grout sealer not some short cut that low end supplies like Lowes has to offer. More work, but something that will work. Apply it twice... with 24 hours between applications. Only way to control moisture is with a quality properly sized exhaust fan. Tile up to the ceiling or the shower head is just a matter of your taste. Either will look fine.