Going to redo the entire bathroom. Have been told that tile under the bathtub is the way to go. The bathtub is a standard, 3 wall installation. Probably will be Americast Princeton.
What are the advantages/disadvantages of including tiling under the tub, if any?
Was told that by having the tub sitting on top of tile will help with the grouting/calking not breaking away after elapsed time.
Thoughts?
First let me caveat below with the fact that I'm not a professional.
I've never seen an install where a built-in tub was sitting on tile. That doesn't mean they're not out there.
As far as the advantage regarding the caulk and grout.. if the tub is causing settling of the underlayment, which would be a possible cause of your caulk and grout problems, I don't really see that tile would solve this. The tile will settle right along with the underlayment and if the settling isn't perfectly distributed, and it won't be, then the tile laid on top is almost certainly going to break up at grout joints.
Not even addressing the possibility that the underlayment and framing below the tub has moisture damage causing it to lose structural integrity. If that's the case you really need to fix that before you do anything else.
Another obvious issue is extra cost. Why pay to lay decorative tile where no one will ever see it? If it is in fact the case that adding a layer of ceramic under the tub provides added support and resistance to settling, and any pro would know this, then it seems to me that you can at least use a cheaper tile under the tub and have the tile types meet underneath the tub where they will be invisible. It also seems that a larger tile size would provide better support than smaller ones that you are most likely tiling the floor with. Fewer joints.
One other thing to consider I guess is that fact that if your tub is currently causing the underlayment to settle, then the weight of a tub plus the tile will make it settle even more. Perhaps actually, that's the key to all this. The weight of the tile causes the underlayment to settle as far as it's going to and so the additional weight of the water and person in the tub has a much smaller effect on settling than it would if that tile weight were absent. Again, a pro would immediately know this.
hope this helps... read the first line ml
about the only time i've seen tile under tubs is when the tub is a clawfoot.
It's like running kitchen flooring under the base cabinets -- not necessary, but hey, it's your house.
Not doing it -- Save about 15 s.f. of tile and install. Possibly save 15 s.f. of underlayment. I think the look of tile butting to the tub is better than tub sitting on tile.
Doing it -- whoever told you it was a great idea will be glad you followed the advice.
Bull.
Ken Who does a couple of dozen a year.
I don't think I have ever seen tile under the tub either. I can't see where having it under there would help with the grout. It could possibly help with the caulk but you have to redo caulk every five or ten years anyway so...
Steve B.
I could be wrong, but it seems to me when a new house is built the tub goes in before the tile. So obviously the tile does not extend under the tub.
Charlie
Also consider that the height of your bathtub will be higher now. If you are putting in a mud floor,that could be at least 2". Could be a factor getting in and out of the bathtub, especially for older people or kids, and especially if you plan on installing sliding shower doors since the track will add another inch to climb over.. Like other posters said, I've never seen it done.
All tub questions can be answered here:
You were told wrong. Finish the tub installation and then tile up to the tub. Now, the toilet's another issue. Tile first.
I have seen it done, but the only advantage I can think of is no grout line along the tub.
Perhaps I am confusing the issue for a tub installation vs a toilet installation....
Regarding a toilet installation: If tile is not installed first, and a toilet is installed, would that cause a problem (measurement of cutting rough waste line pipe) at a later time when tiling is installed?
I have rough plumbing for toilet in my basement. My plan is to install a toilet, temporarily there, for use while the upstairs existing bathroom is gutted and remodeled; no tiling planned at this time. Does the issue about tiling under toilet cause a different cut point on the waste line, that would later present a problem when adding tiling to the basement floor ?
Nope. I just threw that in.
Not really. Tile/thinset is generally around 5/16-3/8" in thickness. You can prepare for it by setting the flange on top of the floor. The flange is about a 1/4" thick itself. Then tile up to it.
If the flange ends up a bit low, there are spacers available for this purpose.
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