Positioning tiles in shower room

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I am installing a new shower; the tray is the standard "four inch" deep.

I'm going to tile almost the entire room, as well as the shower enclosure.

There is no skirting, so the tiles will go straight down to the floor.

The tiles are white ceramic, 200 x 250high (plus grout space between).

1. Should I position the first tile actually on the floor, and cut the first row inside the shower, or should I start the first full tile on the shower tray edge, and cut the first row in the rest of the room ?

2. The ceiling is 1965mm high, and there's to be a "dado rail" of 45mm wide coloured tiles at about chest height, so I shall have to cut the top row anyway. Or should I cut a different row say the one below the dado ?

3. So, vertically, should I start with the dado and work up and down from that ? Or start at the bottom and work up ?

And horizontally:-
As you enter the room, on your left the wall in which the door is runs away from you 745mm, and then turns right for 568mm before it reaches the window, which is 445mm wide, with a 198mm reveal, and then continues 1370mm to the corner, of which distance about 840mm is taken up by the shower.

There's a vanity unit by the door, then a WC, then space for the washing machine.

4. So where should I place the first tile on the left hand wall ?

5. Should I tile the window reveals ?

6. Should I tile the 100mm over the window ?

7. The room is about 1640 wide at the far end in the shower - the tray is 1600mm, which is good, for I don't know how square the room is ! I guess "for symmetry", I should cut the tiles in each corner - or will the grout spaces absorb that extra 40mm ?

8. What do I do about the 40mm (i.e. 20mm to left and to right, and at 40mm at the back, to accommodate two pipes) gap between wall surface and tray ?

9. Coming round the corner onto the right hand wall, the tiles are only to extend as far as the shower door. But this is 840mm from the far wall, i.e. four tiles = 800 +grout spaces will probably leave a gap, and to use five tiles, with about 150mm sticking out would look funny. What do you suggest ?

Nine questions ! Sorry. But your advice on all nine would be very welcome.
 
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1. Should I position the first tile actually on the floor, and cut the first row inside the shower, or should I start the first full tile on the shower tray edge, and cut the first row in the rest of the room ?

Think of the room as a whole. By my understanding you have 6 horizontal lines to consider: floor - shower tray - window cill - dado - window soffit - ceiling.

try a full tile from shower tray and see where the joints come on all the other horizontal lines. If one turns out to be a tiny cut then adjust accordingly til they all fit.

points to remember:

Try to get the biggest possible cut or full tile on shower tray - AT LEAST 1/2 tile mimimum.

floor and ceiling will not be perfectly level so find the highest / lowest point of each.

2. The ceiling is 1965mm high, and there's to be a "dado rail" of 45mm wide coloured tiles at about chest height, so I shall have to cut the top row anyway. Or should I cut a different row say the one below the dado ?

NEVER cut tiles into the dado tile! don't have a fixed idea of exactly where it will go - let it move up or down slightly to the nearest tile joint.

3. So, vertically, should I start with the dado and work up and down from that ? Or start at the bottom and work up ?

once you figure your set-out - start from the bottom

And horizontally:-
As you enter the room, on your left the wall in which the door is runs away from you 745mm, and then turns right for 568mm before it reaches the window, which is 445mm wide, with a 198mm reveal, and then continues 1370mm to the corner, of which distance about 840mm is taken up by the shower.

There's a vanity unit by the door, then a WC, then space for the washing machine.

4. So where should I place the first tile on the left hand wall ?

use the same principal as for the horizontal lines.

5. Should I tile the window reveals ?

Yes

6. Should I tile the 100mm over the window ?

Yes

not sure I quite understand 7 & 8 but grout joints over that size will never absorb 40mm!

9. Coming round the corner onto the right hand wall, the tiles are only to extend as far as the shower door. But this is 840mm from the far wall, i.e. four tiles = 800 +grout spaces will probably leave a gap, and to use five tiles, with about 150mm sticking out would look funny. What do you suggest ?

Tile the whole wall! In my experience, a shower room or bathroom that only has a small area left un-tiled looks unfinished. just looks like the tiler ran out of tiles! but that bit is just my opinion :p
 
Thank you SO much for your comprehensive and useful reply - I shall have to draw it out to scale, I reckon, AND give it a lot of thought !

7. The room is about 1640 wide at the far end in the shower - the tray is 1600mm, which is good, for I don't know how square the room is ! I guess "for symmetry", I should cut the tiles in each corner - or will the grout spaces absorb that extra 40mm ?

1640 = 8 tiles + 40mm (less grout). I guess it would look best if I used 7 tiles = 1400 + 2 cut tiles each 120mm less grout, i.e. the first tile would go centrally along the wall ?

8. What do I do about the 40mm (i.e. 20mm to left and to right, and at 40mm at the back, to accommodate two pipes) gap between wall surface and tray ?

The tray is inset from the walls, by 40mm from the far wall, and by 20mm on each sidewall (measured along the far wall, increasing to 30mm on the near edge of the tray), i.e. there will be a gap all round the top of the tray, between it and the wall.

I will fill this (varying) gap with mortar, but how do I cover it and seal it ?

Tile the whole wall!
Well, quite ! However... that wall will be covered by coats, etc., and it has the radiator on it, so we reckoned it would look better untiled.
 

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