Boxing in around pipes

[drdr]

After reading GCOL's brilliant amatures guide to tiling you could think there is nothing else to ask.
I recently stayed at a hotel where the bathroom was completely done out in large limestone tiles, this was floor and walls. The finish was superb and I would like to do something similar.
There were no pipes on display at all, the tiler had boxed these in with tiles making shelves etc. The bath side was also tiled over. I looked for screws in the last tile that could give access to the tap and drain pipes, but there were none. The grouting around that tile was the same colour as all the rest.
So my questions are,
how best to create boxes for the tiles and ...
how should access be provided to allow removal of tiles without breakage.

 

[Richard C]

Standard practice is to create a timber box frame around & over the pipes, plaster board over the frame, then either plaster skim & tile or tile directly over the PB; some use plywood as a base instead of PB but PB is easier to cut & not all tile adhesive is suitable for ply without sealing.

Access, if required, is usually a removable section, usually the same size as a tile but it would only be provided for isolator valves, traps etc. not for the general pipe work. You can usually spot access panels if you look carefully; if you couldn’t find any then perhaps there weren’t any or they knew which tile they would have to dig out in the event of a problem!

 

[kev3]

If you use 20mm wedi board rather than ply for the bath panel you'll find its pretty much self supporting so you'll need very little framing and it wont warp like ply.
As you tile it leave out the tile where you want your access panel,stanley knife the board out to suit and fix the tile over the hole with magnetic catches.
You can buy them specifically for this, the magnets have thin metal lugs which slide between tile and panel into the adhesive on either side of the hole then you silicone the little metal plates to the back of the removable tile and clip it into place.

Then you can either grout it in or I usually seal around it with silicone to match the grout.If the panel has to come out stanley knife the silicone and off it comes.

 

[kev3]

http://www.schluter.co.uk/2812.aspx

See the above link for the magnetic catches

 

[swidders]

kev - that's the best thing I've heard of in years. Cunning indeed.

 

[Richard C]

kev - that's the best thing I've heard of in years. Cunning indeed.

Must admit you live & learn.

 

[drdr]

Richard / Kev
Thank you both, I think you have given me all that I need.
The use of magnetic catches is brilliant and I would never have thought of it.