Covering pipes with tiles

[johnny2007]

My friend has a cloakroom which had a lower floor than the rest of the house (step down) and pipes running along the wall boxed in.
He's had the floor screeded to the same level as the house, pipes were protected by the boxing.
Now, when removing the boxing, the pipes are just about 5mm lower than new screed.
Is there a solution to run floor tiles all over and avoid having to box the pipes in?
In other words, is there a method to support the last 50/60mm of the tiles?
The 4 copper pipes run one next in 2 rows.
Thanks

 

[oldbutnotdead]

Have you got room between pipes and wall to fix a batten? (10mm ply would do). And have you got room between pipes and screed for any sort of support (25mm batten or again 10mm ply would do).
If yes to both then you've got room for a bridge but 5mm isn't much, to get an absolutely rigid bridge I think you'd have to go for steel plate (not full 5mm, 3mm would probably do).
If you had access to a router you could try half inch ply and cut grooves where the pipes are.
Or you could try just the wall support to hold up the edge of the tile and keep your fingers crossed. If you're using biggish thickish tiles you'd probably get away with it, most people don't walk that near a wall (unless there's no choice).
Me, if I had plenty of spare tiles I'd try fingers crossed first

 

[johnny2007]

Thanks.
I have 10mm room from the wall and about 15mm between pipes and new screed.
I could in fact glue two pieces of ply there and bridge it with 5.5mm ply.
Nobody would walk on that edge because it's on the side of the toilet and only 60mm wide.
I suggested 12mm porcelain tiles which will be impossible to crack over a 60mm gap.
Good idea.
Or I could bridge it with 3mm steel as you suggested.
Any complication in tiling over steel?

Thanks.

 

[oldbutnotdead]

The ply bridge might be a bit flexible. Not sure if tile adhesive would stick to steel but even if it didn't it would still support the tile.
Tiles are very strong in compression (when they're evenly loaded) but they're not brilliant in tension (if you load an unsupported edge you get tension in the top of the tile).
I think you'd be ok with the ply (long as the wall edge is supported) given it's a dead bit of floor