tiling in internal corners..

[goofy gorilla]

hi guys - im gonna tile inside our shower enclosure...how do set the tiles where the walls meet...?...i normally tile real close to the wall on one side and butt up the the tile from the other wall...then after when its done i try to get as much grout as i can into the internal corner..is that right ?

 

[Karis]

Don’t butt the tiles on adjacent walls, the grout line won’t match the rest of the wall & you won’t get a good seal, gap the tile the same as the rest of the wall. Don’t use grout down the corner, if you get the slightest differential movement between the two walls, which often happens, the grout will crack allowing water in. Run a silicone bead down & into the corner the same colour as the grout.

 

[goofy gorilla]

thanks karis...so tile one side close to the wall and but the other tile about 2mm away , this way i would get a nice 2mm grout line just like the rest of the bathroom and then im gonna silicone seal the gap...so is the theory......lol,,,

 

[Karis]

No you don’t use grout down the corner at all, leave the gap open. Grout the rest of the tiles as normal & then run a matching bead of silicone into the gap & down the corner of the shower.

You should also do the same at the shower tray; leave a 2mm gap between the tiles & the tray, grout the rest of the tiles & then apply a silicone bead into the gap & around the top of the tray. If you use grout it will crack allowing water to siphon in between the tray & the underside of the tiles.

It’s not theory, it’s the way to do it if you want it to last. Use only quality trade tiling materials, cheap DIY products are mostly inferior crap & will often fail in a very short space of time.

 

[goofy gorilla]

yes, thats what meant grout line of silicone sealnt, not grout itself,...thanks

 

[cazabonaise]

I am using white tiles with greyish grout - what colour silicone? would transparent look guk?

 

[IJWS15]

Silicone is available in various shades of grey - at least it is in the UK.

Try a decent tile supplier and not a DIY outlet.

 

[Happyplumber]

Put one tile against the wall and if you have worked out your tiling properly the other one will butt and the lines will be perfect

Sanitary silicone preferably Dow corning will be ideal for white tiles use this to seal the corners as well as the other shower edges

Mapaei make some really good colour matched sealants which go with their own colour grouts