bath too short: filling the gap

Discussion in 'Tilers' Talk' started by rsk, Nov 30, 2018.

  1. rsk

    rsk New Member

    This has been asked before elsewhere but all the answers seem a bit of a bodge. i am fitting a bath 90mm too short for the space its going into. I'm looking at boxing out and tiling the gap but i want to do it properly so that water drains into the bath, even after some movement. Horizontal tiles flush with the bath lip don't seem a good idea to me: i think they need to overlap the lip. What would a professional tiler do in this situation??
     
  2. teabreak

    teabreak Screwfix Select

    Best solution has got to be build a stud partition to close the gap a shower can be run up inside it if required.
    Sorry posted too soon!
    Edit
    Then tile down onto the bath like the rest of the edges.
     
    Last edited: Nov 30, 2018
    RolandK and Wayners like this.
  3. rsk

    rsk New Member

    interesting idea but as the short end goes onto a big wall, it would mean studding out the whole wall, or boxing out a bit of it which would look wierd..
     
  4. teabreak

    teabreak Screwfix Select

    I sort of imagined it was fitting in a normal recess or bathroom where it takes up most of the side wall.:( Perhaps a couple of photos or a floor plan might get you some better suggestions.:)
     
  5. WillyEckerslike

    WillyEckerslike Screwfix Select

    In most of these situations I have created the boxing so that when tiled, it forms a neat edge just above base of the bath top - where the end panel would fit if it weren't enclosed - all neatly siliconed for ease of cleaning and mopping up - if necessary. What's the difference between this and a bath with an end panel? They don't drain back into the bath if water is ejected over the end.
     
  6. LEH

    LEH Active Member

    I had to make a small ledge like this too. You'll just have to accept they get a bit manky tbh, it just depends if the bath user wipes up any water after. My wife likes to store 20 different bottles of shampoo there which doesn't help...

    Things you could do to help: Make sure it's watertight. Tank it, or better use a waterproof board, plenty of sealant between board and bath edges and joints to wall (butyl tape also good). Tiles on top - instead of grout, use colour match silicone (you should use at wall joints anyway, but use everywhere). Or use a grout sealer.

    Main thing is to make sure any standing water on it stays there and doesn't go into the underlying structure and cause problems. The rest is up to how clean you keep your bathroom.
     
  7. rsk

    rsk New Member

    the diference is that with a boxed in shelf you have tiles level or near level which means water sitting, and might look a bit odd, but i can't think of any alternative. Sketch shows what i have in mind
     

    Attached Files:

  8. WillyEckerslike

    WillyEckerslike Screwfix Select

    I know what you mean but my point is that water discharge over the end of the bath isn't a problem when there's no ledge, so why should there be when there is?

    I think your suggestion would work although you'll have an awkward end to tile and tie in with the side of the bath. I've done a few of these for ourselves and for customers and it hasn't been an issue. As LEH says, good housekeeping is the issue.

    Other options are
    1. Bigger bath - cut into the wall if necessary (assuming only a small amount)
    2. Move the bath to the end of the gap and box in the tap end as Teabreak suggests - depends on bathroom layout of course.

    Edit - Just noticed in you first pic that the gap is at the tap end. Can't you move the bath so that it's at the other end? That's what I had assumed - Sorry!
     
    Last edited: Nov 30, 2018
  9. fostyrob

    fostyrob Screwfix Select

    What is the reason you cannot push the bath up against the wall, tile down onto it and adjust the pipework as needed?
     
  10. WillyEckerslike

    WillyEckerslike Screwfix Select

    Because the bath isn't as long as the gap..... The clue is in the question as they say.
     
  11. rsk

    rsk New Member


    I might make the ledge slope just to keep the endless bottles of shampoo at bay...
     
    WillyEckerslike likes this.
  12. fostyrob

    fostyrob Screwfix Select

    But what is at the other end?
    Surely it is better to have a small ledge at the opposite end to the taps/shower? How much water is going to go out the other end of the bath?
     
    WillyEckerslike likes this.
  13. WillyEckerslike

    WillyEckerslike Screwfix Select

    That is what I had assumed and drawn the same conclusion as you.
     
  14. teabreak

    teabreak Screwfix Select

    I would still go with a false wall from the bath to the ceiling a step in a wall is not unusual and fitting say a glass shower panel to the edge would disguise it completely.
     
  15. fostyrob

    fostyrob Screwfix Select

    But which end?
    Could we get a picture of the whole room with the full length of the bath?
     
  16. Mike83

    Mike83 Screwfix Select

    66784B24-45F1-4CA2-B2F0-4C6CD8682AC8.jpeg This is what I did at opposite end from taps.
    Never had any problems with water.
     
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  17. rsk

    rsk New Member

    Yes i can easily have the tap end flush to wall and the ledge at the other end . Would prefer that to floor to ceiling fasle wall
     
  18. Wayners

    Wayners Screwfix Select

    I had similar problem. I had the added problems of the waste pipe hence the white floor boxing. I run all the shower pipes behind wall boxing. Been in 10 years
    [​IMG]
     
    teabreak likes this.
  19. Mike83

    Mike83 Screwfix Select

    As Willy mentioned earlier. Could you not get a bath 100mm longer.
    Then just cut it into the wall 5mm either side.
     
  20. CGN

    CGN Screwfix Select

    Lots of ways to do it, with pros and cons to both.

    If you box in at tap end, then go full height to ceiling. You dont want a low level shelf here to catch water. Makes pipework for shower easy etc and you can arrange your stud work to coincide with fixings for shower screen etc. You could also build a niche into this to make a feature.

    If boxing in at other end, then again full height with niche, flush to top of bath, or, what I think looks better, is to extend boxing 150mm or so above bath to create a noticeable shelf. You can adjust to work with tile layout/grout lines etc.

    Another option is to stud the whole wall out so bath fits exactly. You may lose space (obviously), but it opens up a lot of creative possibilities with regards to niches, shelving etc and can create a very slick 'high end' look.
     
    Hammie234 likes this.

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