Tiling a Shower Surround?

Question

Hi Folks,

Currently I have a bath tub with a vinyl shower surround. I'm considering removing the shower surround and replacing it with tile.

I'm just wondering how big of a job this is? I've never tiled before but consider myself handy and have done plenty around the house.

Of note, I don't believe proper backboard is underneath the surround so I'd have to put that up also. I've put drywall up in the past so I think that part should be ok.

So...is this a do it yourself job? Or is this something that needs to be hired out for. Seems like it should be simple, but maybe I'm missing something and it gets complicated or difficult to make come out nice?

Also, how long should this take if I did it myself (days and hours per day) and how long before I can start using the shower again.

Thanks!

Answer 1

most of what the other answerers said was true, but i need to put my 2 cents in.  i personally think anyone wanting to tackle a tile job, especially one in a bathroom, should hire a professional.  we need to work too you know.  :)  but if you insist upon doing it yourself, that's ok, and i'm going to give you the advice to do it properly.  

first you will need to remove the existing surround, as well as the drywall behind it.  1/2" cement board is to go back up (i prefer to use durarock instead of hardibacker) and screwed to the studs.  please don't nail it.  use 1 1/4" course thread screws.  do not sit the durarock directly onto the bathtub.  it needs to be above the lip of the tub (about 1-1 1/2" above the ledge of the tub.  caulking the inside corners before you tile isn't a bad idea either.

tile wise-- if you decide to go with an inexpensive ceramic tile (like a 6x6 white or almond color) then you can use mastic to set the tile onto the walls.  use mastic for this type of tile only.  6x6 8x8 8x10.  any other type of tile you may decide on, a ceramic thats 10x13 or larger, or a porcelain or marble, requires thinset.  mastic will adhere these tiles and should not be used.  use a 3/8" notch for any tile up to 15", 1/2" notch for anything over 16".  white thinset is less messy but costs about a buck more per bag (ultaflex I or II from lowes is a good thinset, as well as versabond from home depot).  my company generally starts in the center of the longest wall, but you may need to lay it out to see what looks the best.  a spacer may have to be used, but go with a smaller grout joint, 1/16" or 1/8" looks best.  use an unsanded grout for any grout under 1/8" and sanded for 1/8" to avoid cracking.  give the grout 24 hours to cure then seal it with a grout sealer (tile lab in the yellow bottle is an okay sealer, available at home depot.  don't buy the green bottle.  it's tricky to apply.)  then caulk the joints in the corners of the wall where the two tile meet and the area between tile and the ledge of the tub.  you can special order the caulk to match the grout if it isn't in stock at the store.  a tile distributor generally keeps their grouts and caulks in stock whereas home depot or lowes only carries common colors.  after the caulking, wait another 24 hours then the shower is usable.  

if in doubt, contact a professional tile installer.  i don't trust the home depot or lowes flooring people any further than i can see them.  they generally give poor advice.  a pro would be able to complete your job in 2-4 days, where as you might be able to complete it in 4-7 days depending on how much you do each day.

you are also welcome to email me with any further questions, via my yahoo answers profile.  please put yahoo answers in the subject line so i don't delete the email.  good luck!

Answer 2

Its not a hard job just take your time and read all the material you can on tileing also make sure you have the proper tools and you now how to use them if you do these things you will be just fine good luck

Answer 3

Start by getting a good tile book that throughly covers shower stalls.  I recently remolded a bathroom that started as a simple "hey lets tile the shower" project.  The job can get as big as you make it.  In my case I pulled out the standard shower shell & existing bath tub, knocked out a closet and turned a standard shower stall into 30 sf showering paradise with a jucuzzi bathtub.  First of all, anything you put tile on besides concrete has to have a cement board behind it!  (Hardibacker or similar-available at your home improvement stores).  There will be lots of dust from removing any existing drywall so use a good quality mask like a painters mask too.  I would plan on it taking a couple months if you plan on working on it during the evenings or weekends.  My project took nearly 6 months of evenings and weekends and forced my wife and I to share a bathroom with 2 kids-worth it in the end but I probabbly wouldn't go thru it again.

If you remove your old shower, you'll be dealing with an new drain as you'll have to build the foundation for the tile out of deck mud.  Lowes' or Home Depot did not carry deck mud so I bought my from the local tile store.  You can mix you own as a lot of web sites have lots of info on this but I bought mine premixed.  You can use the existing shower pan but I preferred the feel of tile vs. the shower pan, not only that my shower is a completely custom shape so I couldn't get a pan to cover it.  If your not sure how to build the base, stick with the pan or you can mess up things and end up with leaks that you do not want.

Answer 4

As long as you don't remove the shower pan, you should be okay.  Don't assume that the corner of your wall is plumb.  Do a dry fit at the bottom to see that you don't have tiny slivers of tile to cut in the corners.  You want to tile from the bottom up and the outside in.  That way, any cut tiles are on the inside corners.  Be absolutely certain that you start out plumb and square, or the job will always look lop-sided.  Lowe's and Home Depot offer classes on how to lay tile, it might be a good idea to attend one so you'll know exactly what you're doing.

Answer 5

I, too, have a shower that needs tiling.  I hired a friend of a friend and he began the job and abandoned it 1/5 along the way.  One of the problems you may encounter is that you will have to have the proper equipment to cut the tile that goes around the shower head, etc.  Also, this guy started from the top and I was told that you always start from the bottom of the shower.  There is a certain type of adhesive that you need also for adhering the tile (forgot the name) but it is not thinset.  Make sure you measure twice so when you cut you will only have to cut once.  Oh yeah, and don't forget your spacers.  You tile one day and grout the next.  I think the grout needs 48 hours to totally dry.  That's all I can think of.