Tiling the sides of a bathtub?

rapidnailer07 · Post by **rapidnailer07** » Sun Nov 22, 2020 10:43 pm

I'm wondering how to finish the two ends of the bathtub that I want to install. I'm not keen on the cheap plastic panels. They seem very flimsy and not very nice. Is it possible to finish the sides with the same kind of tiling used in the bath for the flooring and walls? I think it will look nice but I'm not sure how it will work.

The tiles are very thick and heavy (600mm x 300mm x 10mm thick and 4kg per tile). Is it possible to use these tiles on the side of the tub?

Also, in the unlikely event that I did need to access behind the panels, how would this be possible with tiled sides?

ayjay · Post by **ayjay** » Sun Nov 22, 2020 10:52 pm

It's often done, but there are complications.

Can you get a thick enough panel to take the weight - add the thickness of the tile to that, and stay behind the bath line? If you can't you'll have to tile a small horizontal strip at the top, or make the whole thing stand out further so that you have a wider strip at the top so that it looks a bit less naff.

Access can be via a panel, usually at the tap end for obvious reasons, or the whole thing can be fixed with something like domehead screws and removed for access - I can practically guarantee that you'll need access at some time.

rapidnailer07 · Post by **rapidnailer07** » Sun Nov 22, 2020 11:01 pm

ayjay wrote: ↑Sun Nov 22, 2020 10:52 pm It's often done, but there are complications.

Can you get a thick enough panel to take the weight - add the thickness of the tile to that, and stay behind the bath line? If you can't you'll have to tile a small horizontal strip at the top, or make the whole thing stand out further so that you have a wider strip at the top so that it looks a bit less naff.

Access can be via a panel, usually at the tap end for obvious reasons, or the whole thing can be fixed with something like domehead screws and removed for access - I can practically guarantee that you'll need access at some time.

Thanks for the quick reply. I've not purchased the bathtub yet but I wanted a 1800x800 one (I was actually thinking about this one: https://www.victorianplumbing.co.uk/ban ... ended-bath). How can I know how much space there'll be for the thickness of the panel that has the tile? Or is there a better bath tub brand that is well known for having good space for a thick panel? The tap end will be against a wall but I suppose I could have the whole long panel side fixed via the domehead screws for access.