Before tackling the tile in the master bath I put the thin Schluter membrane over the foam edges of the floor. This is installed with unmodified mortar. The east side strip is narrow because we used 1.5″ polyiso over the concrete foundation to hold in more heat.
Narrow edge treatment
The plan for the master bath tile is to finish under and behind the tub and the faucet step. Then after putting the tub in place the toilet and sink side can be tiled. With the tub about in the middle of the room there was enough space for two rows of tile.
Two tiles wide behind tub
With only two rows of tile I would end up trying to tile and grout under the bathroom edge of the tub. That would not work very well. Instead we moved the tub as far as we could toward the sink and toilet side and added another row of tile so that the tub will sit on three rows of grouted tile and completely cover under the tub.
Three tiles wide under tub
I screwed the stand pipes for the freestanding faucet through the plywood cover of the plumbing step. The seem to fit well. I have to remember to put on the connector and the floor flange when they are installed.
Freestanding faucet on step
I started tiling the wall even though the third row of floor tile wasn’t dry. I decided to glue the tile to the wall with tile adhesive as it is very sticky and does not slide down like mortar can. The adhesive recommended using up to 6 inch tiles but it is possible to use with up to 13 inch tiles if more time is given to dry before grouting. The adhesive dries slowly and the middle of larger tiles don’t get enough air to dry quickly.
Tiling the wall behind the tub
I tried to square and level the rows of tile but didn’t get them exactly straight. Most of this wall is hidden behind the tub so I’m not going to worry about it.
There are only a few boxes of edge tiles but I decided to use them on the step to overlap the tile on the sides and create a more finished edge for the step. It was also easier to cut holes for the stand pipes in the narrower tiles as all the holes were at the edges of the tiles.
Tiled step
Cutting tile for the step took far longer than laying the tile on the floor and the wall. The job is a bit sloppy but after grouting it should look fine.
Back wall and step
After cleaning two times with the Spectralock solution and once with a vinegar solution, the wall, floor, and step are looking pretty good.
Step nearly finished–need to complete the back side.
Now this side of the bathroom is finished and ready for the oak beam shelf to get installed. Then the tub can be moved and the drain connected.
Back wall finished