How To Tile A Shower Bench: 4 Easy Steps To Tile A Shower Bench

4 Easy Steps To Tile A Shower Bench

Tile benches make showers easily accessible for disabled persons, besides this, they can also be included in the walk-in showers. The user can install one in the corner or along a wall, having the tiles that will complement the design of the wall. Installation techniques will help to ensure that the tile bench is waterproof and is built to last for a long time.

Step 1: Preparation

The shower benches are either built out of the wood or mason blocks. The block installations must be covered with a paint-on latex waterproofing which will also tie into the shower pan and also the wall waterproofing. The wooden bench must be covered with the plastic sheeting firstly, which is stapled in place and will run down to the pan liner. After that, a layer of the 1/2-inch concrete board is screwed right onto the wood frame. Next, the user needs to apply waterproof and is applied all over the surface.

Step 2: Layout

The edge of a corner bench forms a 45-degree angle exactly with the wall, this will create a triangular shape with the peak that is coinciding with the corner. One of the common ways to install the tile on a corner bench is to simply vertically center the installation so that the user has matching cuts from each side. If applicable, then it is advisable to use the same horizontal grout on the joints as on the wall tile. But if in case a sliver cut needs to be left at the top of the bench exactly at the point where the vertical surface touches the seating area, separate the horizontal layout. The same process applies to benches that usually run all along the length of a wall.

Step 3: Seat Top

Some of the benches feature a tile on the top, while the others use the cultured marble material. It is important to remember that the top of the shower bench must be installed before the wall material is installed for the shower. This will help to ensure that the wall material at the top of the bench will lock-in. With the usage of time, the weight of a person who is sitting on the top of the bench can make the top to separate if in case it will not have enough support.

Step 4: Caulked Edges

Although the tile bench must tie in the wall tile as well as shower pan tile of the installation, it is advisable and also important to include at least 1/8-inch joints all around the entire perimeter. Fill this joint using the caulk, not grout, this will help for expansion while at the same time also waterproof the seams. This includes the shower seat base joint, the vertical joints, and the joints where all the wall material is cut all around the seat top, and also the outside edge exactly where the top material touches the vertical face material.