How to Tile a Tub Surround in 9 Simple Steps

Prepare the Tub for Tile

Photo: artursfoto / Adobe Stock

Before you start tiling your tub surround, there are a few tips that can help make your bathroom remodel stress-free. 

Get Your Materials Ready

The first step, of course, is to research bathroom tile trends and shower tile ideas, choose your tile and grout color, purchase the materials you’ll need, and collect or purchase the required tiling tools. Once you have everything you need in hand, it’s time to get started.

Remove Existing Material 

If you’re working with an old shower or tub, rip out or remove all existing material. This includes scraping up adhesive and anything that will prevent you from creating an even, clean surface for tiling. 

Make Plumbing Adjustments 

If the current plumbing isn’t in a convenient spot for your new fixtures, you’ll also want to relocate the cold and hot water connections so that they match up with the valves. A professional plumber will be able to handle this part of the bathroom remodel for you.

Waterproof the Substrate

Waterproofing is the first step in tiling a tub surround before you move forward with anything else. The slow seep of moisture through porous tiles and grout can destroy your walls and floors over time if you don't prevent water from penetrating the sheetrock or wood.

You can buy complete waterproofing systems for a standard tub surround and fabric rolls that can be used for customized applications. Install the pre-built system according to the manufacturer’s specifications or carefully roll out and adhere the fabric membrane to the floors and wall around your tub.

Layout Your Tile Pattern

Once you’ve chosen a decorative tile for the tub surround, it’s time to measure and lay out how you want your tiles to look. If you’re using subway tile and going for a straight, linear design, pick a good starting point that corresponds with where adjoining surfaces will meet up with the cut pieces to reduce the chance that you’ll end up with a tiny sliver of tile as part of the tile tub surround. Laying out mosaic tile or other more complex designs will take more time to line up just perfectly.

You can do a dry run by manually placing pieces with your spacers along the wall or floor before you move on to the next step. It’s also possible to roughly calculate how the cut ends will fall in the design by using math to map it out on the front end. If you follow this approach, you’ll add the length of the tile edge with the size of the spacer; divide that total by the combined width or height to ensure that your tiles are falling in a logical pattern when it comes to an ending point. Be sure to account for a slight variation in the thickness of your spacers. This technique is helpful for laying out tile walls that aren’t conducive to manual measurements.

Cut Your Tiles

By mapping out how the tiles will fall on the ends and corners, you’ll have  a good idea of what you’ll need to cut with the tile saw. Tile saws require the blade to be wet, so set up in a workspace that’s easy to clean; experts recommend setting up in a garage, outside, or somewhere outside of the bathroom you’re working in so that you don’t get water and dust all over the working area. Make the first row of cuts that you’ll need.

Mix and Apply Mortar

Once your tiles are ready, mix the thinset mortar according to manufacturer’s instructions. Most recommend mixing only a small amount at a time. It hardens quickly, so plan to mix up only what you expect to use in under 30 minutes. Start by measuring into a bucket the correct amount of water for the amount of thinset powder you’re using. 

Then add the mortar powder to the bucket and mix it using a drill with a mixing attachment set to low speed. Be sure to get down to the bottom and to the sides of the bucket to evenly combine the powder and water. You want the consistency to be like creamy peanut butter; add more water or powder as needed. Then, let the mortar rest for about 10 minutes before mixing it one more time.

Now, apply a thick coat of mortar to the wall with a trowel. Only apply the mortar to an area you can comfortably tile within 20 minutes; for most people, this is a single row or about two to three square feet. Then, use a notched trowel to scrape across the mortar to remove excess and create ridges for the tiles to adhere to.

Begin Laying Your Tile

Start your first row of tiles in the center of the bottom row on the back wall of the surround, working your way out to the sides and then up to the next row. If your tiles aren’t self-spacing with built-in spacers, place plastic spacers between tiles to hold them in place while they dry and ensure level grout lines. It’s very important that this first row of tiles is absolutely straight and level; it sets the foundation for the entire installation, so take the time to set, level, and check each tile before moving on to the next.

You’ll only want to set full tiles at this point. Don’t use your cut tiles to tile tight to the corners and plumbing fixtures yet; that’s the next step.

Install Tile Around Plumbing Fixtures

Once the complete tile rows are set, go back and install your cut tiles tight to the corners and plumbing fixtures. If your measurements weren’t correct, recut tiles to fit the spaces that are left for them. You may choose to notch or drill through tiles to make holes for plumbing pipes and fixtures rather than tile around them.

Grout Between Tiles

Once the tile is installed on top of the mortar and it’s had time to cure according to the manufacturer's instructions, you can move on to grouting. Remove the tile spacers and mix up the grout in a bucket per the instructions. Use the grout float to press the material into the joints and cracks that are between the tiles—again working in sections to keep it clean. 

Use your finger to shape the grout and remove large amounts of excess with the float. A haze of grout left on top of the tiles is a normal part of the process.

Wipe Down Excess Grout

After the grout has dried—usually after 15 to 20 minutes—use a large, wet sponge to remove the remaining grout on your tiles. Rinse the sponge regularly to avoid buildup of grout, which can make things look hazy. Don’t worry too much at this point about removing the haze; you can buff off any remaining haze the next day with a clean, dry cloth. However, you will want to be sure to remove all of the excess grout on the tiles, as this will be very hard to remove once it’s dried.

Caulk Gaps and Seal the Grout

When everything looks perfect, go back and seal it all in with a high-quality grout sealer. This will seal out water and prevent the grout from becoming dirty, discolored, or mildewed. Polish grout and remove any dusty film with a dry cheesecloth.

This is also the perfect time to use a silicone-based acrylic caulk that’s the same color as your grout to seal the join between the first line of tile and the bathtub; you may also caulk down the seams between the sidewalls and back wall of the surround for a finished look and added waterproofing.