Bathroom floor tiles: tiles then toilet or toilet then tiles?

[AnnO'Neemus]

Just wondering which way round it's done?

I mean, it's probably tricky to cut tiles around the shape of the loo pedestal, if you put the loo in first, right? Would probably be a bit of a 'mare?

But then again, if you do the floor tiling first, isn't there a risk that the floor tiles will crack when you put the loo on top then screw it/fix it to the floor?

And would the same go for the floor under a vanity unit? The vanity unit is intended to fit in a small alcove, and it will just fit. Would you tile under the vanity unit? (Maybe just in case a future bathroom reno might take out the vanity unit and install a pedestal?) The alcove is only 54 x 64 cm.

I'm wanting to get some terrazzo type floor tiles for the bathroom renovation. They're relatively expensive, but it won't cost that much because the bathroom is quite tiny, just under 1.5 sq m of floor space. Although I'm puzzled/concerned that the builder told me to get 4 sq m of tiles. I've read that it's standard to get an extra 10 per cent, for breakage/wastage, but he's asking me to get twice the amount. D'you reckon he's going to tile the floor under the bath as well? It's going to be a standard bath with a side panel, not a freestanding one with feet.

 

[spring-peeper]

We have done several of these.

Hubby says tiles first, then loo.
Tiles should not crack when you put the loo in if you are careful.

We tiled under the vanity. Later on, we changed the vanity and it was nice to have the tiling done.

Good luck and let's have some pix.

 

[beesonthewhatnow]

“The bathroom fitters are unanimous—if you’re looking for a high quality finish, with a better seal against water damage, then always tile the floor first. It means tiles don’t have to be cut to awkward shapes to fit, and also means there is a layer of tile under the toilet that will protect the floor from water should the sealant fail”

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[dessiato]

“The bathroom fitters are unanimous—if you’re looking for a high quality finish, with a better seal against water damage, then always tile the floor first. It means tiles don’t have to be cut to awkward shapes to fit, and also means there is a layer of tile under the toilet that will protect the floor from water should the sealant fail”

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Get up to the minute bathroom ideas to help transform your bland-looking bathroom into a work of art! Discover new ideas, helpful tips and inspiration now!

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Years ago I spent a lot of time with a friend who owned his own tiling business. He always said that if you wanted a quality job doing you should get the tilers in first. Tiling after the cupboards etc were in place made the job more difficult and less likely to have good, clean, edges such as you’d get from tiling first.

He also said that in the case of kitchens and bathrooms, just because you couldn’t see under the cupboards didn’t mean you should not tile the floor in these areas. His argument was that when you later decided to redo the room the floor was already done, and the tiles all matched.

He also said that getting the tiler in first, and doing the whole floor was cheaper. Labour was quicker because it was easier to lay the flooring. There was less fiddling trying to cut round cupboards etc.

After all that, get the floor done before fitting the toilet.

 

[StoneRoad]

Agree. Tiles first [wall & floor] as so much easier to fix & seal without cutting around awkward shapes.

Tip - try fitting from the side / corner furthest from the door, and try to make that balanced as in equal pieces either side if the space is not a full number of tiles across.
If there's a subtle pattern, do a trial to make sure you don't get a tile wrongly orientated. If you don't, the "wrong" one will always stick out in your mind, even if no-one else spots it on a casual glance.

 

[Anju]

Definitely tiles first for all the above reasons plus if you ever want to change the toilet you would need to find one to fit the hole. I always remove the toilet even when it's not being replaced.

As long as the tiles are properly bedded into the adhesive they won't crack.

Most bathrooms are too small to position a bath anywhere other than where it is so probably not worth tiling under it.

4sqm does sound excessive for 1.5sqm floor. If you know the size of tiles you can try working out how many you'll need by measuring and drawing a floor plan then see how many it takes to fill the plan. If 4sqm is way over what you need it's probably worth looking at other amounts of materials suggested.

 

[Pickman's model]

Like cheese and beans I go simultaneous

 

[WouldBe]

Like cheese and beans I go simultaneous

Tile over the loo?


As others have said tile first then loo. Although I'd suggest tiling walls after fitting bath etc so any water can run down the tiles and into the bath ensuring a better deal.

 

[dessiato]

Agree. Tiles first [wall & floor] as so much easier to fix & seal without cutting around awkward shapes.

Tip - try fitting from the side / corner furthest from the door, and try to make that balanced as in equal pieces either side if the space is not a full number of tiles across.
If there's a subtle pattern, do a trial to make sure you don't get a tile wrongly orientated. If you don't, the "wrong" one will always stick out in your mind, even if no-one else spots it on a casual glance.

Start with a full tile in the middle of the wall, then work to the sides. When you get to corners use the cut tiles to start the next wall. This way there'll be a continuation round the walls.

You start in the centre because that's where your eye will focus and by working out from there the wall will look balanced.

The first tile should be approximately one tile from the bottom so that the lowest row will be the cut row meeting the floor. Again, for aesthetics.

 

[shakespearegirl]

Our expert Portuguese tiler tiles the full room and then fits out, was shocked to hear that in the uk people don’t tile behind or under units. Real craft here, the land of tiles!

 

[WouldBe]

Our expert Portuguese tiler tiles the full room and then fits out, was shocked to hear that in the uk people don’t tile behind or under units. Real craft here, the land of tiles!

No point tiling what won't be seen.

 

[quiet guy]

While I would agree with that, I can see the benefit of tiling the full floor and walls first because when you decide to change units at a later date you can never find the tiles again as they are out of stock/ discontinued.

 

[WouldBe]

While I would agree with that, I can see the benefit of tiling the full floor and walls first because when you decide to change units at a later date you can never find the tiles again as they are out of stock/ discontinued.

Tiles can become dated quite quickly so if you change the kitchen most people would want to change the tiles as well.

 

[dessiato]

Tiles can become dated quite quickly so if you change the kitchen most people would want to change the tiles as well.

That’s why you buy classic. They last longer.

 

[quiet guy]

Ha ha that's what we all say when we've had the same tiles up for donkeys years.