How to finish tile edging above thick concrete?

alexRDIY

Hi we are sprucing up our bathroom. And currently the tiles only come halfway up the bathroom and have been installed crudely. We have bought some tile edging the same length as the tile to make it look more finished. However there are varying levels of concrete thickness on each wall which the tiles have been adhered to. The thickest concrete being 1.2cm.  Any tips on how to address this? Should we put anything behind to compensate for the gap or just broach the gap with the same amount of adhesive?

JacobZ

Hi @alexRDIY,

A warm welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community and thank you for your question.

Keeping a consistent line in relation to the top edge of the wall tiles is much more important than the wall as any differences at the back of the subway tile can be covered by silicone. To do this, make sure the subway tiles either sit in line with the wall tiles or sit back a consistent measurement. A straight edge, such as a spirit level will be essential to achieve this.

Is the distance from the wall to the front of the tiles 12mm, or is the distance from the face of the subway tiles to the front of the wall tiles 12mm?

If the distance from the wall is 12mm and the tiles are, for example, 9mm thick, then you can certainly apply a thicker bed of adhesive to make up the difference in areas where there is undulation in the wall. You can then seal the top edge with White SikaSeal to finish things off and hide the thicker adhesive bed.

If the 12mm distance is from the front of the subway tile to the front of the wall tile, then I would suggest attaching a strip of Villaboard to the wall to pack out the tiles. You can use Liquid Nails to hold it in place. This will pack the wall out by 6mm, and you can then adjust the tile adhesive bed to account for the undulations in the wall. You can then use SikaSeal on the top edge of the subway tiles to conceal any differences in the thickness of the adhesive.

Let me know what you think and if you have any further questions, please don't hesitate to ask.

Jacob