Best of Slow Home Studio: How To Detail Tile Around a Roman Tub

Posted on: December 28th, 2011 | 3 Comments



The tile around en-suite roman tubs has to be one of the worst detailed areas in many “builder” type homes. Typically, two or three rows of tile are randomly applied to the drywall above the tub with no clear logic as to the chosen height or how the tile ends. The end result is that the en-suite is very cheap looking, even if an expensive tile is used.


The design lesson to take away from this is that tile always looks best when it ends against an inside corner. In an en-suite with a roman tub, this condition can be created by building out a 2 X 4 wall above the tub so the wall tile has a clean and deliberate drywall edge to stop against. The end result is that the bathtub will have a built in look and will be well integrated with all the adjacent tile surfaces.


Slow Home Studio will return with brand new Design Minutes on January 2, 2012.


Today’s Slides:

  • Monique

    When you make the tile flush with the drywall what is your preferred method to transition between the two materials  

  • http://www.thirdstone.ca Louis Pereira

    Hi Monique – If i may comment on this, I really like House Brand’s sample detail in ’slide 3′ where the tile is recessed, but if you want to achieve a flush look, i would detail it like this…(see attached)

    There are a couple of options here.  If you want a thin seam transition between the two materials, then i would suggest the use of a ‘tear-away’ style ”L” Bead.  If you prefer to have a slight reveal between the two materials, then you could use a ‘shadow’ bead. 

    Google ‘Trim-Tex Drywall Products’

  • Steve in Van

    Thanks, Louis!  This is exactly the kind of detail I’ve been looking for.