How To Detail Tile Around a Roman Tub

Posted on: October 24th, 2011 | 20 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.


Today’s Slides:

  • Steve in Van

    Love your attention to detail!  Just to clarify, in your first project, is there a small ledge (about 1.75″ deep) around the tub?  Building out an additional plane does provide a natural place to change materials — smart.  Here’s a pic of a Dada bath that has something similar, deep enough to be used as a shelf. 

    And if the tile around the tub is a concern, I’d think you’d face the same issue with the sink backsplash …     

  • http://profiles.google.com/srdan.nad Srdan Nagy

    Hi Steve in Van,
    Second picture is from Jameson House in Van… if I am not wrong… those bathrooms are really nicely detailed… specially when you see it person…. there are some nice shower details…. similar to ones John and Matthew presented…

  • BradW

    It should be noted that products are available to detail tile edges.

  • Matthew North

    Hi Brad W – How’s it going? Your point is a good one, there are end tiles that you can buy that have a factory edge that are great for outside corners like tub decks or around walls. I’m still not a big fan of the edge type products for wall applications  - like schlutter strips – I find that they don’t address the issue of the perceived thin appearance of wall tile. I still find they contribute to a “cheapness” of detailing……although I’m now probably going to get some push back on this!

  • Matthew North

    Hi SN – there are some nice details here – all made more seamless by the large format natural stone tile – it edges well on the ledge below the mirrors.

  • Matthew North

    Hi Steve – depending on the available space, we build out the walls above a roman tub by a minimum of 1.5 inches (2 X 4 on flat) to a a maximum of 3.5 inches (2 X 4) plus the half inch thickness of drywall. Your photos of the mosaic backsplash and the glass vessel sink made me gag a little bit. I’m also not a big fan of glass vessel sinks. You know how dirty a water glass gets after using it when brushing your teeth – think about a whole sink. Gross. The proportion of the tile to the height of the tap is also terrible in this photo – just plain wrong in at least a half dozen ways!

  • jim baer

    is this in a high end spa? or maybe an institution?? really in someone’s home???

    also, don’t the wall hung sinks violate the plenty of counter and storage and the sinks we learned about?

  • Matthew North

    Hi Jim – I just looked at the tile detailing and the creation of the ledge below the mirrors. When you take a big step back and look at the overall it does look institutional. Good point. The wall hung sinks are really a small space option – I would prefer a vanity with some counter space and storage myself.

  • Steve in Van

    Yes, this is Foster + Partners new residential tower in downtown Vancouver (my pic was from the display suite).  All of the mirrors front cabinets, so there’s lots of storage.  And that shelf runs the full length of the room above the tub, sinks, toilet, and into the shower, so a counter would be redundant, IMO.  It’s definitely minimalist, but the materials are rich and warm.  Institutional or classy?
    http://www.jamesonfoster.com/  

  • Steve in Van

    Totally agree — it’s horrendous!  I choose the pic to illustrate that backsplash tile often creates the same feeling of ‘thinness’ you’ve described with tub tile.  Another plane might be helpful here, too.

  • BradW

    Hi Matthew – I just think at the budget or DIY end of the market some of your ideas might be out of reach. For example, in remodelling a tub/shower alcove it might be cost prohibitive to tile to the ceiling and how would you finish the tile edge at the wall? Rather than leave a raw edge would it not be better to use a Schlutter strip or an outside edge tile? 

    Of course, it almost goes without saying that a bathroom remodel requires careful attention to construction details as well as design details. For example, I love your built out wall but I bet you have a really good drywall guy to get the corners square and crisp.

    Things are going great… still enjoying the site although you know I am old school!

  • Terri

    Hey Brad, Haven’t “seen” you here for quite a while. Thanks for mentioning the lowly Schlutter strip here; I have to agree with your point about keeping cost in mind. I also wondered how that drywall edge would stand up over time…

  • Matthew North

    Hi Brad – You are old school but that’s why your opinion is so important to the discussion on the site! You are raising a really good point about the DIY market and the fact that the drywall return is to particular to execute – both from a craft point of view and from a design point of view. I am not a fan of schlutter – again I find it ticky tacky – but there has to be an “easy to do option” to end the tile that does not require a drywall return. I am going to look into this – I am also curious if any other viewers have a suggestion – I would like to do an episode on this.

    As an aside….how is your project going? Any photos to post for all the Slow Homers that are curious?

  • Matthew North

    Hi Terri – have you seen any other ways to end tile other than a drywall return or schlutter? I am looking for an alternative……hope you are well!

  • Li-Na

    How about placing a shallow millwork piece right above where the tile ends instead of doing a drywall return? This would also add a bit of storage/surface area to place bath items.

    I’m pretty sure this isn’t an original idea, but I haven’t put much thought into whether it is practical/feasible. Also unsure if this is a gag-inducing idea for Matthew? :-)

  • JesseS

    Matthew, 
    In your last slide I find it hard to see if you have built out the wall as in the previous project photo, I assume you have as it seems you describe it so.  Perhaps you build the whole wall out shower as well and right where the partition separates the two the inset tile returns out to the plane of the built out wall thus creating a single plane for the glass to meet?  This must be the case but then you have a very tricky tile detail at the glass where the tub tile wraps into the shower. It’s quite hard to see in the photo and I very much like the idea so want to be clear on how it’s executed.  I would love to see a quick sketch of details like this on your tablet in future episodes to really grasp the construction method.  

  • Matthew North

    Hi Li-Na – a millwork piece is a good idea – kind of like an extruded moulding or shallow wall shelf – I’d just make sure it was humidity resistant. It might work well if was integrated with a window trim. This does not make me “gag” – you are hilarious to bring that up as there is lots of bad design that does make me me choke up a little bit!

  • Matthew North

    Hi Jesse – the drywall is built out above the tub in the last slide as well – although only by 1.5 inches.The back wall of the shower is on the same plane as the tub surround – I’ll do a quick sketch and post it. The detail is pretty simple.

  • http://slowhomestudio.com Matthew North

    Hi Jesse – Here’s the sketch.

  • JesseS

    Thanks Matthew!  That is much simpler to execute than what I had assumed was done in that pic, the sketch is wonderful.  I would imagine a quick section sketch when describing some of your great detailing would really add to the content for some and allow that these fantastic details are executed properly by us slow homers who want to follow your lead.  Thanks again.