Resources

How to Tile a Shower Like a Pro

One of the best ways to make your home feel more personalized and up to date is by replacing tile in your shower. Tiling a shower yourself is a great way to save money and add value to your home all while adding your own personal touch that you get to enjoy every day. In this article, we’ll cover how to tile a shower, step by step.

Tools You'll Need

Before we get started, gather your supplies. Below is a complete list of tools you’ll need to tile a shower:

Gloves
Sponges
Buckets
Mixing drill
Trowel
Tile cutter
Level
Tile spacers
Measuring tape
Marking tool
Drill
Box knife
Clean microfiber rags
Hole saw
Market
Grout float
Margin Trowel

01

of 14

Step 1: Prepare Your Space

Tiling a shower can be a messy job. If you are doing the demolition of your old shower tile yourself, you will want to make sure you protect the work area.

Shut off your AC/HEAT, lay down tarps and floor protection along the walking path, and hang plastic over surfaces where you don’t want fine dust to settle.

If tiling over a tub space, you may want to protect the surface of your tub with a tarp, tub protector, or piece of plywood to avoid chipping and damaging your tub surface.

In preparation for tiling a shower, the walls above a tub have been demolished and the work area is protected with a tarp and plywood.

Finally, make sure you always wear appropriate protective equipment, like a mask, gloves and eyewear, for your safety when performing the demo of your bathroom.

Loading component...

Loading component...

Loading component...

Loading component...

Loading component...

Loading component...

Loading component...

Loading component...

Loading component...

Loading component...

Loading component...

Loading component...

Loading component...

Loading component...

Loading component...

03

of 14

Step 3: Waterproof the Shower Walls

Waterproofing the shower is a vital step to any shower build. If you want your tile installation to last, you need to make sure your shower is truly waterproof in order to prevent mold growth and avoid costly water damage.

For this demonstration, I am tiling above a tub, so I don’t need to build a shower pan. If you are tiling a stand up shower and need to build a shower pan as well, I highly recommend a complete shower system like the Wedi system I am using here. They have step-by-step installation guidelines, warranties, and require far fewer steps than older/traditional methods for waterproofing a shower.

How to Install a Shower Wall Kit

Measure, Mark & Cut Boards

Starting on the back wall, measure the width of the wall. Mark your measurements on the building panel and use a straight edge to make your cut line.

Using a straight edge to mark the measurements of a shower wall onto a building panel.

Using a utility knife, score along your line. Using two hands, snap the board along the score line and cut the back of the board again with your utility knife to complete the cut.

Using two hands to snap a shower wall building panel along a scored cut line.

Cut Around Fixtures and Flange

To cut around the valve, shower head and tub spout, you can either cut out a square using your utility knife, or use a hole saw bit on your drill to cut a circle of appropriate size. Make sure your shower valve cut is large enough to fit around the valve, but not so large that the finished plate cover won’t cover it.

The hole you cut in a building panel to accommodate a shower valve should be large enough for the valve but smaller than the plate cover.

Since we are tiling over a tub with a flange, we’re going to notch out the back of the board so it sits flat to the studs. First, score the back of the board to the depth of the tub flange, then fillet the back of the board with our knife, which allows space for the tub flange to sit behind the board.

Creating space for a tub flange along the edge of a building panel, so that the panel will be flush with the flange when it is installed.

Start With the Back Shower Wall

Before hanging the bottom row of boards over the tub flange, add waterproof sealant all along the flange to ensure the seam is watertight.

Adding waterproof sealant along the tub flange before hanging the first row of backer boards for shower walls.

Place your board on the first wall, ensuring it sits flush on the flange and embeds in the waterproof sealant by pressing down firmly along the board and flange.

Pressing down firmly along the building panel and tub flange to ensure a tight seal.

Next, secure the board to the wall. For this installation, I used the approved screws and washers placed 12” apart.

Use the approved screws and washers, 12” apart, to secure backerboard to shower wall studs.

Finish Back Shower Wall

After hanging the first row of boards, and before hanging the next row, add sealant between the board seams and to interior tub corners where two boards will meet.

Adding waterproof sealant between board seams while installing shower wall panels.

Hang the next board, continuing to place screws 12 inches apart. Use your putty knife to spread out any excess sealant along the joints so that it lays flat.

Spreading excess sealant with a putty knife at the seam where two shower backer boards meet.

Install Side Walls

Once you complete the back wall, you can move on to the side walls, repeating the same steps to install the boards. Once you start your side walls, it’s very important that you apply sealant on the inside corner before placing your next board. This ensures a watertight connection between the two walls.

Finish Waterproofing

To waterproof screw holes, use the waterproof sealant and a putty knife. Begin by applying a dime-sized amount of sealant to each screw hole and spreading evenly over a minimum of 2 x 2 inches square.

Finally, along the seams, inside corners, and where the walls meet the tub, add more sealant and spread evenly using your putty knife.

Image showing shower walls above a bathtub that are completely waterproofed and ready for the next steps of a shower tile installation.

Before moving on to the next step, take a moment to check that all screw holes, seams and inside corners are covered evenly with sealant.

07

of 14

Step 7: Lay Your Tile

We’re finally at the most exciting part! When your thinset mortar is ready to go, it’s time to begin tiling.

Burn Thinset Onto Wall

To “burn in” thinset means to apply a thin layer using the flat side of a trowel, and it’s the first step in laying tile. Place a good amount of thinset onto the flat side of your trowel and apply a thin, even layer along the wall where you will be setting your first row of tiles.

A tile pro applies the initial layer of thinset to a shower wall before installing the first row of tile.

Burning in thinset promotes better coverage behind your tile installation, and is especially important in a wet area like a shower.

Directional Troweling

Apply more thinset mortar to the wall using the flat side of your trowel, and then immediately go back over the same area using the notched side of the trowel. This is called “directional troweling.” All of your notches should run in the same direction, and be parallel to the shortest edge of the tile you are laying. (This ensures that when you press each tile into the mortar, you get a secure hold.)

A tile pro uses the notched side of a trowel to form rows of notches into thinset, ensuring the lines run parallel to the shortest side of the tiles.

Burn Thinset Into Tiles

To get the best thinset coverage and strongest tile bond possible, it is best practice to burn in thinset to the back of each of the tiles you lay. Do this by using the flat side of your trowel to apply a small amount of thinset.

A tile pro uses a trowel to spread a small amount of thinset from edge to edge on the back side of a tile.

Lay First Row of Tile

Place the first tile along the layout line and collapse the thinset fully by moving the tile back and forth in the opposite direction of your trowel lines. This will remove the air from behind your tile and give you the desired coverage for a shower, which is 95%.

A tile pro applies uses her hands to apply pressure to a tile she is installing. Pressing the tile and moving it back and forth slightly helps to collapse notches in the thinset behind it, removing air and promoting a strong bond between the tile and the wall.

Check for Appropriate Thinset Mortar Coverage Behind Your Tiles

As you lay your first row of tiles, you will want to remove a tile to check if you are getting the proper amount of thinset coverage on the back of the tiles. The TCNA states that it is required that tiles in a wet area have a minimum of 95% coverage. That will mean you should not see the notches transfer on the back of your tile; it will look more like mountains if you are getting the right amount of coverage.

A shower tile has been pried off the wall to confirm the correct amount of thinset coverage is achieved during installation.

If you can still see traces of notch lines in the thinset, you are not getting proper coverage. Switch to the next largest size of notched trowel, and try applying the tile again.

Inspect Tiles

After you’ve finished tiling a row in your shower, take a step back and check that your tiles are level before continuing. You can ensure that your tiles are staying level by placing your leveler on the edge of the first row you tiled. You can do this with every row or every few rows and make adjustments if needed.

tile pro uses a leveler tool to confirm that the first few rows of installed tile are level before proceeding.

Additionally, you will want to check the surface of the tiles to ensure that they are staying flat and free of lippage as you tile up the surface of the wall.

After installing several rows of shower tile, a tile pro uses her leveler tool to check that the surface of tiles are flat and free of lippage.

Place Spacers

After you have checked that the first row of tiles have appropriate thinset mortar coverage, ensuring they are flat and level, you can add your spacers. If tiling to a ledger board, you will not need to add spacers to the horizontal grout joint, only the vertical.

After checking that the first few rows of shower wall tile are level, a tile pro has placed spacers in the vertical and horizontal joints before proceeding.

If tiling to a ledger board: You will tile the entire wall and remove the ledger board at the end. Once you remove the ledger board, you will then tile in your final row(s) at the bottom and accommodate for expansion at the tub or shower pan with at least a 1/8” spacer.