# Tile wall or floor 1st



## CSinMa (Mar 4, 2012)

I have had this ongoing dispute with my tile guy, maybe you guys can help with the friendly argument we are having.

The tile guy tells me he likes to install his floor tile first then lay the wall tiles on top of the floor, 
whereas I always set the walls first and then lay the floor tile leaving a grout joint around the perimeter, I find this is a better look and is more water tight than laying the wall tiles on the floor. 
It is also easier and cleaner for grouting in my opinion.
he also insists on placing the cove base on top of the floor.

sometimes I wonder why I even sub this stuff out now.

so what do you guys think, which is the best and "right" way to install tiles? 
and do the rules change in a shower?


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## bdoles (Sep 11, 2007)

I've always done it the way your tile guys does it, floor first then wall with base on top of floor. I'm sure it's done both ways by many.


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## carpenter uk (Nov 25, 2009)

I always go walls first, saves the floor getting damaged

to me the look and water tightness is the same either way as i run a bead of silicone around

If by cove you mean the plastic crap, I would never use that


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## [email protected] (Aug 9, 2011)

I do walls first but I usually leave the bottom row off. I then lay the floor. Then come back and put the last wall tile in. This allows for no accidental damage to the floor.

I like to have the floor tile under the wall tiles for two reasons. The first is that the rooms I tile are rarely square. It hides out of square cuts better. When I prep the walls I can usually work the walls into plumb with shims so it makes for a better looking more consistent job to me.

Secondly when I do a shower I always design it so that any water will run off a tile and not into a grout line. Wall tiles sit on top of my bench tiles, the bench seat tile overlaps the bench face tiles, the wall tile sits on top of the floor tile. That way all water runoff is over transitions instead of into transition. I also lay the tiles tight and caulk with a siliconized colormatched caulk.


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## CSinMa (Mar 4, 2012)

You guys sound like my tile guy....lol
when I say cove, I mean an actual cove base that matches the tile , you know, the one that has the inside corner radius, which is why it should be put on 1st so the floor tile is inline with the bottom of the radius.
in my opinion floor tile looks odd if there is no perimeter grout joint, but hey, maybe I'm just an old crow...I mean "old pro"


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## goneelkn (Jan 9, 2010)

[email protected] said:


> I do walls first but I usually leave the bottom row off. I then lay the floor. Then come back and put the last wall tile in. This allows for no accidental damage to the floor.
> 
> I like to have the floor tile under the wall tiles for two reasons. The first is that the rooms I tile are rarely square. It hides out of square cuts better. When I prep the walls I can usually work the walls into plumb with shims so it makes for a better looking more consistent job to me.
> 
> Secondly when I do a shower I always design it so that any water will run off a tile and not into a grout line. Wall tiles sit on top of my bench tiles, the bench seat tile overlaps the bench face tiles, the wall tile sits on top of the floor tile. That way all water runoff is over transitions instead of into transition. I also lay the tiles tight and caulk with a siliconized colormatched caulk.


Same here, except for the caulk, always 100% silicone. Why don't you use 100% silicone?


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## Mud Master (Feb 26, 2007)

Always done the floor first personally.


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## [email protected] (Aug 9, 2011)

goneelkn said:


> Same here, except for the caulk, always 100% silicone. Why don't you use 100% silicone?


My supplier recently started carrying 100% silicone. I try it from time to time and the prospec silicone doent match the grout close enough. Are you using clear or color match?


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## goneelkn (Jan 9, 2010)

Color match. Latasil and Colorsil. I try to talk customers into QL for grout. Some colors from Colorsil weren't to close. So now i usually use Latasil and pick a close color. This pic is Colorsil's "exact" match to a QL color


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## GO Remodeling (Apr 5, 2005)

Floor first so you can put a spacer to set the wall tile.


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## The Coastal Craftsman (Jun 29, 2009)

goneelkn said:


> Color match. Latasil and Colorsil. I try to talk customers into QL for grout. Some colors from Colorsil weren't to close. So now i usually use Latasil and pick a close color. This pic is Colorsil's "exact" match to a QL color


That's meant to be a color match? They look nothing alike.


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## goneelkn (Jan 9, 2010)

That's why i stopped using them!! It's good caulk if they could get the color right. Some colors are good, the rest are like that.


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## [email protected] (Aug 9, 2011)

Thats the problem Ive been having. The prospec caulk color is extremely close, silicone not so much.


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## Jdub2083 (Dec 18, 2011)

When I tile a shower I leave the bottom row off and do the walls, then floor, then bottom row of the walls. 

I have about 400 sq ft of wood plank tile coming up that will meet up with 3 quartz stone walls. Definitely have to do the floor before the walls there. I like the added protection of doing the floor last, but I like the look of the wall coming to the floor, not the floor coming to the wall, much better.


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## TAHomeRepairs (Jun 18, 2012)

I'm with Jdub and ASH start second row up on the walls, then floor, then lowest row on the walls to cap the floor


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## BlueRidgeGreen (Apr 21, 2012)

Floor first....1/2" foam board as protection, cut 1" back for spacer input/etc. 

Leaving out the first wall course just seems like a PITA....IMO. 

With Kerdi....how would you attach the ledger to sit the second course on?


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## The Coastal Craftsman (Jun 29, 2009)

BlueRidgeGreen said:


> Floor first....1/2" foam board as protection, cut 1" back for spacer input/etc.
> 
> Leaving out the first wall course just seems like a PITA....IMO.
> 
> With Kerdi....how would you attach the ledger to sit the second course on?


I dont use kerdi but with WEDI i just screw thorugh the board for tile support then after tile has set i take down the tile support and fill the hole with wedi sealent.


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## aptpupil (Jun 12, 2010)

Floor first here too.


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## mrcharles (Sep 27, 2011)

For showers I do it the way described starting with the second row of the wall. For the rest of the bathroom I like floor first. If its tile base it looks fine coming down to the floor, but if it is true cove tile then the wall should go first.


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## tenon0774 (Feb 7, 2013)

By cove I take it you mean sanitary tile base.

If that's the case then yes...
walls 1st.

otherwise, floor 1st.


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## hammer-head (Feb 5, 2013)

> The tile guy tells me he likes to install his floor tile first then lay the wall tiles on top of the floor


leave your inadequacies at home.

just an fyi


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