How to finish 1″ gap between tub and tile

bathroomtiling

We just tiled above a new tub–our first time. We started the bottom row 1/4" above the vertical flange on the tub. This left us with 1+" of gap between the flat tub surface and the bottom of the tile.

How should we have done it instead? We thought we were following instructions that would allow the tub to expand and contract without screwing up the tile, but aesthetically, something ain't right. Is there a clever way to fix it?

scene of the crime

Best Answer

What you should have done instead is leave a 1/4 inch gap between the backerboard and the vertical flange, and let the tiles hang down past the vertical flange to 1/4 from the horizontal tub deck surface. That keeps everything nicely separated while allowing water to flow down past the flange.

At this point you need to remove the bottom row of tile. If you can find the same style tile in a rectangular shape that will come down far enough, go for it. Other options would be a completely different (but complementary) tile for the bottom row, or a thin decorative row between the second-last row and the fixed (lower) bottom row.