Installing a new bathtub or repairing the sanitary room itself sometimes causes quite problematic moments. One of the most common is the question: how to close the gap between the bathroom and the wall. It is important if the apartment owners like to take a shower - water falling into the resulting gap can cause serious troubles - increased humidity in the bathroom will certainly lead to fungi, in addition, an unpleasant smell of dampness will appear in the bathroom, if you take a shower often, it’s possible even flooding the neighbors living on the lower floor. Close the gap between the bathtub and the wall immediately after installing the bathtub.

Content:

1. Reasons why a gap may form
2. How to close the gap between the bathroom and the wall 
   • plastic baseboard video
   • bathroom tape
3. Direct ceramic border - when you need to install it video
4. Ceramic corner for the bathroom - thoroughly and for a long time
5. How to close the gap between the wall and the acrylic bath video

Reasons why a gap may form

Most often, the cause of the problem is the installation of the bath, the dimensions of which do not exactly match the dimensions of the room allocated for its installation. The mismatch of the walls with the sides of the bathtub can result from the disturbed geometry of the room - the corners are not straight.

Of course, the situation can be corrected at any stage of the repair work, but experts say that the preliminary calculation of all room parameters and the correct choice of bathtub for installation will be the best option. In order not to complicate your life, it is recommended to consider the most common mistakes.

They may be as follows:

1. When laying the tiles, the corners were not strictly observed, i.e. the tiler did not pay attention to this fact when performing facing works.
2. The second common mistake is that the tiling is performed before the bath is installed, it is more correct to first install the bath, then proceed with finishing work - in this case, a row of tiles along its long side will be laid along the edge of the side, the gap will not occur.
3. If during the marking it turns out that for laying the tiles you need to apply the adhesive in an excessively thick layer - make sure that the corners of the room are not rounded. If roundings were found, they will have to be removed before installing the bathtub; a perforator will be required to eliminate the roundness of the corners.
4. Installing a deliberately short bath may cause problems. The reason for this situation is the standard size of the bathtubs and the dimensions of the room that do not always meet the standards. For example, a bathtub can have a length of 1.7 m or 1.6 m, with a wall length of 1, 65 m, according to the logic of things, you should buy a bathtub with a length of 1.6 m - it will be easier to install it. But at the same time there will be a gap between the bathroom and the wall, and not small. Experts recommend in such cases to purchase a larger bathtub; to install it, you will need to drill the walls at the desired height. The master is not difficult to cope with such a task.

If the installation of a new bathtub is carried out in a previously finished room, then you will have to seriously think about how to close the gap between the bathtub and the wall.

How to close the gap between the bathroom and the wall

When deciding how to close a gap, you will first need to evaluate its width. If the distance is within 1 - 30 mm, then you can use the standard option - the installation of a plinth or border tape. Both of these materials do an excellent job, in addition, with proper installation they will last a long period.

plastic baseboard

with the help of a plastic baseboard, slots of the order of 1-15 mm can be closed. To fix the baseboard, you can use silicone. Begin work by creating a solid base for the baseboard.

Experts recommend filling the gap:

• silicone - if its width is less than 10 mm,
• glue for tiles - if the width is from 10 to 15 mm.

After the silicone or glue has dried, the baseboard can be glued; for the most part, it will serve as a decorative element hiding the seam we made.

If necessary, close the gap to 5 mm, you can use the same silicone sealant for the bathroom, but instead of the baseboard for finishing, take the outer corner for the tile. The perforated part will need to be cut, the remaining corner can make a seam line. Silicone is also used for gluing. Remove sealant residues from the surface with a sponge.

Learn more about the work when watching a video:

bathroom tape

This type of finish is a rubber with a self-adhesive base. Using the tape for the bathroom, you can seal and ennoble the junction line between the wall and the side of the bath. Prepare the base for the tape as follows under the plastic baseboard, covering the slots with tiled glue. The use of a border tape requires the abandonment of the use of silicone - the components of the sealant adversely affect the tape, provoke its deformation, as a result - it begins to peel off.

Installation of the tape is not difficult - first remove the protective paper layer from its sticky surface, then one side of the tape is pressed tightly against the wall, the other to the surface of the side. To avoid problems, it is recommended to stick one side first, then another. The protective layer should not be removed immediately from the entire tape - only the surface glued at the moment should be released from it.

Before starting work, the surfaces should be washed, degreased and dried. The width of the gap covered by the tape can reach 35 mm, but subject to the correct choice of tape size. It is sold per meter, the desired length is cut from a roll.

Direct ceramic border - when should it be installed

Installing a direct ceramic border is the best option for covering a gap larger than 35 mm.

First you need to build a base, it is best to install a board under the slot, which will serve as a formwork. Naturally, the formwork itself will need to be supported in order to keep it well. The solution prepared according to the usual recipe is poured into the formed recess.

To give strength, it is recommended to reinforce the base with a metal mesh, you can also use a wire of 2 mm thickness. After the mortar hardens, the formwork is removed, a direct ceramic border or cut tile is laid on top of the concrete base.

It should be noted that the curb must have a bias towards the bath, otherwise water will accumulate in the corner and mold will appear over time.

In more detail about installation of furnish on video:

Ceramic corner for the bathroom - thoroughly and for a long time

Since the service life of the ceramic figured corner is not limited, its installation can be recommended to those who like solidity and prefer to make high-quality repairs.

The positive aspects of using a ceramic border will be:

• high mechanical strength
• high resistance to tensile and deformation forces,
• resistance to chemicals and high temperatures,
• ability to maintain an attractive appearance.

The only drawback of the ceramic corner is its low resistance to shock - the fall of a heavy object can destroy it.

The installation of a figured ceramic corner is carried out on the tile or under it. If the border is installed under the tile, then it is laid out on the bath in the first place, then the tile is laid.

Getting started, it is desirable to perform the calculation of the material, the number of corners will correspond to the number of tiles in a row, experts recommend buying a couple of corners more - you never know what can happen to a fragile product during transportation and masonry.

Do not forget to buy silicone sealant, one tube will be enough. Tile glue is also required.

They start work by sealing the gap with a sealant, leaving gaps in this case is not allowed. Squeezing the time it takes to harden the sealant, in accordance with the attached instructions, glue for tile is spread, applied to the back of the corner and pressed to the junction line. It is advisable to remove excess glue immediately. When installing the border, you must observe the horizontal installation of each fragment.

Particular attention will need to be paid to the transitions formed at the junction of the walls, at the corners of the bath. It makes sense to look for ready-made corner joints, this will greatly simplify the work. If you can’t buy them, you will need to cut off the corners of the ceramic baseboard at 45 degrees using a tile cutter and grind them with an emery bar.

After a day, you can, to increase the strength of the glue, pour curbs abundantly with water. To increase aesthetics, all gaps between honey tiles are covered with grout.

If you are installing the baseboard on a tile, you will need:

• thoroughly clean and degrease the surface of the tile,
• apply waterproof glue to the back of the curb,
• install the corner, press it and wait until the connection is fixed.

With care and rational care, ceramic corners for the bathroom will last quite a long time.

How to close the gap between the wall and the acrylic bath

This question is quite relevant, because consumers increasingly prefer this particular type of bathtub. When performing finishing work, it is necessary to take into account the features of this material. The use of silicone sealant in this case is not the best option - after some time, the acrylic product will change its original shape, or rather, it will bend. Deformation will cause the silicone seal to break.

To prevent such an unpleasant phenomenon, you will need: when installing the bath, additionally strengthen it with hooks screwed into the walls. It will be enough to install one fastener at the ends, along the long side you can install two or three hooks. If the installation of the bath is done with high quality, it will be possible to reliably seal the gap.

In addition, experts recommend: the acrylic bath should be filled with water before starting work. Pour water should be no sooner than twelve hours - during this time the silicone will have time to completely dry. It will be more rational to apply silicone in the evening, leave the bath under load all night, and pour water in the morning.

The materials considered for closing the gap between the wall and the bath are the options for using finished products of factory production. In practice, other improvised materials are often used. The only thing that can be advised - when choosing them, you should pay attention to quality characteristics, service life and appearance.

An important factor will be the ability to seal joints of materials of different quality.

Watch a video about the advantages and disadvantages of different options for sealing a gap:

Author: Sergey and Svetlana Khuentsov

10