Tiling your bathroom demands thorough consideration as to whether you should tile it fully or partially. It is central to the design of the bathroom. Moreover, there are several safety concerns associated with it.
In this article, we will discuss whether a bathroom should be fully tiled or not. While fully tiled bathrooms are convenient and nice to look at, they are costly. Wondering whether it will be worth it? Let’s read ahead to explore several factors associated with it.
Should a bathroom be fully tiled?
There are no building codes that imply that a bathroom should be fully tiled. There are no obligations in this case. You can choose to fully tile your bathroom, especially if it is a small space because it adds greatly to convenience and aesthetic value. However, it will be significantly costly.
Tiling your bathroom is a matter of thorough consideration and neat measurements. You cannot just begin tiling your bathroom without having considered all the factors involved, it will not be reasonable.
Rather, before you proceed, make sure to factor in the cost, the purpose of tiling, how frequently you plan on using the particular bathroom, its size, and more.
There’s no building code that indicates that you should tile your bathroom fully. It is a matter of choice. You get to choose whether you want to tile your bathroom fully or partially.
Traditionally, people tile the wet areas of their bathrooms. This allows us to waterproof the bathroom floor.
However, there are now many alternatives to tiles that will help us waterproof the bathroom floor equally well. So you will not need to fully tile your bathroom unless you want to.
Small bathroom:
Small bathrooms are often fully tiled by homeowners. While it is not necessary that you fully tile your bathroom, tiling offers great convenience and security in the bathroom.
However, a major drawback is that fully tiling your bathroom entails a huge cost. So you will have to be very calculative in this case.
Tiling a small bathroom will not cost as much, since you will need lesser tiles to cover the entire area. So you can fully tile a small bathroom without much issue.
Large bathroom:
When you fully tile your bathroom, the bathroom floor becomes completely waterproof.
It reduces risks of slipping, molding, and more. It offers a spa-like seamless finish in your bathroom, adding aesthetic values as well.
Tiling a large bathroom is not easy as you will have to cover a large area, counting more tiles. It will be costly. But if you find the result to be worthy of the effort and investment, we would definitely suggest you to go for it.
Are tiles necessary in a bathroom? Is it better to have a fully tiled bathroom?
No, tiles are not necessary in a bathroom, but they will definitely benefit your bathroom floor. It’s not like there are any building codes that indicate that you should put tiles in your bathroom.
But there are several benefits of putting tiles in your bathroom, ranging from aesthetic values to safety concerns.
Tiling your bathroom has a handful of pros. One of the most prominent benefits among them is that the tiles can waterproof the bathroom floor.
So the bathroom floor will remain safe and healthy for a long time. In addition, you will minimize the risk of slipping on the wet bathroom floor thanks to the tiles.
Whether it would be better to fully tile your bathroom, instead of just tiling the wet part of the bathroom, is completely a style preference.
Since there are no codes here, it would fall on the owner of the home to decide whether they should tile the bathroom floor completely or partially.
Tiling the bathroom floor completely has a handful of benefits. You will be able to enhance the aesthetics of the room as well as its security.
However, it will prove to be rather expensive if you tile the bathroom floor completely. So it is a matter of affordability.
3 reasons why you should fully tile bathroom – Pros and Cons of fully tiled bathroom
There are several reasons to fully tile your bathroom. Let’s look some of the most prominent reasons as to why it is beneficial to fully tile your bathroom:
Safety of the users:
Fully tiling your bathroom makes the floor less slippery when it is wet. This ensures that you and your family are safe in the bathroom even when the floor is wet.
It offers a grip, and a sense of security in turn. It is also very easy to wipe the bathroom floor clean.
In addition, tiling your bathroom floor will help you maintain a good air quality in the bathroom. Tiles are designed in a manner that they will not hold on to any volatile organic compounds.
VOCs are known to give rise to a handful of health issues, but thanks to the tiles on your bathroom, the risk is minimized.
While there are several other flooring alternatives that offer low VOC output, there is none as good as a tile. That is to say, tiling your bathroom floor is a great way of ensuring safety and security for yourself and your family.
Aesthetics:
Aside from the safety benefits, bathroom tiles will improve the aesthetics of the room by manifolds. Tiles come in many colors and patterns. So you can always enhance the beauty and aesthetic value of your bathroom using tiles.
You can introduce color and patterns not just on the bathroom floor but also along the walls.
It makes your bathroom look even more attractive. This will be a great way to improve the resale value of your home as well, if that’s something you’re planning on.
In addition, tiles give a very polished look in your bathroom. You will be able to pull off a spa-like seamless finish in your bathroom if you can fully tile it. You can even use your bathroom as a wet room in the future.
Waterproofing the floor:
Tiling will allow you to waterproof the floor. Aside from ensuring safety for you, it will also secure the wellbeing of your bathroom floor. Tiling will protect your bathroom floor from catching mold and the likes. It will ensure durability of the floor as well.
In addition, bathroom tiles are very easy and quick to fit. You will not need any grout for this. You can fit the tiles directly on the floor, regardless of the type of surface it has.
How high should tile go on the bathroom wall? Should you tile around a toilet?
Traditionally, the entire bathroom floors used to be covered with tiles. But the walls were left without many tiles.
The classic pattern of bathroom walls indicate that you should only partially cover the bathroom walls with tiles, while modern designs cover the entire walls.
Classically, tiles go as high as 34 to 54 inches high on the bathroom walls. 36 inches is the average height up to which bathroom tiles would go.
You should always tile the floor first. Then you can proceed on to the walls around the bathroom. You can tile around a toilet without any worry. In fact, it is suggested that you tile the walls of the bathroom in order to ensure security and durability for the walls.
How to fully tile a bathroom?
Here’s a step by step guide for you to fully tile a bathroom:
Make a thorough plan:
To fully tile a bathroom, you will need to prepare a detailed plan at first. Take the size of the bathroom in detail and measure the size of the tiles that you’re planning to place.
Then calculate how many tiles you will need in order to fully tile the bathroom.
Prepare the floor and wall:
Now you will need to prepare the wall and floor of the bathroom for placing the tile. Look for holes and cracks on the surface. If you find any, cover it with plaster.
Cut the tiles and mark the floor:
Now that you have everything ready, it is time to place the tiles on the floor. Mark the floor as per the size of the tiles. Use tape measures for taking the measures properly.
You are likely to have some uneven spots along the edges. For filling up those spots, you will need to cut the tiles. Wear safety goggles and gloves when you do so.
Apply the tiles:
Now use the adhesives and grouts to place the tiles in place. Since you have already marked up the wall and the floor, simply place the tiles along the boxes.
Final Thoughts
It is not necessary that you fully tile the bathroom. There are no building codes in place that suggest that you should fully tile your bathroom. But tiling the bathroom fully has a handful of benefits, ranging from security and durability to aesthetic values.