Complete your shower with a ceramic tile ceiling.
Building and installing your own shower is a great way to save money on contractors. A tiled shower will protect the walls from any moisture, preventing the growth of mold and bacteria. Using ceramic tile on the ceiling of your tile shower unit is the simplest way to provide a waterproof surface that will repel water as well as the surrounding walls do. Installing a ceramic tile shower ceiling is a rewarding project that you can show off for years to come.
Instructions
1. Use a measuring tape to find the length and width of the shower ceiling. Multiply these two numbers and you will have the area of the ceiling. Purchase as many tiles as you need to cover the area, plus 10 percent more. This takes into account any damage to the tiles during installation.
2. Snap a chalk line on the ceiling, across the width of the shower area. Use a T-square to ensure that the line is perpendicular to the wall. Snap an intersecting chalk line on the ceiling, across the length of the shower area. Use the T-square to make sure that it is perpendicular to both the wall and the intersecting line. These lines will serve as a guide when you lay your first tile.
3. Mix the thin-set mortar according to the instructions on the package. Only mix as much thin-set as you can use in a half hour, so that it does not dry out and become brittle.
4. Use the smooth edge of the notched trowel to spread a layer of thin-set mortar on the ceiling, using the two intersecting chalk lines as a guide. Spread enough to cover the space of several tiles.
5. Use the notched edge of a trowel to go over the mortar you have spread. This will make grooves in the mortar, which will help the tiles adhere to the ceiling via suction.
6. Lay the first tile at the intersection of the two chalk lines. Apply firm and even pressure with both hands, using a slight wiggle to push any air bubbles from the grooves you made in the mortar.
7. Add plastic tile spacers on all sides of the tile. Continue spreading mortar and laying tiles until your reach a wall or a fixture.
8. Make straight cuts in the tiles by using a wet tile saw. Mark the cutting line on the tile, using a wax crayon and straightedge. Push the tile into the rotating saw blade and follow the line you made until the tile comes apart.
9. Make curved lines so the tile will fit around fixtures. Mark the curve with a wax crayon, then use the tile scriber to etch a line into the surface of the tile over the wax line. Chip away bits of the tile with the tile nippers, until all that is left is the curve to fit around the fixture.
10. Mix the grout according to the instructions on the package. Use the rubber float to spread the grout into the spaces between the tiles. Use a damp cloth to wipe away any excess grout from the tile surface.
11. Allow the grout to cure. Use a damp cloth, wiping with a circular motion, to remove any haze left by the grout.
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