Transform with tiles

Make the most of unused shower space with extra storage alcoves

EDITED BY – FRANK GARDNER

1. Tile the alcove
Spread wall tile adhesive upwardswith a 6mm notched trowel, then press the mosaic tile sheets in. Tap the tiles with a grout float to embed each one evenly. Remove adhesive squeezing between the tiles with a match and wipe the tile face clean.

3. Lay the wall tiles
Spread wall adhesive with 8mm notched trowel up to the horizontal layout line and around one corner. Set tiles following the plumbline, leaving out the row directly behind the shelf.
TIP Push tiles up and down to embed, and wedge with plastic spacers.

5. Tile the bench
Starting at one end, set tiles on the front. If there’s a gap at the end, cut mosaic into strips and expand the grout lines slightly between rows. Tile the seat, working from front to back, aligning the grout lines with the front.

7. Tile the shelf
Cover the shelf timber with wallboard on top, front and bottom, and screw a support ledger to the shelf underside. Tile the shelf face, top and rest of the wall tile.
TIP Leave support ledger in place until the adhesive holding the face tile is set.

Tap in nails or plastic wedges
to support sagging mosaics.

2. Set out the wall tiles
Snap plumb and level layout lines, working full tiles around alcove .Measure down from bottom of alcove for the first row. Fasten a ledger to the wall to ensure a level first row and prevent tiles slipping. Remove ledger after tiling. Cut and add bottom row.

4. Tile the alcove sill
Tile the alcove sill, sides and top. Slope tiles slightly for drainage by adding extra adhesive on the back. Match the slope on the bottom tiles at the side by taping the bottom tile even with the row above it and scribing the angle with a full tile.

6. Tile end of the nib wall
Once the bench is complete, lay mosaic tiles up the face of the short nib wall. Cut strips to match the width of the wall from the mosaic sheets.
TIP Even out the tiles with slight pressure from the grout float.

8. Complete the grouting
When shelf tiles have set, lay remaining tiles above and below the shelf and on both sides of the nib wall. Use spacers, wedges and a straightedge to align. Next day, work tile grout into the gaps with a sponge float, removing excess with a sponge and clean water.