Do You Tile First and Then Install the Shower Door?


Do You Tile First and Then Install the Shower Door

There are lots of factors you need to consider before choosing an option between installing a door or tiles at first. You basically can have two options when it comes to shower doors. The first will be a framed door with a properly framed outline, and the second will be a classier one without a frame.

However, it really doesn’t matter which one you select as the process of doing the task is the same. But the real question that you might face is how to install a door perfectly without harming the tiles much?

Yes, it is definitely a good idea to install tiles first then the shower door because it will save your time, money, less risk involved, will look good. However, installing a shower door on tiles can be a tricky task sometimes.

Is it Tiles or The door: What should be preferred

This is a question that has been debated for years. Different professionals have different approaches to the topic. Some of them find it easy to install the door at first and then go for the tile.

Others consider installing the tile first and then using different instruments to fix the jambs in the tile. It really depends on what comes at easier man force and cheaper price rate for you.

Talking of the most favorable option, fixing the tiles prior to door is considered a good option. However, both of these have many pros and cons. At last, it depends on the investor to decide. This choice is also a risky one as if your working man is not a person that can work with precision; then you can lose your materials.

A Door person? What’s the deal with installing the door first.

In a situation where you go with the option of installing the door before you install the tile, there can be some huge problems you need to face.

install-shower-doorFirst of all, if your door is frameless and you want to fix it up just on some nuts to the wall, you might need a deep and precise trimming in the wall. When the door is installed, you will have to adjust the tile accordingly. In such a case, a lot of machine work involving shaping the tile will occur.

You will have to measure accurately and then will have the top cut and shape the tile accordingly. For an amateur person, this work is very hard. It’s all about a millimeter, and you will not get the fit you might want on the wall.

Talking of doors with frames, one needs to install the jambs. Fix the jambs using a jamb saw so that the door remains in close proximity to the floor. Once you have fixed the jamb, attaching the door is an easy task. But now you will have to install the tiles according to the situation.

The best idea will be to create a space with the saw and then place the tile. The main challenge in the task will be about obtaining the accuracy to fix up the jambs. This process takes a lot of time talking, and you will have to have the jambs in a very precise way, or it is going to destroy your door fitting. 

If you go for Tiles first the shower door

This opinion is also preferred by a lot of people. One of the advantages of doing this will be protecting your walls from water. If your shower door is fixed prior to the tiles, you might have a problem with water entering below the tile. This makes it less efficient, and your tiles can fall off easily in such a case.

In going with your tiles first, you can rest assured that the walls will not get any disturbance. Your tiles also will be fixed properly, so you need to cut the jambs. You can easily fix the thick jamb or the tile. However, there is a big struggle on the way with this process also.

Once your tiles are fixed, your wall will have a very tight interlocking of the tiles. You will see next to no space between them, and disturbing even one of them can be harmful to all the others. But this is not the main concern. Once your tiles are there, to fix your door, you will have to operate very accurately on the tile, which is fixed to the wall.

However, this work is not a very hectic one when it comes to a professional. Nowadays, we have many tools and apparatus in the market that can help you with making the correct attachment of your door with the wall.

Which one is the better option?

If you have a professional set of people dealing with the problem, it is always better to let them decide for you. But if you want precision with maximum output, then it is better that you do your tile first and then install your shower door.

It not only gives a better result but saves you from experimenting with the door. The technique is an age-old one. If you compare the risk factor, going with the process seems safer.

Just keep the fact in mind that you will have to consider the opinion of your work people. Some of them can be good at tiles, and others can be a door person.

Advantages of going with tiles first!

There can be a lot of plus points when we talk of going with tiles before the door. Below is the article we will mention some of the best advantages you can have by doing so-

1.) It can save you time. This only happens if your hands are good at dealing with tiles. If a professional, experienced person does the installation of your door on affixed tiles, it might take minutes, and all the work will be done. Basically, all he has to do is to shape it and make the accurate lock for the attachment or jamb. And in building or renovating, time is money.

2.) It is a good option if you want to get less risk involved. If a person chooses the other way and tries installing the door first, it can be a hell of a lot of work to remodel every tile according to the measurement. This will take a lot of precise work, and an error can cost you one natural tile. We all know that tiles are costly stones, and wasting them will be a shame.

3.) Good for your Door- People can disagree with the point, but on average, this method really a good one for the door. It doesn’t need to be disturbed. The legs and the frames of the door can be installed over the tiles, and all you have to do is to place the door in the correct position with the attachment you have made.

On the other hand, if you go for the opposite method, you will have to shave and trim the door and frames so that you can slide the tiles in. That is harder work to do.

4.) Will cost you less- Talking of the cost issues, one never wants his work to be done at higher price rates. It is always better to get a substitute to solve your problem in the lowest budget possible. This method is highly preferred as it needs a limited machine and man force.

5.) You also make the wall tile attachment strong- Seepage of water below the tile can destroy the entire thing. You must have a very strong inspection of your wall before opting for tiles and other procedures. If the wall is weak and it absorbs water, the best option to go for is to fix the tile firmly before you go with the door.

Have a Plan? Here is how to install it perfectly.

These steps will help you to provide steps on the easy installation of your door on the tiles.

  • If you are doing it on your own, then better to gather some ideas on the subject.
  • You need some apparatus and other attachments.
  • One must realize that fixing tiles on the walls and the floor itself needs a lot of care.
  • Get your apparatus ready with the materials you might need, like cement and more.
  • Moreover, a mixture of cement, sand, and water is made and then applied to the wall.
  • There can be special additions to this mixture if you want.
  • Now measure the tiles accurately and start putting them precisely.
  • One can use laser meters for alignment and more.
  • Fix the tiles and let them dry.

Further, you will have to make an attachment to fix the door to the wall.

Installing doors first when we talk, especially on the floor?

People think that installing a door first and then working on the floor with tiles is a good idea. They also think that one can law the jamb on the floor and then add tiles close to the boundary.

But this really seems unprofessional and looks bad. It will destroy the look you want with the tiles. It is always better to go for the tiles first, and then one should go for the door.

Conclusion

In the article above, we tried mentioning some of the important facts and points you need to have a look at before selecting your choice when it comes to installing tiles first or the door to your shower.

It depends on you what you prefer doing first. But in the end, it is always a better choice to go with doing your tiles first and then installing shower doors.

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