How to glue a border to a bathtub: analysis of installation rules + installation instructions

There is always a characteristic gap along the interface between the side of the bathtub and the wall.Its size depends on the quality of installation of the container, the evenness of the walls, and the characteristics of the sanitary bowl. Regardless of whether this gap reaches a whole centimeter or is a tenth of a millimeter, it freely allows water to pass through.

Agree, it is not very pleasant to periodically or constantly conflict with neighbors from the apartment located below regarding constantly flooded ceilings. But to avoid negative situations, it is enough to close the gap with a flexible or rigid border. It will hermetically seal the joint and effectively design the perimeter of the bowl.

We will tell you in great detail how to glue a border to a bathtub. All options for sealing and decorating the gap between the bowl and the wall are collected and systematized for you. In addition to valuable recommendations, visual photo guides and video instructions are included.

Choosing a curb for installation

They just can’t manage to close the joint between the bathtub and the wall - they use ordinary cement putty or glue plastic corners for the kitchen set.

But the following are specially designed for these purposes:

• Flexible self-adhesive tape. Used for temporary (one to two years) protection from moisture;
• Plastic corner. Designed for a much longer service life, which can be easily replaced when necessary - during a renovation of a room, when replacing a bathtub, or due to yellowing of the product itself.
• Border made of ceramics or natural stone. The most expensive option is used for good repairs and serves as reliable waterproofing.

In addition to the above products, borders made of polystyrene foam or expanded polystyrene are often used. But since they are not moisture-resistant and are not intended for installation on the sides of the bathtub, there is no point in considering them further.

The border is matched to the color of the facing tiles or bathtub. Its width may vary and depend on the size of the joint

Option 1. Plastic corner for protection against moisture

Plastic border is the most practical a way to close the joint between the wall and the bathtub. The service life of this product is not very long, but this is easily compensated by the fact that it is inexpensive and easy to install and dismantle.

It can be installed on or under tiles. There are many options on sale with different sizes, types of fastenings, any colors and shades.

A white plastic border may turn yellow over time, so you need to choose high-quality and not the cheapest products that are resistant to yellowing

Option #2. Border made of ceramic elements

A ceramic corner for a bathroom is often purchased complete with facing tiles or separately - their range is wide variety. Such a border provides reliable isolation of joints from leaks and has a long service life.

You can install the corner before and after wall cladding. If the border elements have the same dimensions as the tiles, then it is advisable to lay them in such a way that the seams match

Among the advantages of ceramic borders, the following can be separately noted:

• disinclination to yellowing;
• high mechanical strength;
• resistance to chemical effects of detergents.

Stone borders - marble, granite - should not be overlooked. They are used if this material has already been used in the interior, for example, for the production of a bathtub, washbasin, or as a decorative insert for wall cladding.

In terms of their properties, stone borders resemble ceramic ones, but are even more durable and give the setting a sophisticated look.

The choice of material for constructing a ceramic border usually determines tiled screen for bathtub.

Option #3. Flexible border tape for insulating joints

A self-adhesive tape element is the easiest way to protect the space behind the bathtub from leaks. It is a polyethylene tape with an adhesive composition on the inside, which is covered with a protective layer.

The tape corner does not allow water to pass through and is able to withstand dynamic loads during expansion and contraction.

Such an element can be considered a temporary measure, which will sooner or later require replacement, since the adhesive composition applied to them is not of very high quality. In addition, when laying them it is difficult to achieve neat joints in the corners.

With a tape corner it will not be possible to achieve complete sealing of the joints, but you can at least somehow prevent the spread of moisture and delay time before repairs, buying a new bathtub or a better border

The selection of the option and method of arranging the joint between the plumbing fixtures and the wall should be focused on the type of material from which the bowl is made, screen view and wall decoration in a hygienic room.

General rules for laying corners

Whatever material is chosen for sealing the seams between the bathtub and the wall, there are several basic installation nuances. Without them, it is hardly possible to successfully complete the installation and ensure high-quality sealing.

Preparing the surface for installation

Regardless of when and what material the bathroom corner is installed from, it is necessary to carefully prepare the surface: clean it and degrease it. Without these preparations, it will be difficult to achieve reliable adhesion of the curb to the wall and bathtub surfaces.

First of all, clean the side of the bathtub, removing dust, soap scum, mold. You can use liquid detergents and soda for this. Table vinegar or special chemicals will help to overcome fungal colonies.

After the detergent has been washed off, the corner is thoroughly dried. This can be done using a women's or hair dryer.

Degrease the surface with soda or acid-based products (depending on the material). For a plastic border, it is better to use white spirit or gasoline - they do not dissolve the plastic. Then the surface is washed with water and dried.

From now on you cannot touch it with your hands. All work is carried out with rubber gloves and only with a clean sponge or washcloth - do not allow grease to come into contact with the surfaces being treated.

Application of adhesive composition

If the gap between the bathtub and the wall is large, then it needs to be sealed before you begin laying the border itself. To do this, moisten the surfaces with water and generously fill them with waterproof polyurethane foam.

To prevent it from staining the area on which the border will be laid, it is protected with masking tape.After applying the foam, it is lightly sprinkled with water and left for a day until it hardens. Next, the excess material is cut off with a sharp knife and the tape is removed.

To glue the masking tape evenly, beat a line on the surface, along which the protection against expanding polyurethane foam is glued

To lay the border on the bathtub, if it is not self-adhesive tape (although it can be further strengthened), use liquid nails, silicone or polyurethane foam. The main thing is that the adhesive is moisture resistant, because it will often be in contact with water.

Silicone sealant is used to waterproof cracks and joints. It is best to use a product with antiseptic and fungicidal additives that can resist fungus.

You can use sealant for aquariums - it is the most waterproof, does not grow mold, is relatively inexpensive and glues surfaces well, because it is even intended for the production of containers of several hundred liters.

It is better to start installation with freshly opened sealant. When you take a break from working, you need to close it with a cap, and before the next application, squeeze out a certain amount from the tube to get to the fresh composition

Before applying the glue, it is necessary to measure the area, cut off the border elements of the required size and attach them to the installation site. Only if the joints and dimensions match perfectly can you glue the corner fragment.

Apply the adhesive so that it fills the entire space between the curb and the surfaces in a thin layer. The glue should also fill all the irregularities - depressions at the joints of tiles or plastic lining.

Particular attention is paid to the corners. Remove excess product and level the surface of the glue using a rubber spatula.On average, about one bottle of silicone sealant is used per bath. But if there are large cracks and depressions, then two can be used.

Installing a plastic corner

Laying a border, which is mainly used for arranging the perimeter acrylic bathtub, start from the corner. An element of a certain size is cut, the angle is cut at 45° using a miter box and a hacksaw. You can immediately prepare the next section and check the correctness of the joints and tight fit to the surface.

If the space between the bathtub and the wall was previously filled with foam, it may in some places interfere with the free fit of the curb. In this case, it needs to be trimmed.

There are models of corners in which the back wall is wrapped behind the bathtub for more secure fastening. To install them you need to make a cut in the hardened polyurethane foam.

Holding the border near the bathtub, glue masking tape over it (2 mm higher) on the wall. The same is done at the bottom of the curb, on the sides of the bathtub, below 2 mm. This restriction will prevent silicone from staining surfaces.

Then “liquid nails” or polyurethane foam are applied to the installation site and the corner is pressed in several places.

On long sections it is better to do the styling with four hands. To hide the end of the corner, which ends with a bare cut, you can bend it down, pre-heat it in hot water, and fix it with adhesive.

Before installing a plastic border along the line between the old bathtub and the wall, you should fill the gap, if there is one.

After eliminating the gap between the plumbing and the wall, you can safely begin installing the plastic border.

An additional layer of silicone is carefully applied to the joints of the curb and wait for polymerization. Work with silicone sealant is carried out at temperatures from +5 °C to +40 °C. Hardening occurs within 24-48 hours.

The corner needs to be pressed down with something or pressed manually from time to time until the end of the glue hardening period.

Installation of ceramic border

Despite the fact that many are intimidated by the complexity of tiling work, if you wish, you can still do without the help of professionals and carry out the installation yourself. Having studied the information on how to make a ceramic border in the bathroom, and started installing it along the sides cast iron or acrylic container, you will understand that there is nothing complicated in this matter.

What will you need for installation?

Preparing the surface for laying a ceramic border on laid tiles is no different from the actions when installing borders made of other materials. The corner on top of the cladding is installed on “liquid nails”; the process itself is very similar to the installation of a plastic product.

To hide the ugly end of the corner, special plugs are used. They create the impression of a smooth transition from the side of the bathtub to the curb

Before starting work, calculate and purchase the material. Since when cutting tiles it can split, you need to take a little more than necessary. In addition to straight sections, you will also need corners and plugs.

The corner elements of the ceramic border can be in the shape of a triangle or a regular element with a cut corner at 45°

To carry out installation, you need to prepare waterproof tile adhesive, sealant, and grout. The tools you will need are a special gun for applying foam, an emery block, a spatula, and a grinder.

Step-by-step description of work

The ceramic border can be laid during wall cladding - or in other words, “under the tiles”. In this case, the next row of tiles can be laid after laying the corner, or the top row can be laid out first, and then the border can be installed under it.

The sealing work is carried out in the following order:

1. Prepare tile adhesive. Proportions and cooking technology may differ for each brand, so you must follow the instructions.
2. Installation starts from the corner and special corner elements are used for this. Apply enough glue to the back side of the ceramic blank with a spatula so that it fills the space under the border and protrudes slightly upward. Excess glue is removed a little later with a spatula.
3. Rectangular elements are pressed evenly onto the surfaces; if it is necessary to “drown” one side a little more, tap it with a rubber mallet.
4. The next tile is laid in the same way. If you need to insert a smaller element, it is cut off using available tools. It could be tile cutter, Bulgarian with a diamond disc or a regular glass cutter (they cut the glaze with it, and the tile breaks off evenly at the cut site). The cut site is polished with a whetstone.
5. According to technology, the next day it is recommended to moisten the not yet completely hardened border so that the glue hardens correctly.
6. After finishing the cladding, before the glue dries, wipe the tiles with a damp cloth.
7. When the glue under the curb has set, waterproof grout or silicone sealant is applied to the seams. After this, the border is wiped again.

To protect the bathtub from accidental falls of heavy elements, it is covered with cardboard boxes (preferably over the entire surface). You can secure them with tape.

How to glue flexible tape?

All work with a flexible self-adhesive border is carried out at a temperature of at least 10 °C. It is mainly used after installation of steel baths or acrylic containers. The tape itself should not be stored at sub-zero temperatures. When purchasing it, also pay attention to the shelf life - an expired product loses its adhesive properties.

The width of the product is chosen depending on the size of the joint. After preparatory work on sealing the cracks between the bathtub and the wall, cleaning and degreasing the surface, take measurements from the bathtub and cut off the corners 0.5-1 cm longer than the required length.

The most difficult thing when laying a flexible border is to carefully lay the tape in the corner, make an even cut at an angle of 45°, avoiding the formation of gaps

To seal a joint in a bathroom using self-adhesive tape, perform the following steps:

1. The tape is bent along a longitudinal line, which is specially designed for this.
2. Glue the flexible corner, gradually removing the protective film, starting from the corner. There is no need to remove all the film at once - a long piece of tape will cling to the bathtub, and the adhesive coating will deteriorate. To better lay the element, press it at the longitudinal bend with a flat object, for example, a spatula, being careful not to damage it.
3. Having laid the corner, they walk along it again, pressing it tightly with their hands to the bathtub.Do not iron the tape to prevent it from stretching. You always need to monitor the tightness of the fit, especially in places where the tile joints are deepened.
4. They also begin gluing the next section from the corner, overlapping it over the previous one. After the second element is securely fastened along the entire line, the strips superimposed on each other are cut off. Using a sharp knife, starting from the corner, move the knife at an angle of 45°, making a cut.

It takes 24 hours for the glue to dry on the flexible tape. During this time, you should not use the bathroom or allow water to get onto the curb.

If the sides of the bath allow, it is better to choose a wider flexible self-adhesive tape - this reduces the likelihood of water seeping under the sealant

For better adhesion of the border to the surfaces of the wall and bathtub, after installation, it is heated with a hairdryer and pressed again along the entire length with your hands. Under no circumstances should this be done before installation, otherwise the tape will begin to stretch and deform.

To extend the life of the tape, the installation process can be improved. To do this, remove the protective film from its surface, peel off the layer of glue applied by the manufacturer, and install it with silicone sealant.

The sequence of actions and installation technology can be seen in the section describing the installation of a plastic border - they are completely identical.

Conclusions and useful video on the topic

Video #1. How to install a plastic border:

Video #2. A clear example and several nuances for installing flexible self-adhesive tape:

No matter how well the joint is sealed and the steps for installing the curb on the bathtub are completed, there is still a possibility of moisture penetrating into the pores or cracks.To prevent the development of fungus, which will then be difficult to fight, you need to keep the corners clean and try not to miss its appearance. At the initial stage, it is easy to deal with - just wipe the corners with ordinary table vinegar from time to time.

We are waiting for your comments with stories about your personal experience in installing a border or gluing tape around the perimeter of the bathtub. We are interested in your opinion, we will be happy to take into account suggestions and indications of shortcomings in the text. Please comment in the block below.