How To Tile A Shower Pt. 2 - Installing Wall Tiles

In this video, we continue our series on how to tile a shower by installing the wall tiles. If you missed part 1, be sure to check it out first!
In this installment, we'll show you how to measure and cut your tiles, as well as how to apply thinset mortar and set the tiles in place. With a little bit of patience and some careful work, you'll have a beautiful tiled shower in no time!
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How To Build A Tile Shower Video Playlist • Tile Shower Series
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Disclaimer: This video is all based on my personal opinion and is for entertainment purposes ONLY. I am not a financial advisor, CPA, attorney, tax advisor, electrician, plumber, housing contractor, designer, or any type of profession to give advice. I am just a consumer sharing my experiences and research. If you do need knowledge for those types of things, I will advise you to seek help for those professionals.

[@TheExcellentLaborer]

Thank you to everyone who joined the live chat! I will be premiering another video next Sunday at 6 PM. See you then!

[@miguelguevara1089]

I am going to install tile 4x12 around our bathtub, what spacers size will you recommend? Thank you for your videos

[@icawn]

Toothbrush to clean out the excess thinset between tiles. Can't beat it.

[@lmaclin7115]

Great video! It was explained at the most basic of levels!!

[@TheExcellentLaborer]

Thanks a lot! I hope it helps!

I’ve done 2 showers, but never used a leveling system. Looks like a great tool.

[@bretgreen5314]

Awesome watching a pro in action. Very helpful; thank you for these lessons.

[@robbie2187]

Tiled a lot of bathroom never used the leveling system but bought it and am going to try it. I like using the snap cutter as much as possible rather then the wet saw

[@ChadAmI80]

Thank you for this video. I have not tiled a shower myself before. I am however going to be doing it twice in our new house. I will be getting that tile leveler system for sure!!

[@michaelostrander2559]

Used spin doctor leveling system. Loved the results. I recommend to those tiling floors or walls.

[@user-oz4dr6qx9o]

yes, I've used it several times. Works great. Make sure there is enough thinset though.

[@ianwhitehead7247]

Excellent advice. Super thorough with lots of tips and tricks. Fantastic. Thanks man. I’m ready to go!

[@TheExcellentLaborer]

I try to keep my videos straight to the point, and put as many tips and tricks in as I go. Good luck with your project, Ian!

[@CarolBrennan-co5ws]

I have never done this before and am on my 3rd row of tiles! This is a lot harder anddd messier than you show! However, I am trying to carefully follow tour videos. The durock was easier! 😁 great videos!

[@pete7326]

I do get much needed and valuable information needed from you , you and your skills are awsome.

[@TheExcellentLaborer]

Great to hear! Thanks again!

[@dennisfriske5929]

Awesome show

[@gordyrother1836]

I’m a diy guy and I’ve done now 11 showers from scratch. I have used the leveling system you show and it works well with large form tiles. However my last build had wave tiles which are not smooth on the surface. A bit more challenging but your recommendation of having help to back butter was a huge plus. One thought when applying the thinset I alway wipe the edge of the board to avoid any unlevel action that can occur with the thinset.

[@rodss67]

Best video I have seen.

[@kennethsellers3836]

Very nice instruction.

[@institches2750]

I've never tiled a shower before. Looks like hard work.

[@peterlance-px8ii]

Thanks

[@pete7326]

Thanks I am learning so much from you!!!

[@TheExcellentLaborer]

Thanks Pete! I appreciate you watching. I hope your projects are going well for you!

[@Nativtexan2]

I did my first tile job in my shower. It took me a long time as I was learning as I went but the wife said it looks great so that's what I wanted to hear. In regards to the leveling system (which I used) I would suggest not squishing your tiles all the way when placing since if you go too far the leveler will not pull the tile back up flush. It seems good to pull the newly placed tile down even with the already placed tile but not so much the other way. That was my experience anyway.

[@johnruddy1596]

I really learned a ton from ur videos. Would be awesome if u spend time on the layout of shower and how u plan scrap, so u have same dye lots, discussions on edging as matching bull nose is getting more scarce.. so installing plastic and metal edging, and then a chat on 5 best insets would be great

[@alandeltoro6437]

Trying to learn from you to diy my own shower.

[@pete7326]

I look forward to the next video next week and I have also shared your link with my friends and family

[@TheExcellentLaborer]

Awesome! Spread the word. I hope you find the information you need in these videos!

[@jimrock4214]

I have done one shower did not use the leveling system but I’m considering it now

[@mond0133]

Keep the videos coming man!!!

[@TheExcellentLaborer]

I will keep the video uploads consistent and the best to my ability! Thanks for watching them!

[@kneewall49]

In this video you set out the tile pattern based on wall center lines. How do you then compensate for the water intrusion positions? Surely you need to take theses into consideration so those intrusions fall symmetrical or as close too, regarding grout lines and tile areas? Thanks for your simple explanations to date.

[@ruffxm]

I did a 5' x 10' bathroom with floor-to-ceiling large format tiles (same as yours). I did not use a tile leveling system BUT was ultra-careful when putting up my backer boards so they were meticulously plumb, knowing its difficult to have perfectly even large format tiles on an uneven wall. Even then, I had to be super careful to seat each tile with the same pressure to achieve even surfaces. Looking back, the tile-leveling system would've been quicker.

[@quangpham8497]

Excellent..thx

[@TheExcellentLaborer]

I appreciate you watching!

[@mickmac3360]

I think it is important to choose a size of tile that is appropriate to the area you are covering so that you don't end up with a combination of large full-size tiles and a lot of small pieces.

[@TheHamm1124]

This is so awesome. I am actually in the process of finishing laying my last wall of tile for a complete tub to shower remodel. I watched your previous videos about the whole process and they all have been so helpful! My only question is why choose to lay the tile on that layout or like center line with a full tile and then 2 cut tiles, one on each side? With it being my first time, I started on the side/long wall which started 2 full tiles and then a cut tile and then the 2nd row with 2 full tiles and the cut tile the opposite way. The front and back wall were opposite off the side walls so the back wall was bull nose trim, then full tile and then a cut tile going into the side wall, bottom row of 2 full tiles and the cut tile, then the front wall with a full tile and cut tile along the bull nose trim. Im sorry if that is confusing or a lot, I’m really just trying to understand why you choose to do that layout and if what I did is wrong/looks bad.

[@bretgreen5314]

Thanks!

[@TheExcellentLaborer]

Thank you so much for your support Bret!

[@bretgreen5314]

@@TheExcellentLaborer You are most welcome sir. You are the best : )

[@rosadiaz9355]

Using this vid for tomorrow, 😅

[@vinhgolf]

Great Video. and very informative how to layout the tiles. Do you have a video about building a curb and shower floor? not using shower pan.

[@T-rizzle-vk9cq]

I have laid tile in 5 or 6 different bathrooms in the wall and a dozen or so rooms on the floor. Not a pro, more like weekend warrior,. Ive never seen this leveling tile spacer system. I dig it though. It makes total since. They should have went on shark tank!.

[@paulafisher7775]

I have not but we are going to so ty for showing how to do it

[@TheExcellentLaborer]

You are welcome Paula. Good luck with your projects!

[@jerryanddorothybarao6201]

been a great help watching your videos.... i have a 17x13 niche with centerline @ 44" up off top of shower pan...i plan on running a 6'' mosaic stripe thru the centerline and want to run full tiles up and down off that 6'' stripe so the cut tiles are at the top and bottom... or would you think starting from bottom and working up and making the cuts at the niche a better idea? TIA

[@johnbailey2024]

Your videos are the best ive seen, you explain things well, ive been doing alot of tile lately, but i like to watch videos to pick up details, you can never learn enough.. 1 guestion i had though, you run your thinset vertical om the wall and the backbuttered tile, arent you supposed to move the tile some while placing it, to get full coverage, not being critical, you didnt seem to do that or press in on the tiles much

[@tbone2451]

Very helpful! What look is in today. Staggered or stacked ?

[@Jeremy-iv9bc]

I was planning to use shorter bullnose tiles at the two exposed edges. How do you handle that? Do you put the bullnose on first then the center tile then cut the corner tile to fit?

[@boricuaarecibo9259]

What mortar should I use in the shower after using redgard on the 1/2" cement board

[@NMcCauley]

Nice work! If I were to use 24x24" porcelain tile in 10x6' laundry room for flooring, how many of those anti slippage T-LOCKS would do I need ?

[@chrisnewhart673]

Could you tell me what tile you used for this ? Where I could get them ? Thanks , this video is perfect for me

[@juandelpino7993]

Very nice video and job. I have a question for you. Did you seal the green board? In a shower I was advised to use wonder board or any type of cement board and seal that as well. Thank you for yoyr time.

[@donnaber4918]

Question… why wouldn’t you place your leveling system behind your starter board to ensure your bottom course was also level? BTW great video.

[@weekendhomeprojects]

Socialblade has you clocking in at 2.8 million /mo. You pulling in 15-20k a month these days off ad rev? That's awesome!

[@weekendhomeprojects]

Just noticed you had a lot of shorts...I hate how Socialblade doesn't catch that. Probably not as much per milli off shorts, right?

[@TheExcellentLaborer]

I think socialblade will deduct short views over time. I’m not sure though. The channel is growing nicely. I appreciate all the support from you and my other subscribers!

[@davidharrison3074]

Sorry I missed the live chat. You always have such great information which I know helps out anyone who hasn't done tile work. I have never had a chance to use the leveling system because of the design of tile I have done and when I first started doing tile they were not available. Always having the patience to make sure the tile is flush with the other and most of the showers, the customer wanted much smaller tiles which the leveling system would not work. Overall, I love your step by step guidelines, thinset color based on grout color etc and of course the safety tips especially with tile work. Great practice always even when using glass feature tiles. Have a wonderful week Josh 👍🏻

[@TheExcellentLaborer]

Don’t be sorry for missing the live chat. I know everyone has a busy schedule. That is true about the small tile, leveling systems don’t really work with them. Thanks a lot for always watching and commenting on my videos. It is a huge help. See you next time!

[@gadasavideos8564]

I bought leveling system with plan to use 12x12 tile. Changed to 8x10 tile but I assume I can still use leveling system, 2 clips per side still.

[@jennyelisehadley]

What size spacers did you use on these tiles?

[@joshuanoble2754]

I just got left over tiles from a store. At a very good price but if I go based off a center line there will end up being too much waste from all of the cuts. I'm planning on going from one side to the other with full tiles so I only have one cut per row... is this going to cause problems if the walls aren't perfectly square? Also I only have 5 feet of height to do since it's a tall tub.

[@oldhippie8774]

Ask! If 1 tile is slightly lower than the next and you use the leveling system, you raise one tile to level it, if so don't you lose contact with the tile adhesive???

[@johnruddy1596]

Would be awesome if u can discuss how to know how much scrap using the staggered layout. Does it require more that "extra 10%" does it make more scrap so I buy right amount

[@papaalan1765]

hello, great vid series! One question, doing a shower in a bit and wife wants vertical 50% staggered offset in it with 6 x 12 tiles, in your first video you utilized vertical center lines to straddle, would you use the same method when doing walls with long length going up and shorter length going across?

[@roughboygarage1475]

I never used the leveling system myself( too expensive). Granted I had been setting tile for many years before they were invented. These would be great for the DIYer tho. I always started my tile off the top of the mud pan using shims. Most of the time, all the tile was set in one day, so starting on 2nd row wasn't an option. Day one was demo, plumbing, backer board, curb, and dry pack mud bed. Day two was install niches and/or benches, waterproofing( usually Schluter Kerdi), and tiling bathroom floor. Day three install shower tile and grout bathroom floor. Day four grout shower, finish bathroom( set toilet, chaulk, etc.) And install shower door if needed. Give or take a day or 2 depending on job size and scope and whether the shower pan required inspection.

[@frankcatrini4816]

raimondi is a great leveling system and a box of 2000 clips only costs about 150 bucks, so about 8 cents per clip. i dont care how long anyone has done tiling (i have been installing full time for over 40 years) you cannot set tile better without clips, simply because of the warped tiles . todays rectified long planks or even 12x24s are cuppped and when you stagger the patterns you will get high and low spots no matter how good you are or how flat the floor is. the clips actually bend the tiles flat until it dries and aalso splits all height differences way better than you can do without clips. in a shower it might cost an extra50 bucks for the clips...thats definitely affordable and can be added into the price...

[@tundrawhisperer4821]

I thought with large format tiles like these, you should be using a 1/2 x 1/2 notched trowel.

[@dac518]

Probably should, but back buttering will compensate

[@newyorkstreetmachinz3547]

Not always necessary!! You technically are getting near 1/2" when you butter the wall and tile with a 1/4" trowel. Don't smash them down to the substrate after hanging the tile up, and you will be good to go...

[@tundrawhisperer4821]

@@newyorkstreetmachinz3547 👍🏻 Thx

[@keithwieland8554]

What do you do to compensate for a potentially not perfectly level shower pan? How do you make sure your first row doesn't end up with a weird gap between pan and first tile row?

[@Cbexe99]

No need to backbutter a tile. To get the cut tile lengths just put the tile up against the gap and mark it, saves a lot of time.

[@javiergutierrez7844]

question, does the tile mortar stick on the wall after the waterproofing seal?

[@gadasavideos8564]

Is there video showing cutting tile for around faucet?

[@yayaa8721]

How do you know where to set the yellowoq amazon pliers. I just got them and they are adjustable. What did you do to set them up?

[@johnjepko4115]

Spot dab the tile with thinset after scim coating the back of the tile and wall

[@1986Cochran]

I was gonna try to do this myself this weekend… not anymore I’m gonna hire someone

[@CarolBrennan-co5ws]

A video of how to fix common errors would be great also! 😂🤣

[@berthafernandez1732]

Thank you for the explanation.

[@ryanstephens1023]

what thinset did you use?

[@ADUSEI6111]

Would this layout work if you have 12x36 for the center wall?

[@keithwieland8554]

How about when using long subway tile?

[@thetransformer6780]

I like those wider yellow tile levelers, did you get those at lows or where? I just finished a bathroom shower remodel and I used the home depot ones that are thinner, they work ok but yours look like they work way better with more surface area.

[@TheExcellentLaborer]

I got this tile leveling system from Amazon. I put a link to them in the description of this video if you want to check them out. Thanks for watching!

[@georgelokko4333]

Why didn’t you start from the top of the shower base for your first level? Also what trim or tile is that to hold the tile in place? 😊

[@TheExcellentLaborer]

It’s best to not start off the shower pan because the shower pan is typically not perfect and you will have to do a lot of awkward shaming to get it level. It’s best to just start from the second row. The boards were just 3/4 primed pine boards. You can also use a 2 x 4 or any board as a matter of fact. I hope that helps!

[@misterdanton]

ive never used leveling system

[@keithclayards1145]

Is that a 1/4 or 3/8 notch ?

[@Sgtzo2017]

I have never done tile work but I’m about to add a bathroom and it gonna have tile. Do you think a beginner can do a decent tiling job?

[@TheExcellentLaborer]

Very cool that you were getting ready to add a bathroom. Remember, we were all beginners at one point that do tile. Your first job clearly won’t be as good as your fourth or fifth job but if it’s something you want to tackle it is something you can consider. Do your research and prepare before you dive in. Hope that helps!

[@TurdFerg117]

Is 1/4” x 1/4” trowel ok for 12x24” tile? I am reading it should be 1/2”?

[@matthewmaher3017]

Hey I really appreciate your content! How did you know what size trowel to use, is 1/4” notch big enough? I’ve seen other folks recommend a 1/2, that seems like overkill?

[@jcallesano]

Look at the back of the mortar bag. It'll have a chart with tile size, grout size and recommended tooth size for trowel. Smaller tiles typically requires lesser tooth size, larger require larger tooth size to hold in place

[@ke3959]

How come not a 1/2 inch trowel? We were told we had to use the bigger trowel for large format tiles?

[@rickiearnold779]

I have a contractor that use mastic on the wall on porcelain tile and then he put down the floor with thin set and we’ve had all kinds of trouble with the tile and now today he was going to grout it in and the tiles are falling off the wall and he’s telling me that now he can use this outside of mastic and put them back on the wall and grout them before the end of the day. I told him he was mistaken that on the wall, then said, has to set up at least 8 to 16 hours and 12 to 24 hours or actually 24 to 48 hours before you can grout the floor anyway this is a job that should’ve only taken Max four days on the shower and then I had some other work I wanted to do but I don’t think that’s gonna happen now because it looks to me like he can’t seem to follow simple directions. From a professional so I don’t know what to do, but I think you for your informative videos and I subscribe to your channel soda help you out but I’m at my wits end on a four day job. Let’s turn into a nine day ordeal and I still have work that needs to be done and I’m headed up to my eyeballs. Thanks again. And this is all in a small bathroom and I’ve been without a shower for over two weeks now. But thanks again.

[@randy5894]

You must be wearing one of those t shirts I keep getting ads for

[@TheExcellentLaborer]

The only shirt I am wearing is the one in the video lol I’m not sure what shirt that could be…

[@randy5894]

@@TheExcellentLaborer true classic tees? I think that's the company I keep seeing

[@jamesd4503]

Looks like you should’ve used cut portions in corners when you started end wall .

[@C2IT678]

At first i was like bro why you have your saw setting up so high!..lol

[@jerrystiger8917]

I have never used a leveling system just learning

[@beckyh8565]

what does 17.25 "light" mean?

[@starsaram]

What is the spacer's size? Is it 1/16 or 1/8? I am installing bathroom wall tiles now. I just went to Homedepot and I found the spacer that u used in this video. There is only 1/16 size spacer. They said the spacer is for flooring, not for walls. My tile size is exactly the same as yours. They recommended me to use 1/8 spacer + sanded since the tile is big. They said non-sanded grout is not recommended for big tile like yours. I can't find 1/8 size spacer like yours. Can I use 1/16 spacer and non-sanded grout?

[@CarmenRamirez-sv1cg]

Como se cobra por un shawer de 32x32 término

[@cristinacindy7520]

Our family hired a guy to do the tile on the shower and the dude did not use a leveling system and he did not use spacers and he didn't clean the thinset after setting each tile. Now there's thinset squishing out of the tile. What shoukd I do? He said he was a professional and didn't have pictures of his old work.

[@Iceberg126]

Hi

[@TheExcellentLaborer]

Oh hey! Video will be live tomorrow night at 6pm. Stay tuned!

[@123wmc]

Unless you have uneven walls and need a lot of thinnest, buttering is a ton of work (not for beginners) and needs a helper or your thinnest will start setting. I just tore out a shower I did 11 years ago...lesson learned never use natural stone even sealed in a shower....I did not back butter and the pieces did not come off the tile or hardiboard using a 20lb sledgehammer. I had to beat the snot out of the shower....the key is thinnest is the right consistency.....if is it the right consistency with the right trowel....it aint coming off in its lifetime.

[@handymanpina25]

✌️

[@TheExcellentLaborer]

Hey! Hope to see you at the live chat at 6 PM!

[@handymanpina25]

@@TheExcellentLaborer 👍

[@deepsid6126]

Mank

[@tattedheart949]

the long pause at the end lol

[@julioromero9434]

Amature hour...but good.job

[@richeyrich2203]

Explain?

[@beckyh8565]

Great videos Josh--just dont' talk so fast.

[@johnjepko4115]

Wear a hard hat and a cup one don’t forget your mouth piece🤣

[@marcopoulin1897]

Fail you have to use 1/2 trowel

[@Funtimes900]

Why?

[@travlangley1]

You used the wrong size trowel

[@folerx]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/b4eamaCtgceGftk what about vertical alignment?

[@nicholebauer710]

not yet today is do dayh on 30 by 30 tell u later ninja doug hudson fl

[@TheCodyMajors]

More work, less talk!

[@goldstandard7406]

Great video, im curious. Why not use morter to make the soap holders too? You went with silicone