How to Install a Stone Tile Shower
- 1). Use your level and pencil to draw a horizontal line along the bottom of one shower wall. Position the line so it's up from the floor by the height of a tile, plus 1/4 inch. Make the line the height of a tile plus 1/4 inch. (Example: If you're using 6-inch tiles, the line should be 6-1/4 inches from the shower floor.)
- 2). Mark a vertical line up the center of the wall, intersecting the horizontal line near the bottom.
- 3). Apply thinset mortar along the bottom of the wall, coming up from the floor about a foot. Set the bottom row of tiles in place, starting at the center vertical line and sitting directly under the horizontal line. (You'll be able to see the lines through the mortar.) This will leave a 1/4-inch space between the bottoms of the tiles and the shower floor. Put spacers between the tiles as you hang them. Cut the tiles at the ends of the wall as necessary, with your wet saw.
- 4). Hang the next rows of tiles in the same fashion, working your way up the wall, and starting each row at the center line. Put spacers between each of the tiles. Cut around the fixtures with your wet saw.
- 5). Repeat the process for each shower wall. Let the mortar set overnight. Remove the spacers.
- 6). Spread tile sealant over the surface of the tiles with a paint brush, in a smooth, even coat. Don't let the sealant get into the lines between the tiles. Let the sealant dry for 4 hours.
- 7). Grout the tiles, beginning at the top of each wall and working your way downward, using the grout float. Force the grout into the spaces between the tiles while squeezing it off the face. Don't grout the space that's along the floor, under the bottom row of tiles. Wipe up the excess grout with a well-wrung damp sponge.
- 8). Let the grout set for a day. Brush another layer of tile sealant over the whole wall, including the grout lines. Let it dry for 4 hours, then apply a final layer. Let it dry for 4 hours.
- 9). Caulk the space along the floor at the base of the walls, under the bottom row of tiles.
