To Tile Recessed Shelves

The recessed shelves are an attractive and practical feature in any shower or bathroom. You will need plain field tiles on the back of the shelf and bull nose tiles, which have a finished edge, on top and sides. You can tile at the bottom of your shelf with bull nose tiles. Or you can place a window shade stone on the shelf, giving a more uniform surface. If you place things, such as shampoo bottles, on a tiled shelf without paying attention, you can put the edge of the object on a hypodermic line instead of a tile and your bottle could fall. Instructions: Spread the thinset on the bottom shelf surface and comb it with the edge of a cut tin. Place your windowsill stone on the thinset and press it to sink the stone into the glue.

Place a six-inch level on the stone and tilt the stone until the level bubble touches the straight line against the wall. This will tilt rock slightly against the shower floor so that water will run. But will not tilt it so much that slippery objects fall out. If you tile recessed shelving units outside a shower that usually gets wet then the stone must be completely flat. Spread the thinset on the sides and the back recessed shelf. Comb thinset with the edge of a cut tile. Place the bottom row of tiles in place, starting on one side and working across. Place the tile spacers between each tile and between the tiles and the karmen stone to provide space for joints. Place the next row of tiles and so on until you reach the top of the recessed shelf.

Place the tile spacers between the top row of tiles and the top of the recessed shelf. Spread thinset on top of the recessed wall shelves. Comb thinset with the edge of a cut trowel. Lay the tiles on the thinset by pressing them in the glue. Keep the tiles in place by loosening them to tiles in the wall above. When the tile adhesive has completely dried, spread the injection liner over the tiles with a cement mortar float. Touch dirt to all spaces between the tiles, removing tiles spacers while working. Wipe away excess dirt from the tile surface with a wet sponge. When the grout begins to dry, run the corner of a damp sponge along all joints to create a uniform depth.