tiles for bathroom floor?

[greyvix]

We are about to redecorate a bathroom. It has wooden floorboards that have been an issue since they were laid (wood shrank; they were not varnished properly etc etc) and DH wants to tile over. Can we do this without removing skirting? I assume fittings will have to be temporarily removed and refitted?

Will tiles be too cold under-foot? Does anyone have any beautiful tiles they'd recommend? Or should we strip, fill and paint the crummy floorboards?

It would be better...give a better end result...if you removed the skirting boards and then replaced after tiling rather than tiling up to the boards. A bit of a chore...but worth the effort. As with the skirting, it is better to tile with the fittings removed first.

I have tiles in my bathroom (sandstone coloured travertine tiles) and they are not at all cold underfoot. You could always add a rug in any case, even in a bathroom..space permitting. You will have to put plywood down on top of the existing boards first....but this can depend on what type of tiles you go for. A decent tile stockist will be able to advise.

Hope this helps....

Ceramic tile in limestone white looks v smart and stylish. Goes with everything. I commented above on the sandstone tile.....they are actually in my kitchen! Limestone white in my bathrooms and I love them.

Thanks for the advice. Lottie, where did you get the ceramic tile in limestone white from? We have limestone/ travertine in a shower and, while it looks lovely, I get stressed about cleaning products!

We bought ours from a small retailer in Nottingham, who, unfortunately no longer trades. If you google, you should find a supplier. Stressed as in whether cleaning products will damage the tiles? Can't say it has ever occurred to me and I squirt them with bathroom cleaner all the time!! They've been up in our shower for 3 years and still look as good as new!

Do not under any circumstances tile over floor boards - the tiles and the grout will crack eventually and you will be left with a mess. We have made the mistake several times . Even putting ply down first just delays the inevitable.

My current mess is the upstairs shower room which was tled (and looked good) when we first bought.Two years later the first tile broke, then the grout started to go. We now have about 5 broken tiles and desperately need to redo, but of course loo and shower were fitted after the floor so it is a major job.

Ask tile supplier or reputable tiler whether an 'uncoupling membrane' would be appropriate. Don't know the technical ins and outs but it is a layer that goes between ply or substrate and tile and prevents cracking and debonding.

Just checked with my hub. We have such a membrane under our tiles (on boards).