Tiling around bath, whole wall or from bath edge to ceiling?

[Driverpicksthemusic]

We are mid-renovation, just reaching the point where the bathrooms will be fitted and tiled.

Our builders are having a disagreement re bathroom tiling. One says he always tiles the whole wall, floor to ceiling, then fits the bath, as it’s then easier to remove the sealant when it inevitably needs replacing in the future. The other insists the correct way to do it is fit the bath, then tile to the ceiling, as he believes you get a better seal that way, whereas tiling the wall first causes more movement over time, leading to water getting under the sealant causing mould.

Google has been no help, as it seems different people prefer different ways, but which way is best?

They are now asking me which way I would prefer and I have absolutely no idea? Any advice and or experience that might help would be greatly appreciated.

No expert but ours is tiled below bath level, not all the way to the floor but 3 tiles below the top of the bath. It has been a nightmare with the bath continuously pulling away from the wall and ending up tilted towards the floor. It’s a new build put in by the developer, had several people come out level and seal it, it’s good for a few months then pulls away again. We are now looking at getting a new bathroom and the floor boarding is rotten from water pouring on the floor.

I would go with putting the bath in and then tiling up. You will save money by using less tiles and how often do you replace sealant anyway? Also, this method will only make it slightly harder to replace the sealant but that also means that it is less likely to come loose.

The shower over the bath becomes unusable as all the water that hits the wall, screen or bath itself pours on the floor. The bath isn’t so bad but you can feel it isn’t level, soap etc doesn’t stay on the edge of the bath it slips in.

Thank you, you’ve all reassured me that what I was thinking, bath in first and tile from edge to ceiling, is the right way.

Our current and last home, where as you thought OP. No idea before that as I was too young to notice.

we tanked the bathroom and tiled the whole floor and walls top to bottom (tiny bathroom).