Cover tub flange

[Scarma]

Hi all,

Hope someone can give us some help with our tub, which was recently installed by a contractor. The walls in the bathroom are crooked, and and as a result, the tub is, too. The rest of the install (membrane install, tiling, etc.) is acceptable, but the tub is visibly crooked, and the tiles overhang the tiling flange.

At the front of the tub, the flange is nearly flush in one end, but set back a good 1/4" - 3/8" in the other corner and edges.

Here is the view along the side of the tub. The tiling flange is behind the tile - behind that is a Kerdi membrane, and aqua board.

I believe the contractor when he tells me that the enclosure is waterproof, but I think the look of this gap is pretty bad. He says he usually just caulks it, but I can't see that working very well in the front, where the flange is so uneven.

Does anyone have a suggestion as to how to fix? The contractor is looking at some kind of material to lay over the gap. Others have suggested caulking strips, but all reviews say that the self-adhesive they use is not very reliable.

Thanks!
Scott

 

[Jadnashua]

IF you take a level, are the tub's top horizontal surfaces level? It should be both along the long edge and the ends. I'd start there, but I agree, it's not done particularly well, at least to my way of thinking.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Scarma]

Thanks for the reply, Jim. Yes, the tub edges are reasonably level.

 

[Terry]

It looks awkward.
Normally I see a lip on a tub and I assume it's a tile flange. Most tile flange is meant to be installed behind the tile.
The backer board goes down very close to the tile flange, and then the tile goes over, with a small gap between tile and tub, sealed with Silicone.

 

[Scarma]

Thanks, Terry. That's how I understand it, too. My question is what to do now. Is caulking the best way to handle it, given the uneven tub front and the amount that the tile hangs over the tiling flange? Is there a better solution for this case?

Thanks!

 

[Jadnashua]

To have put the tile where it typically is would have required furring out the wall so that the tile could come down inside of that step, and if not done carefully, it can look bad in a different way. I can't think of an easy way to fix this without redoing things.

IF you put a straightedge on the wall tile surface, does it clear the step in the tub? You might be able to find a quarter-round or something to install there.

 

[hj]

The "tiling flange" typically goes against the studs, so it is behind the Kerdi, wall board, and tile. The tile NEVER sits on top of the flange.