Order of things, tile, vanity, baseboards, etc.

Discussion in 'Remodel Forum & Blog' started by xhenxhe, Jan 30, 2008.


In what order should the tile be set?

  1. First

    4 vote(s)
  2. Last

    0 vote(s)
  3. Somewhere in between

    2 vote(s)
  1. xhenxhe

    xhenxhe New Member

    I am currently remodeling our bathroom. I've basically gutted the whole thing as I will be replacing the cast iron plumbing and probably the flooring due to numerous floods.

    I was speaking with the person that we are going to have help us with the vanity and shower. He recommending doing the tile very last - after the vanity, toilet, baseboards, etc. He says the grout lines look better and it looks more finished.

    We build a house a few years ago and the tile was the first to go in so the vanity, toilet and baseboards all sat on the tile.

    I'm just curious what others think. Which is a more finished look?
  2. Terry

    Terry Administrator Staff Member

    Bothell, Washington
    The toilet sets on the tile

    The flooring is always in before the toilet sets down.

    Corner molds go in after the floor is in too.
    You can flip a coin on the cabinet, it can be first or last.
  3. xhenxhe

    xhenxhe New Member

    Oh right. I guess he didn't say toilet. I assumed that part. But he did say molding, which I thought was odd. The tile I just ripped out was done after the molding. I just figured they were too lazy to remove it before laying the tile.
  4. Terry

    Terry Administrator Staff Member

    Bothell, Washington
    What kind of molding is it?
    If it's old, built in, and massive, I can see leaving it I suppose.
  5. xhenxhe

    xhenxhe New Member

    It's old. Our home was build in '64. But it's not massive. I've replace pretty much all the other floor molding in our house. It's not that hard to remove.
  6. frenchie

    frenchie Jack of all trades

    Clearly, there isn't a consensus on this one. Me, I like to do the floor before the vanity or the moldings; but that's just me.

    Huge debate about this, recently, on a pro board I frequent:


    (standard JLC link warning: it's a pro-only forum. Feel free to read, but don't post unless you work in construction. Folks there are often pretty mean about this rule.)
  7. Mikey

    Mikey Aspiring Old Fart, EE, computer & networking geek

    Central Florida
    How can a bunch of supposed pros debate on and on about something that's so obvious?
  8. AZ Contractor

    AZ Contractor In the Trades

    Phoenix, AZ
    1- Vanity
    2- Flooring
    3- Baseboards

    Tiling up to the vanity helps "lock it in."

    If you're doing a pedestal sink, flooring first.
  9. frenchie

    frenchie Jack of all trades

    I just re-read that... I guess it helps to know who's who.

    Almost like a joke: a production guy walks into a room full of custom guys...

    But the punchline is, after he admits the error of his ways... along come posts 50 & 51. Those two are not production. They're high-end custom builders. And they're the grandaddies of that forum, who really know their stuff.

    Of course, nobody picked up on it, because by then it'd moved on to kitchen base cabs, and mud-bed vs wonderboard, and all that... what can I say? It's how we unwind after work.

    So - more than one way to skin a cat, I guess.
    Last edited: Jan 30, 2008
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