Veined tile bath deck and shower

The tub drops into a deep, angled deck under two shuttered windows. The deck top, the tub front, the window ledge and the low wall beside the tub are all covered in the same light stone-look tile with gray veining. Above the tile the walls are painted pale blue-gray, and dark plank-look flooring runs across the room.

The shower is right next to the deck. Its walls use the same veined tile, with a square niche centered on the back wall. The shower floor switches to a pale round mosaic, which follows the slope to the drain and gives you better footing than large tile.

Running one wall tile across the deck, the tub front and the shower ties the two areas together. The mosaic and the dark floor supply the contrast.

A tub deck has more cuts and edges than a flat wall. On a similar job we plan the deck top so outside corners get mitered tile or a trim piece, and we slope the window ledge slightly so water runs back toward the tub. The deck framing has to be stiff enough that the tile won't crack when someone sits on the edge. On the shower side, the walls, floor and curb are wrapped in waterproofing membrane before any tile goes on.