# Forum Home Renovation Doors, Windows, Architraves & Skirts  Architrave before tiles?

## MrsRenovator

Hi all,
I am a new member.  I am renovating our bathroom and laundry.  I have a query in regard to whether the architrave around the door and window is installed before the tiling.  At present the builder (he is doing building & tiling) has installed the wall tiles down to the floor, (I did wonder if the floor tiles should have been done first?).  He is installing the architrave last and housing out the architrave where it goes over the tiles.  I would have thought that the architrave should go up first and the tiles butted up against it.  Any advice appreciated.

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## rod1949

Hi MrsRenovator and welcome. 
Doing the wall tiles first will save the floor tiles from being damaged and the grouting gaps being filled with waste rubbish / off cut chips. 
Rebating the architrave to go over the tiles will give a clean finish line. 
That's the logic that I see, whether they are right or wrong I don't know.

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## TermiMonster

Hi Mrs Renovator,
My experiece is similar to rod1949's.  Tiles then arcs. :2thumbsup:   But that's not to say it would be wrong to do it the other way :Cool: 
Cheers
TM

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## Groggy

FWIW, I am currently putting in architraves and will be tiling later.

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## craigb

We've just had our bathroom reno'd too. The builder did the tiles first then the architraves, although round the windows he did the architraves first.  :Smilie:   
Though this was because the old window reveal would have ended up sitting below the tile level.  
Also, the tiler did the walls first for the already stated reason.

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## peter_sm

Two ways to skin a cat? 
I did flooring then architraves then wall tiles.

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## jerryc

MrsRenovator.
I'm in the process of having a bathroom totally renovated at present. Builder works for an architect on high quality work and he maintains the architraves go in last as it makes for a better job with a cleaner finish between wood and tile. 
Jerryc

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## MrsRenovator

Hi everyone, 
Thank you all for your advice and comments.  From the sound of it there is no wrong or right way.  In the end it will be how good the finish is, everything looks good when the finish is done well.  
cheers
MrsRenovator

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## billbeee

There is a right and a wrong way at least in my opinion. 
Basic construction, floor materials are laid first, whether they be T&G boards or ceramic tiles, then the skirting, be it timber or ceramic goes over the joint. This way minimises the appearance of movement cracks in the wall to floor interface.
A bathroom is no different, you should of course have a flexible seal at the corner joints, but you don't have to make it stick out.
The wall tiles go on first, to stop messing up the floor, but the very bottom row (usually a cut) goes in after the floor. That way it looks correct, in that it the floor tiles go under the wall tiles.
On old jobs, obviously tile up to the architrave, on new jobs, architraves last.  Again because of the neater finish. Also any shrinkage in new architrave doesn't show up as a crack in the grout line. 
Cheers
Bill

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## Metung

As far as architraves around doorways go, the answer to me is fairly self evident. Its much easier to make a right angle cut in you tile to fit the doorway (leave off/remove doorstops as well) than to try and make the tile fit the profile of the architrave/door stop. I also believe that it is easier to route out the edge of the window/doorway architrave to cover the edge ot the tile than it is to try and but the tile up against the edge of the architrave. Either way you are still going to end up with the same thickness differential. If the architrave goes on last. at least you end up with a nice clean line between tile and architrave and a little bit of gap filler tops it off. At least that has been my experience.

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## Barry_White

In bathrooms, toilets and laundries the way that I did it and the way I have seen most wall and floor tilers do it including my friend who is a licenced tiler is to install the wall tiles first put into a level line usually sitting on a timber batten high enough to give a fall into the floor wastes and then lay the floor tiles on a bed and slip the tiles under the wall tiles.  
In other areas where there are no wall tiles lay the tiles up to the wall lining and then fit your skirtings on top of the tiles. 
With architraves I would be fitting them first and then fix the tiles up to the architraves. If you don't do it this way you are going to have to notch the architaves to fit over the tiles especially if the tiles don't go full height and the other thing is you can't nail or screw archtraves through the tile and into the timber frame. 
And I think cut tiles look crappy as the bottom row.

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## UteMad

Depends on your tiles as far as thickness and profile and also the profile of architrave... Generally better builders tile first and archi last over the top but now most archi first cause its quicker and the tiler just goes up to the timber ... You just see the cuts if the tiler is rough or the tiles are a major contrast to the architrave.... Tiling up to also save drilling through the tile to fix the timber on 
Ripped one off today in bathroom tiles went up to so it was easier to replace   
cheers Utemad

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