This was a modular house, I asked that the tub be shipped loose so I could tile then drop it in, but they foamed it in place. So I have to tile around it. They did put 1/2" Durock on the deck, but nailed it in (and didn't tape the seams, but I can do that).

I pulled the cement board off the face/apron, plan on putting wood there. I had a whirlpool in the last house, bought unfinished cabinet doors built to size, that worked out well. I don't know if I'll do doors, sliding panels, piano hinge, or just T&B wainscot here but will do something wood.

Thanks - I was thinking I'd rather have 12" tiles than something smaller, the less grout the better (though I may put in some mosiac as accents). What grit sandpaper? Will mastic be better than thinset? Since I have to buy thinset for the floor and the tub deck anyway?

Oh, BTW, will you comment on my faucet/grab bar placement thread? Even with pulling the `1/2" cement off the face (and may pull the spacers off the 2x4s too), putting 3/4" wood back on will still make it a bit of a stretch with a 20" high deck, 3" ( or was it 2"?) high tub rim, and only 30" inseam. I'd like to cut the deck back another 3-4" but it's probably not worth trying to do it around the tub.

Any medium grit sandpaper is just fine....Just rough up the surface.

If the wall is not completely flat, irregularities in the grout lines , one tile edge being higher than another, could be quite visible when large format tiles are used. In such a situation, the best solution is to float the wall (i.e. - chicken wire, mud, tar paper backing).

Sure, that's the best of all possible worlds....but it does raise the surface of the tile quite a bit and require mudcap for the edges. If the walls are flat within reason...you should be able to adjust with thinset...or use the "dot" method.

And yes, thinset is preferable if it's there...

Well, I haven't noticed any humps (or cracks) in these walls (though there are plenty of other places in the house that have humped studs), I will take the level to the walls before I start tiling. I'm afraid the deck isn't level though, and I can't do anything but "fudge" with thinset since it's nailed in.

I've got 1 spot on the deck right up against the linen closet (left as facing the tub) wall, there's a glob of construction adhesive. I figured all I can do is try a sharp chisel? More on the plywood subfloor, I can try to scrape that off, but at least there I assume I can go over the 23/32 plywood with backerboard, or use SLC after putting the radiant heat down. Just have to caulk all along the walls, the tub deck, and the seams in the floor before using SLC.

What do you do around the closet flange before SLC?

And what's "dot" mthod (backbutter?)?

The "dot" or "spot" method has been used for out-of-plumb walls successfully. One uses a margin trowel to spot lumps of thinset....usually 6-9 on the tile back and adjust on the wall with a level and rubber mallet. In this way, you can set them at varying distances to the wall as needed.

If you are concerned about moisture, they sell paint-on style waterproofing membranes. They are designed for showers etc. That would be complete overkill for a soaking tub, but if you've got kids, it is cheap insurance against water damage.

Kids shouldn't be using this tub (well, I might let DD when she's a teenager). That's why this one is a soaker - the kids were using the Maax airpool more for bubble baths than I was ;-) Coulda used it today - sore back since Sunday AM (stacking wood Sat, bending over bench starting seeds Sun and Mon).

Back right corner by deck the wall is sunken (bottom of drywall tilted back toward exterior) so I need to build out a couple square inch area. Do this with joint compound, thinset or ??? Not sure what David meant by "mud".

Oh, and the deck is 1/2" or 3/4" plywood with 1/2" Durock nailed to it. I'm assuming there was no waterproofing. I can access most of the tub (excepting the side along the exterior wall) from underneath. Should I apply one of those paint-on waterproofing membranes, an exterior polyurethane (I have used Sikkens Cetol on my front door) or latex paint to the cut edge of the plywood around the tub cutout? Or is that overkill for an adult-only soaking tub?