We had the ceiling tiled in the shower we recently added to our guest bathroom (reno is 99% completed, haven't used the shower yet). We plan to do the same over the bathtubs when we reno the two upstairs bathrooms.

As someone on this forum said (and I'm paraphrasing here); "with a painted ceiling we probably wouldn't have a problem (with regards to mold, mildew), with a tiled ceiling we definitely wouldn't. I'm going with definite."

So, DH and I chose definite over probable as well. We've both experienced the need to constantly scrub with Chlorox/repaint the ceilings over the bathtubs in our previous homes, while we've not had any problems with the tiled ceiling over the tub in this house during the 10+ years we've lived here. That made it an easy decision for us.

Redrose-- do you have any kind of header going around the perimeter of the shower?

I tiled all of mine and don't regret it, but I do have to say, I think it looks great when there is a natural ending to the tile area (ie a header as Bill mentions) verses just tiling until some stopping point. A simple 2x4 header frame is enough to take the look from builder bland to designer planned :)

I'm going to coin that phrase LOL

Cat Mom and Igloo - Good to know!! I think my DH would agree with you. He's the designated bathroom cleaner so he's trying to make this bathroom as low maintenance as possible, thus the one-piece Toto toilet and question about tiling the ceilings. Hmmm...looks like we'll have to order more tile then.

Bill - We're redoing both our guest bath and master bath. The master bath shower will have a bulkhead "header" with crown, whereas the guest shower will not have a header.

So based on Igloo's note, the master shower should look fine due to the header. I think the guest bath will also look ok due to the fact that the shower is it's own separate recessed "room", and there is not ceiling wall to either side of the shower. What do you think?

Master bath plans:

Guest bath plans:

We only tiled the ceiling in the steam shower. The rest are just fine and dandy with tile up to 6 or 7 ft and eggshell paint.

Tiled over 13 years ago and it still looks great. No problems and definitely no mold.

Redroze- the reason I asked is because if you have a header, it's strongly advised (although not mandatory) that you tile the ceiling, because steam will tend to rise and because of the header, it'll get temporarily trapped at the ceiling. Without the header, so long as the shower's not completely enclosed, it'll have a chance to escape and dissipate.

Oh I see, thanks Bill. I think we won't tile the guest bath cause there's no header and we already ordered the tile. For the master, we'll tile the ceiling cause there's a header and we haven't ordered the tile yet. We'll see if there's a difference between the two baths cause it looks like there are varied experiences. Or more accurately, like Cat Mom said, the non-tiled ceiling is a probably and the tiled ceiling is a definite in terms of molding.

i think i need to embarrass myself. please forgive, but does anyone have any pics of a "header"? i'm lost...

Hi Kate, a header is almost like a bulkhead which appears at the top of the shower. Like in this photo:

I think it would also be called a soffit(?).

thanks redroze ...and yes, that looks very good. and i've always lusted after that tub in the pic.

catmom-- you're close. A header, as shown in redroze's picture is a particular KIND of soffit, being that it encloses, or partitions off an area, while a soffit generally speaking is any kind of drop in ceiling height.

Thanks for the info Bill! :-)

I'm coming to this a little late in the conversation, but we did tile the ceiling to our walk-in shower

you'll have to pardon the filthy picture - this was when it was just grouted! It's also a little tricky to get a good shot of the space, but I can try to get more next week (we move in on thursday!! whoo hoo!!)

Bill - it was a pro! Now I hope you aren't gonna tell me it was a bad tile job - it looks good (now that it's clean)!!! I can't imagine how long it would have taken us to do it ourselves - I'm soooo impressed by everyone's DIY jobs. While my DH and I are quite handy, it took him 2 years to do our current master :-)

No, there's nothing (I see) wrong with the tile, but if one of my guys left that much grout on the face of the tile, there'd be hell to pay.

These guys did a nice DIY job with some Ceilume vinyl ceiling tiles, worth a look!

Here is a link that might be useful: Good Looking Vinyl Bathroom Ceiling Tiles

Hi Ironhands,

Not really a fan of the celery ceiling tiles you posted up there. Looks kind of cheap to me. No offense to you. Although you shouldn't be offended since you most likely have no affiliation with the company.

Dan

Hey Dan,

Not to worry, no offense taken---and I know what you mean about the first impression, I had the same initial response. Then I had them send me some free samples and that turned me around. I think that's why Ceilume actually sends samples for free, even pays for the shipping. They want people to see them before they make up their minds. Are they right for every application? No way. Are they a whole lot better looking than conventional ceiling tiles---absolutely. And they are sure easier to work with. Thanks!

Ed

Here is a link that might be useful: Free Samples If You're Interested

Redroze: Truthfully, based on your design eye and amazing ability to "see" the design qualities of things (I have drooled over your kitchen!!!), I think you should trust your inner voice--it's a good compass! My husband tends to pick the "safest" or most low maintenance way of doing everything and he doesn't see the importance of creating a beautiful space. If your hubby tends that way, I would trust your vision......

(my DH told me to buy a smaller window in the family room because it was cheaper--even if the proportion was wrong!)

Why thank you firsthouse!! My hubby tries to be very practical and functional as well but he also considers aesthetics (or at least he does when I say, that looks ugly!!) My husband tends to choose the more expensive route and I'm more budget conscious and timeline respectful. The fact that this "one week reno" has turned into a month and a half due to logistics and extras (heated flooring), it drove me a bit bonkers but I'll love the results I'm sure.

Just as an update to this post, we ended up not tiling the ceiling. The contractors dropped the ceiling in the shower slightly so it is the same height as the bottom of the crown. So we didn't think it would look right with a tiled ceiling.