The Bullnose Problem

We are on our third and final bathroom and I've come to the conclusion that I hate bathroom remodels. There are too many choices to be made and lots that can go wrong: which tile, design and arrangement, coordinating the plumber, tiler, and painting and hoping they don't screw up. Tile essentially can't be fixed once set, without completely redoing it, at great expense (even if only considering the material cost). So, it's important to find a good tiler and plumber. There's lots that can go wrong. If the plumbing is off or incorrect, you may need to pull down some tile and cut through cement board. If the shower pan leaks, you're in for some trouble. If it isn't sloped properly, it will pool water and can mildew.

So now I'll get to the intention of this post, the bullnose problem. We found the tile we wanted at the local tile warehouse, but the bullnose was not in stock. I know some people leave unfinished edges and with a natural stone, that can look good, but with porcelain, the edge is a different color than the finish and doesn't look good exposed, and hence the reason for bullnose. I had an awful experience ordering tile in the past where half of it arrived cracked. It's also quite expensive when paying for shipping. The tile saleswomen show me Schluter metal bullnose. They're not cheap at around $30/8ft, but neither is bullnose. I think the Schluter edge looks better since it doesn't break up the tile layout that occurs with most bullnoses, since they are typically 2x10, not the dimension of your main tile.

The edge comes in a few different finishes and dimensions. You'll need to get the correct dimension for your tile thickness. We chose the roundec style, which has a rounded edge as the name implies. There are other manufacturers besides Schluter that make this but this is what was my tiler could get from his supplier.

 The edge makes a nice transition as the tile turns the corner

Roger, our tiler, did a nice job framing the niche with the edge. Notice how the ledge sits back a bit so that the edge lands behind the outside framing

As expected the curb has the bullnose too. Notice how the plumber didn't center the drain!

And here's the final result, sans the door ,which is on order