To tile or not to tile, That is

[tameria11]

Question, we are installing a new 24" vanity beside our new ToTo and I'm having a 4' tile wainscot installed around from the tub. Should I tile behind the vanity and drill in to the porcelin or leave it just with the primed waterproof drywall, also the floor, should it be tiled underneath the vanity.
Thanks
Dave

[jadnashua]

Depends...since the vanity is small, I'd tile under it. The wainscoating, I'd probably omit. Depends on if when you remodel the next time, you still like the floor tile and wainscoating. I'd consider carrying the wainscoating past the point where the vanity butts up against it, as cutting the tile so it looks good would probably be harder than just placing the vanity up against that strip of tile. You can always shim between the back of the vanity and the wall to compensate for the thickness of the tile. If you are using wall tile, rather than a hard floor tile on the wall, it is fairly easy to drill a hole in, so I wouldn't worry about that. My unprofessional opinion.

[RioHyde]

I agree with Jim. I'd tile the floor under the vanity which makes for a nicer finish. However, I'd omit the wall tile behind the vanity. There really isnt a reason to have it there. I'd put the wall tile up to the vanity, but not behind it.

Good luck

[tameria11]

We're running floor tile to the top of the tub, shower area, than 4' wainscoting around the rest of the room. The tiles are all the same, floor tiles porcelain. When you say butt up to vanity, do you me go around outer edge so we have a tile back splash and than continue past the vanity
Thanks Dave

[Bob's HandyGuy]

So we're talking about an extra 10 bucks or so in materials? Definitely tile under it. You want to protect your floor from water damage if a small leak develops. I once saw a steady drip wear right through the bottom of a vanity before the owner noticed. I would also do the wall in back. As Jim stated, you may want to remodel, say with a pedestal sink. When I redid my bathroom, I used white Formica glued on wallboard to surround the toilet and vanity.

[jadnashua]

I'd consider running the tile past the edge of the vanity by the full tile along the edges and top. Then you'd have a nice clean edge without trying to keep that line nice and straight. I might not tile the entire wall behind the vanity, though - but might consider it. Cutting holes for the water supply and drain through porcelain can be a pain without diamond tools.

[tameria11]

Thanks everyone. I decided to tile 3'8" around 3/4 of bathroom, plus tub to ceiling, looks pretty good so far. Now I can't seem to find a drill bit for porcelain, Any suggestions would be appreciated.Thanks
Dave

[jadnashua]

Depending on how hard it is, you may need a diamond bit. It took me about 10 minutes to drill a 1/4" hole through my porcelain floor tile for a toilet flange with a carbide bit. A diamond bit probably would have taken about 30-seconds. Do you know then PEI (?) hardness rating of the tile? Don't quote me on the index name, but the hardest tile have a rating of 5 from what I understand. If it is on the lower end, then it is softer...a 5 will be a bear to drill without diamond. Forget the adjustable wing flycutters. My unprofessional experience.