bathroom renovation - part 2: a tiled tub wall

Okay, this is the how to part, I thought posting it could help others. I personally do not like plain alcove bathtubs, they are not so esthetically attractive. I would prefer a built-in tub but, since I live in an apartment I did not want to invest that much, at the same time I wanted to have something pleasing to the eye. So as a husband & wife DIY team we decided to build a tiled wall for our cast iron tub. We had an idea how to build a tiled apron and found a further guide in the book, Black&Decker Complete Guide to Bathrooms. It was not as hard as I expected, that may be because my husband built the frame. All you have to do is construct a 2X4 frame in front of the tub, cover it with waterproof backer cement board secured to the studs.

Here are some pictures from the book;

 

Black&Decker Complete Guide to Bathrooms.

Here is how the frame looks.

We also waterproofed the frame using RedGard and covered the side facing the tub with waterproof backer cement board. The existing wall studs did not aligned with our frame so we added new studs in the wall. The frame was secured to floor and new wall studs using waterproof dry wall screws. Then we finished covering the front and top of the frame with cement board.

Here is the backer board taped, spackled and ready to tile.

And the tiled wall. I found matching travertine molding for the top. It fit perfectly.

After finishing the tiled wall, I waterproofed the floor. Hopefully it will keep water tight.

When I applied the silicone caulk around the tub, I used a caulk matching the grout color. Applying silicone is made easier and cleaner by taping off the tub and tile. Once the silicone is on and before it dries, remove the tape with excess caulk.

Next, the floor river rock accents...