I'm in NZ , but I'm pretty sure you ( or your builder or tiler ) should have attached trim that is made for the job BEFORE the top row of tiles was attached to the wall . That makes for a nice 'watertight' seal , whereas attaching anything afterwards means you will almost certainly end up with gaps between tiles and across the VJ board -- you can try and grout them etc , but its not going to be as watertight as the other method .

The walls shouldn't have water running down them obviously , but there will be condensation and splashes -- it is a bathroom after all .

Too late for that , all I would suggest is grout or a silicone sealer along the join , and I suspect a plastic would be better than wood -- even painted , wood will deteriorate , whereas synthetics don't if chosen and installed correctly .

Someone more experienced ( I've always used plumbers/tilers , and/or got the builder to organise everything ) may have other solutions , but as far as I can see , you will need silicone , grout and glue -- nailing or similar creates lots of little holes , especially as this is unlikely to ever be completely flat .

Thanks! Could i fill the gap with no more gaps bathroom edition, then nail the top section of the rail into the vj, then no more gaps on the top section of the rail and silicon the bottom section of the rail? The belt tails are really light

I’d look at doing a method like you’ve suggested but I’d do a test of siliconing a rail to a tile offcut first. And you could probably get away with not filling the gaps first. You don’t want to create more unevenness, get it in and fill the gaps afterwards. And you can get paintable silicon products that may give your more workability time and flex more than no gaps which can set a bit hard.

Thanks bigreader.

So if i can silicon a rail to a tile offcut successfully then you think theres no need to silicon between the tile and the vj before putting the rail on? Is there any issue with silconing the gap between the tile and vj?

I will still nail the rail into the vj to keep it secure.

I’m now thinking of doing a smaller moulding instead. Seems like the silicone will be more hidden, is smaller (more stable) and seems a bit more practical than a belt rail in a bathroom. What do you reckon?

I think the smaller looks better. You can tack it to the VJ and run a bead of sealant on the upper and lower edge.

Yes, that would look better.

Hi Sierra, keeping it simple is always good. I would fix a plain (not molded) strap of treated or durable painted timber as your belt rail fixed to the VJ lining boards only (don't fix to the tiles).

Good luck!

Regards,

Tony

Quadrant Design Architects.

Thanks Quadrant. What would you use to seal the top and bottom? And would you seal the gap between the bj and tiles first before installing the timber?

Also whats the different between mold and non molded?

No problem. If its not in a wet area e.g. shower or splashback, It could be glue fixed to the timber giving it an overhang to the tiles to cover the gap. It can be filled at the top and painted and because its not at eye level, the bottom does not need to be sealed. For extra security, you could nail the strap to the wall and seal the top and bottom with silicon then paint.

Non molded is a flat surface, therefore plain and simple.

Hi Dreamer,

I found a product called gap filler rod which is a foam i can push into the gaps before siliconing. Should work to reduce the gap.

Ended up doing this rail. Whats everyones thoughts?

Looks good so far. It would be good to see a picture further back.