How Do You Tile Over a Walk-In Tub Flange Correctly?

To tile over a walk-in tub flange correctly, bond the flexible glue-up flange to the flat deck edge with 100 percent silicone so it overlaps the tub edge by about 2 inches, run the tile or wall panel down over the flange and onto the deck, and then seal every joint with silicone. Ella walk-in tubs have a flat deck edge with no molded tile lip, so this added flange is the only water barrier between the tub and the wall, which is why What Is a Tile Flange on a Walk-In Tub? matters before the first tile goes up. The order of the layers, and the rule that the tile must lap over the flange rather than stop above it, is what separates a dry alcove from water at the corners.

The Layer Order, from the Stud Out

The flange is not a trim piece sitting beside the tile; it is a layer under it. From the back of the wall forward, the order is stud, wall board, tile flange, then tile or wall panel. The wall board, whether drywall or cement board, sits behind the flange. The flange bonds to the tub edge and rises up the wall, and the finished surface comes down over it and onto the deck so that any water running down the wall is thrown back into the tub.

The manual describes the strip generically: any 1/8 inch or 3/16 inch rust-proof, waterproof strip will do, acrylic, thin stainless steel or fiberglass, about 5 inches tall, glued to the tub edge with 100 percent silicone and overlapping the tub edge by about 2 inches. Ella's current part is the Flexible Glue-Up Tile Flange kit, listed as FlangeBand: a 124 inch strip of 4 inch wide flexible membrane with a 1 1/4 inch adhesive strip, a spreading spatula, an alignment guide and alcohol wipes. The membrane is a durable waterproof adhesive fabric with a siliconized surface that reacts with and chemically bonds to 100 percent silicone, so the seal holds through normal expansion and contraction and routine floor settling, which a rigid plastic lip cannot follow.

The strip is reversible, and the color tells you it is oriented correctly. On a fixture with no integral flange, which includes every Ella walk-in tub, the red surface faces the installer. Lengths are matched to the model: the 124 inch kit suits most Ella tubs in a standard three-wall 60 inch alcove, and longer strips are listed for the Big4One, TransferXXL, LayDown72, Escape and Big4Two.

Before the Flange Goes on

1. Level the tub with every leveling leg bearing on the floor. An unlevel frame opens gaps at the wall and the door together.
2. Run the pre-installation water test with the access panels open, filling and holding the tub before any wall is closed. Fixing a leak behind finished tile is far more disruptive than fixing it now.
3. Measure the run. Add up every length of tub edge that meets a wall, the back plus each end, at deck height, and match that total to the kit lengths. If you are not sure which length fits, open a ticket at ellasbubbles.com/support with your model, a sketch of the alcove with the wall lengths in inches, and a photo of the tub edge at the wall.
4. Have the kit on site. The flange ships separately by parcel carrier, not in the crate with the tub, so do not report it missing on delivery day. When you request one through where you purchased the tub or the team at (800) 480-6850, include the tub model so the right length ships; support records it under the part code EB-FLANGE.

Installing the Flange and Tiling over It, Step by Step

The video below walks through the kit installation. It shows the kit contents, how the alignment card is used to mark the strip position on the walls, and the two marking methods: resting the card on the tub ledge with the tub temporarily in its working position for a two-wall enclosure, or working out the strip height from the planned ledge height for a tight three-wall alcove where the tub cannot be slid in and out.

1. Mark the strip position on the walls with the alignment card so the flange runs level along the back wall and square down each end.
2. Clean the tub edge with the alcohol wipes from the kit so the silicone bonds to acrylic, not to dust or film.
3. Apply 100 percent silicone and bond the strip to the tub edge with the red surface facing you, overlapping the tub edge by about 2 inches, spreading with the spatula so there are no voids along the bond line.
4. Finish the wall board so it sits behind the flange, not in front of it.
5. Run the tile or wall panel down over the flange and onto the deck. The finished surface has to lap the flange; tile that stops above it leaves the very gap the flange was meant to close.
6. Silicone every joint: tub to wall along all three sides, each corner, the line where the extension panel meets the tub, and the line where the end panel meets the wall.

Mistakes That Show Up Later as a Leak at the Corners

When a tub leaks at the corners or along the wall while filled, and the door itself stays dry, the cause is almost always one of these finishing gaps rather than the tub. Why Does My Tub Leak at the Corners or Wall When Filled? walks through the diagnosis; the short version is that if the corners stay dry until you splash or use the hand shower, the water is coming over the deck edge at the wall.

• No flange at all, because the installer expected a molded lip like a standard bathtub and did not plan for the strip.
• A flange that does not overlap the tub edge, so water tracks behind it.
• Tile or wall panels that stop above the flange instead of coming down over it.
• Corners and the extension panel to tub line left uncaulked, or caulked with something other than silicone.
• Walls started before the flange went on, which My Tub Has No Tile Lip. Which Flange Do I Use? lists as one of the three usual causes.

If the wall line is sealed and water still shows at the corners, trace it under the tub instead, starting at the unions at the pump and heater, the air tube fittings, the push button gaskets and the drain elbow, adding one water source at a time. Keep the caulk line between the tub and the wall in good condition over the years and re-caulk if it cracks or pulls away.

Special Cases

The ShaK is the one exception: it is not designed to be tiled in directly, so talk with technical support before planning tile around a ShaK. Existing wall tile that is sound and properly sealed can stay; your installer confirms its condition. If you would rather not tile, the flange is offered as an aftermarket option alongside acrylic wall panels, and the accessories and add-ons overview lists it with the other options worth deciding before the walls are finished. For a shower base the same flange approach applies, and the flexible strip can go on after the base is set; custom Ella shower bases are made with a tile flange for exactly this reason, as Shower Bases and Walls explains.

Watch: Installing a Glue-Up Tile Flange: Step-by-Step | Ella’s Bubbles with chapters and a full transcript.

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