Spa spillway tile detail

[Schneida]

Our pool design has a spa spillway with a continuous flow over. We wanted to run the waterline tile up onto the spillway in a running bond pattern. The waterline tile is 6”x24” and the tile sub is wanting to do this kind of edge detail, the two squared edges with the top piece overlapping the side piece of tile. I was hoping it would be a mitered edge which they are doing on the vertical corner. Can they truly not cut the 24” long edge of the tile at a 45 to do a mitered edge? Attaching a few pictures, hope this makes sense.

We are getting so close to being done!

 

[ajw22]

Maybe @AQUA~HOLICS knows if it is possible to make that cut.

Cutting tile is much more difficult then wood. My guess is the tile may chip during the cut with a fine edge. It may require a special setup to grind the edge.

 

[kimkats]

which they are doing on the vertical corner.

They sure did a GREAT job with that corner!!!! They do have some skills to pull that off. I would ask them why they are wanting to do the overflow as an over placement instead of the miter cut. They might have a good reason. It might not be they CAN'T but don't want to for some reason they have not shared with you.

 

[AQUA~HOLICS]

The tile cuts are possible.
Keep in mind that exposed grout over an area that has continuous water running over it will be prone to deterioration. Grout in spillways are typically the first areas to so show signs of degrading in all the tile work of a swimming pool. This may be what your installer is trying to avoid for you in the future by overlapping the joints as in the first picture.
Water spills cleaner off the edge of a tile than off the edge of a grout joint.

 

[wireform]

Had the same question this week on a non raised spa re tile this past week where 2 tiles across the top would have left the tile edge flush to the wall and the vertical tile would need to come up to be the corner. I said that's flat out wrong. I said I want 3 tiles on top so that the edges go past the vertical to finish the wall but there also a auto cover which will get worn and torn due to the sharp tile corner rubbing upon open and close. We ended up 45'ing with grout sort of round-ish via help with grout. Sometimes there aren't choices.

 

[Schneida]

Thank you all for your responses! I let them do as they wanted and they didn’t do the mitered edge. But here was the result. Would you accept this tile work? In direct sun it looks like they didn’t use a level. In the shade it’s not as noticeable. Not sure how it will perform with water running over it, if it will run smooth over this? Interested in any thoughts and if I should tell PB I want them to redo this.

 

[kimkats]

I THINK I see what you are seeing but please point it out. Take a level out there and show use what you are seeing.

 

[AQUA~HOLICS]

Is the thickness of the material itself perfectly level on the face?
You can run a hose into the spa and fill it up and test to see if the water is going to flow evenly over the spillway.

 

[DavidArmenB]

Granted, my spillway tiles are only 1 sq.in. And are glass tiles but during my recent resurfacing, the tile guys set my spillway tile in that same way and I prefer it to the way my previous tile was, which had a bunch of grout on all those edges that had totally worn away. At least this way the glass tile will not wear away.


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