Window Cill Tiling Dilemma

[Slancelot]

Second-time DIY tiler with a wonky window sill, an IKEA sink and non-IKEA kitchen units. Can you offer advice please?

Previous owner of the house left behind some white square tiles, so I'm going to use these (you can see some resting on the windowsill in the photo). I was planning on screwing a piece of plywood onto the sill first to give a flat surface to tile onto. (Have been told MDF is no good for this).

Can anyone suggest how to tile the window sill and the vertical surface between worktop and the sill please?

Vertical first with a pvc edging strip, then tile windowsill? Or windowsill first?

The sink sits right up against the vertical surface so I'll have to tile down to sink then use some silicone sealer or something to fill the gap and stop water seeping down behind the sink presumably?

 

[Old Mod]

It doesn't look like the windows open so u have plenty of room in window frame, just cut row of tiles all same size 20mm or so higher than sill.
Easier to cut larger pieces.
Stick these on face of sill, obviously trimming up the ones that sit on sink, so that they form one level line left to right.
Once dry, mix a bit of sand and cement and backfill behind tiles.
When it's gone off sit your trim on top and tile sill. Once grouted and dry, run bead of kitchen silicone sealant along front edge where it meets sink and worktop.

 

[Unused Account 1]

3fall right in what he says ,or build up sill with plasterboard ,keep level ,then cut the fronts the same ,the highest point ,cut into the sink ,bobs your uncle

 

[Dave]

I'd dab on some plasterboard...

 

[Ian]

I'd dab on some plasterboard...

That would be my choice too.

 

[p4ulo]

Yeah, plasterboard would be a good shout, or a bit of hardie if you've got any lying around.
Plasterboard would be cheapest to buy from the DIY shop...
But I do like the back-filling idea up to a row of already fixed wall tiles too.....

 

[Slancelot]

Thanks for the advice folks, it's such a relief to get the benefit of your knowledge before I start and make rookie errors.
(I've got some plasterboard, some 18mm plywood and a bag of cement left over from other jobs so I've got options!)

"Dab on plasterboard" that just means putting some patches of adhesive down and setting the plasterboard on top of it, then checking with a spirit level? Would tile adhesive be ok?

 

[Slancelot]

Thanks for your helpful answer.

If I did backfill with sand & cement mix, won't it potentially leak out between the tiles? Or should I just make it a stiffer mix to avoid that?

It doesn't look like the windows open so u have plenty of room in window frame, just cut row of tiles all same size 20mm or so higher than sill.
Easier to cut larger pieces.
Stick these on face of sill, obviously trimming up the ones that sit on sink, so that they form one level line left to right.
Once dry, mix a bit of sand and cement and backfill behind tiles.
When it's gone off sit your trim on top and tile sill. Once grouted and dry, run bead of kitchen silicone sealant along front edge where it meets sink and worktop.

 

[Old Mod]

Thanks for your helpful answer.

If I did backfill with sand & cement mix, won't it potentially leak out between the tiles? Or should I just make it a stiffer mix to avoid that?

Do a semi dry mix, ie just enough water so that when u squeeze a hand full,
it just holds together. In a firmish ball.

 

[Slancelot]

Do a semi dry mix, ie just enough water so that when u squeeze a hand full,
it just holds together. In a firmish ball.

Makes sense! Thanks again.

 

[SJPurdy]

Clean off that (it looks) mouldy bit of sealant from the window sill join line.
Definitely a good idea to raise the sill so that the new tiling is above this line as it will give a much better finished job.

 

[bcd-87]

I'd dab on some plasterboard...

same @Dave

 

[Concrete guy]

I wouldn't tile that, I'd probably go for a piece of uPVC soffit or similar and make it a single waterproof piece.

 

[WetSaw]

What he said^^^^^^ Plastic Window Sill | eBay

 

[Slancelot]

FINALLY got around to doing this tiling.
Thanks for all the input folks, i really appreciated all the advice.
No offence to the plasterboard/plastic sill brigade, but I went with tiling the face of the sill then backfilling before i tiled over it.

Trifle for scale (and i had a bit of spare adhesive).