How do I tile a window reveal so the cuts look right?
How the reveal relates to the main wall's setting out, which edge takes the cut, and the order that stops the return tiles sliding off.
- Difficulty
- intermediate
- Time
- 2 hr
- Read
- 5 min
- Safety
- caution
Short answer
Set the main wall out so a joint or a full tile lands sensibly at the reveal, tile the face wall first and let it set, then tile the returns so they butt into the face tiles. Cut goes at the back of the reveal against the frame, not at the front arris where it is on show, and the front edge gets a trim or a mitre.
A window reveal is a small area that carries a lot of visual weight because it is at eye level, framed by light, and the light rakes across it. It is also three surfaces meeting at two external corners, so it exposes every setting-out error on the wall around it.
Safety
What you'll need
- tile trim or a mitring capability
- tile adhesive suited to the substrate
- spacers and levelling clips (optional)
- battens or props to support reveal tiles
- tile cutter or wet saw
Step by step
- Set the main wall out around the window, not around the corners.The window is the feature the eye goes to. Gauge the wall so full tiles frame it and any awkward cut is pushed into the room corner.
- Decide how the front arris is finished before you cut anything.Three options: a metal or plastic tile trim, a mitred joint where both tiles are cut at 45 degrees, or a bullnose tile if the range has one. This decision changes the size of every tile in the reveal.
- Tile the face of the wall first and let it set.The reveal tiles will butt against the face tiles, so the face has to be finished and firm. Trying to do both at once means everything moves.
- Measure each reveal separately, top and bottom.Reveals are almost never parallel. Measure the depth at both ends; if it varies, put the variation at the back against the frame where a bead of sealant will absorb it.
- Put the cut at the back of the reveal.The front arris is the visible edge and should carry a full, clean, trimmed tile edge. The back sits against the frame in shadow, gets sealed, and is where any taper hides.
- Tile the two side reveals, supporting each tile while it grabs.A vertical surface holds a tile by suction and friction; the underside of a reveal head does not. Use props, battens or tape and let it set fully before removing them.
- Tile the head of the reveal last.It is the hardest surface — everything wants to fall off it. Use a thicker-bodied adhesive suited to overhead work, prop every tile, and do not rush the set time.
- Fit the trim as you go, bedded into the adhesive.Trim is bedded under the tile edge, not stuck on afterwards. Cut the trim mitres at the corners of the reveal or the mitre will show as a gap.
- Seal, do not grout, the joint against the window frame.Tile against a UPVC or timber frame is a junction of two very different materials, and the frame moves with temperature. Flexible sealant there; grout will crack.
- Grout the field joints once everything has set.Including the reveal-to-face internal corners — except that these, being changes of plane, are also sealant joints rather than grouted ones.
Tips
- If the reveal is shallower than a tile width, a single full-width tile on the reveal with the cut on the face wall often looks better than a narrow cut on the reveal itself.
- Match the horizontal joints on the reveal to the horizontal joints on the wall. A joint that steps as it turns the corner is very obvious in raking light.
- Cut a card template of the reveal before cutting expensive tile, especially where the frame is not square to the wall.
- In a bathroom, the window reveal is the wettest cold surface in the room — make sure the sealant at the frame is properly formed, and consider a mould-resistant grade.
Common mistakes
- Putting the cut tile at the front edge of the reveal — The front arris is at eye level and catches the light from the window, so a narrow cut there is the most visible tile in the room. Put full tiles at the front and the cut against the frame.
- Tiling the reveal head without support — Gravity beats adhesive suction on an overhead surface until the adhesive has set. Tiles slide, then drop — usually onto the sill, breaking both.
- Grouting against the window frame — The frame expands and contracts with temperature far more than the tile does, and it is a different material with no bond to grout. The grout cracks and falls out, then water gets behind the tiles.
If it doesn't work
Reveal tiles slid down overnight
Cause: Adhesive too loose, or no support while it set — Fix: Lift them while the adhesive is soft. Use a thicker-bodied adhesive intended for vertical and overhead work, and prop every tile until it has properly set.
The joints step where the wall turns into the reveal
Cause: Reveal tiled without referencing the face wall's joint lines — Fix: There is no fix short of re-tiling the reveal. It is prevented by gauging the reveal off the same lines as the wall before laying any of it.
Gap opening at the trim mitre in the reveal corner
Cause: Trim cut square rather than mitred, or bedded after the tiles — Fix: Remove the trim, re-cut a proper mitre, and bed it under the tile edges in fresh adhesive.
Questions people ask
Trim or mitre on the front edge?
A mitre looks better and is harder — it needs an accurate 45 degree cut through the tile body, usually on a wet saw with a tilting table, and porcelain mitres chip easily. A good trim looks deliberate and is far more forgiving; a bad trim looks like a cover-up. Choose on the tools you actually have.
Do I tile the sill as well?
You can, and it wears well, but a tiled sill needs a fall towards the room so condensation runs off rather than sitting at the frame, and its front edge needs the same trim or mitre decision. Many people fit a stone or solid surface sill instead.
What if the reveal is not square to the wall?
Very common. Keep the front arris straight and true, since that is the line the eye reads, and let the discrepancy accumulate at the back against the frame where sealant hides it.