Pretenses to tile or paint - Recommendations / Objections

Hello everyone,

we have 3 pre-wall installations where, due to the pipes etc. in the drywall, shelf spaces of 16 - 21 cm have now been created.

In the children's bathroom, the pre-wall including the shelf space is to be completely tiled (120 x 60 cm tiles with miter cuts on the edges).

For the other two bathrooms/WCs, I am currently considering reasonable alternatives for aesthetic reasons.

In the guest WC, I once saw the idea of tiling the pre-wall itself and placing a wooden board on the shelf. It looked very nice, but is that practical?

In the master bathroom, we still have a pre-wall with a shelf in front of the T-wall. When tiling, the idea was only to tile the pre-wall and the shelf, and not the side panels. You do look at the exposed tile edge, but I don't find that bad. Even better would be to simply paint the T-wall or pre-wall in a different color. Behind the sinks, this apparently is no problem with the appropriate paint, but how is it with the shelf space? It is wiped very frequently...

I would be very happy to receive recommendations or experiences.

I wouldn't see why you shouldn't tile the cheeks and have an open tile edge visible? Personally, I wouldn't like that at all. We tiled our L-piece completely and finished the edges everywhere with stainless steel strips. The tile edges on the bathtub, etc., are also finished everywhere with stainless steel rails. Personally, I wouldn't put wood on a shelf in the bathroom, unless you never put anything wet on it and always wipe everything dry. Nonetheless, it's all a matter of taste, and I would do it the way you like.

Best regards
Sabine

Many thanks for the comments... Yes, the edges are certainly a matter of taste, for example we do not like the stainless steel edges, so everything will be cut at an angle...

Wood would be the idea for the guest bathroom, since the humidity might be limited there, as the shelf is primarily used as a decorative surface...

What interests me most is whether there is an alternative to tiling the T-wall including the shelf....

I also think wood is great; I just used it in the guest bathroom on the frame installation and as a windowsill because it was only tiled there, which we didn't really like. So far, there are no "wet" items placed there, and since it has only been like this for 2 weeks, I can't provide any experience yet. Visually, we like it, and it is also currently trendy.

I wouldn't want to use miter-cut tiles because they can often have sharp edges and therefore pose a certain risk of injury. In addition, corners break off quickly if you bump against them, which looks unattractive. Also, how homogeneous it looks afterwards depends a lot on the patience of your tiler. It is really a crappy job. So if you don't like the stainless steel or plastic strips, I would possibly reconsider butt joints. Although it doesn't look quite as good visually, it is okay and much more durable.

As an alternative, there are always natural stone slabs, like granite. Many people do that, especially when the windowsill is made of the same material.

Yes, our tiler was not thrilled about the extra work, but that's why he charges a lot for the miter cuts... I haven't thought about possible sharp edges and delicate corners yet, I thought something like that shouldn't happen if it is cut and grouted professionally... I will research that again... Thank you very much for the suggestion...

Acacia sealed twice with parquet oil.
Above the bathtub, there will also be a shelf with concealed brackets.

Well, mosaic is not everyone's thing