Tile baseboard?

[fwillison]

My garage has a flat concrete slab with 2x6 walls.

Unfortunately, the slab has some low spots that pool water in a few areas. The slab is 44x60 and the low spots are fairly large but relatively shallow, maybe a 1/4 inch of standing water in the deepest areas.

It's not a big issue since it's usually dry, but periodically I may want to hose out the garage. That will create standing water that will need to be squeegee'd or broomed out.

I don't like water getting the sole plate and possibly sheetrock wet, so I've been thinking about what I could do.

What do you guys think about putting tile around the perimeter as a water resistant baseboard? I was thinking 3 inch x 12 inch bullnose tile with cement tile backer behind. What would be the best method to install to ensure it is waterproof?

Other ideas?

 

[SunsetsAndFriends]

fwillison - if the water pools next to the wall, creating a pool of standing water that keeps the wall plate/drywall wet, I do not think that a tile base is going to fix this. The reason is that the wall and concrete floor are dissimilar materials and therefore move at different rates. Any kind of seal that gets put down will likely crack, causing the water to go behind the tile, especially if it is under water. Being under water is the big issue.

On the other hand if the water pools but is not pooling at the walls, and you want to provide splash protection, then a tile border might be an option. But from reading your post I didn't get the sense that this is the case.

I think a more detailed explanation and photos that show the problem would be helpful for other posters. There are professional tile installers who post here and they might offer some advice too.

 

[bdamico]

I did it. You might just cut back sheetrock and use vinyl baseboard too

 

[jhelrey]

When I tile bath floors, I always to tile base. I actually use silicone and stick the tile that way onto sheetrock. I also use caulking that looks like grout vs grout since it will move. Always looks like a million $

 

[stage20]

are you going to cut the drywall out and use backerboard or stack the backer on the drywall? will leave a nice gap at the top.

bullnose tile the way to go if you do it.

cove base is also an option, but it rarely looks professional if your walls arent perfect or if you have an inconsistant glue line.

 

[fwillison]

Yes, the pooling is against the wall in some areas.
However, it would just be for a short period, I wouldn't leave the water there. I would squeegee it out after hosing down.
Probably can use silicone caulk at concrete slab to tile line.

I think I would cut back the sheet rock and replace with about 4 inches of tilebacker at the bottom.

 

[SunsetsAndFriends]

Yes, the pooling is against the wall in some areas.
However, it would just be for a short period, I wouldn't leave the water there. I would squeegee it out after hosing down.
Probably can use silicone caulk at concrete slab to tile line.

I think I would cut back the sheet rock and replace with about 4 inches of tilebacker at the bottom.

Maybe you would consider profiling the concrete to increase adhesion and use a resurfacing compound to create a drainage plane so water doesn't sit against the wall.