hi am doing ma bathroom just bought the house so it was all outdated and the walls where in some state so after riping everything out i had to put plasterboard round the bathroom now am going to tile the bathroom myself and just wanted to know whats the best way to prime plasterboard for tiling
thanks for any replys hoping to start tomorrow

hi ped
you should prime plasterboard with an acryllic primer such as mapei g or sbr.
do not be tempted to use pva as it is not suitable for tiling.

If its unskimmed then you can just tile straight to it. If its skimmed then you could use an SBR primer but depends on the adhesive you are using. Do you have any that you have already purchased?

what size tiles are you going to use

the size of tiles are 250x330mm am using the unibond bathroom shower adhesive and grout with unibond gypsum primer but i have bal primer left over from a downstair job

thanks for replying everyone

sorry i had changed ma name from ped to thealmansa lol

Thanks everyone I bought 250x330mm tiles I bought ready made unibond adhesive and grout all in one stuff with a unibond gypsum primer thanks for replying great website

also being a bathroom, have you thought about "tanking" the wet area around shower?

thanks everyone it wasnt letting me post tried a few times so tried a new username
went for unibond adhesive its adhesive and grout ready made its a waterproof anti mould stuff i bought gypsum primer unibond as well the size of my tiles are 250mmx330mm would this be ok?thanks

I personally would not use the mix of adhesive and grout you have.
I take it it's tubbed gear? Your tiles are small enough for tubbed but Iv seen things go wrong with tubbed before.
I would use a good quality bagged flexi adhesive and a separate flex grout for a more secure job.

sounds like youve bought a diy special for adhesive m8 i wouldnt use that stuff personally ,i would use a cement based adhesive that you mix yourself tilegiant do a good range of mapei adhesives and grouts to suit, and like has already been said if the plasterboard hasnt been skimmed u can tile straight onto it without a primer just tape the joints ,also as above think about tanking round your wet areas ie shower/bath area i would always do this , hope this helps and good luck with your project

Originally Posted by thealmansa

thanks everyone it wasnt letting me post tried a few times so tried a new username
went for unibond adhesive its adhesive and grout ready made its a waterproof anti mould stuff i bought gypsum primer unibond as well the size of my tiles are 250mmx330mm would this be ok?thanks

Do yourself a big favour and take this stuff back to the shop, its garbage and not fit for purpose. The tiles will take an age to dry.
Get a cement based adhesive and a separate cement based grout, use an acrylic bond such as mapei g or similar, Any good tile supplier will stock everything you need, dont let them fob you off with ready mixed adhesive.

yeah it is a headache diy job but enjoyed doing the kitchen with the same stuff gonna start it the now prob take me forever right enough

Originally Posted by thealmansa

yeah it is a headache diy job but enjoyed doing the kitchen with the same stuff gonna start it the now prob take me forever right enough

So are you going to keep the ready mixed after the advice given above?

Ditch ready mixed 'one tub does all tile n grout'. Absolute rubbish! If you want to use ready mixed then do so, but use a proper adhesive and a bagged grout, leaving at least twenty four hours between tiling and grouting. Using this method you will not need to prime plasterboard of any type.

However if you decide to use a bagged adhesive then all plasterboard WILL need priming with SBR or a primer designed for tiling, ie NOT PVA!

Are the tiles ceramic or porcelain? This will make a difference to the adhesive used. Ardex D20 is a readymixed adhesive suitable for either but cant be used on non absorbant substrates, such as painted surfaces etc.

If you keep the readymixed stuff you have you're asking for trouble!

if you have tiled with the "rubbish" and those size tiles, which are on the maximum for it, then you will have to let it dry for at least 3 days not 24 hours before grouting.