Hi. Guessing it's a common question but I'm trying to confirm whether it's possible to tile onto painted plasterboard? My kitchen walls are plasterboard with the original trade paint that was used when the house was built 4 years ago.
Thanks for any advice.
Hi,
The first thing to do is check that the paint is fully bonded to the plasterboard. Do this by applying a strip of gaffer tape overnight and then rip it off. If the paint comes off, then it means that there is weak bond between the board and paint, and the background is generally unsuitable to receive tiles. That would mean taking a chance, but lets say, that the paint is bonded well:
Weight and movement issues with tiles on paint are a big factor, so I'd personally take a chance tiling onto paint with tiles up to 200 x 200 mm, providing the walls are rigid and primed correctly.
The other thing to consider is what type of paint it is. If it's a moisture-resistant paint, then this would have to be primed using a primer that gives a key, such as Mapei EcoPrim Grip. If it's standard paint that absorbs moisture, then a normal SBR primer could be used instead.
In summary, the things to consider, are:
Is the wall stable and flat?
Is the paint bonded to the plasterboard?
Are the tiles quite small (not large format)?
Hope this helps.
