Dear all,

Hoping anyone can advise, I have a job starting end of May, it is a kitchen splashback and am required to fix 150mm x 75mm White Travertine tiles to a painted wall surface. The total area is only 2.5 metre square. I think the wall is a sand, cement screed but could be a skimmed wall not 100% sure.

I am thinking of asking the customer to sand it right back where I can prime and then fix the tiles with a tubbed adhesive. Any advice would be welcomed from those who have experienced a similar situation.

Many Thanks

Ross

do not use a ready mixed adhesive. you want a powdered adhesive white, mapei
is a very good 1 . there are loads 2 pick from . remove the paint from the walls and prime the walls. do not use pva. you will need a sealant for the trav again load off choice there . lithofin stain stop is fine,

Firstly, you need to get as much of the paint off as is possible. Are the tiles travertine or a travertine effect, please?

Never use a ready mixed (tubbed) adhesive with natural stone, always use a flexible cement based and use white adhesive when working with light stones such as travertines, limestones and marbles to avoid shadowing and staining.

You really need to know what the substrate is, too, as a render will hold a lot more weight than skimmed plaster. It's a very small area so if you prep it correctly you should be okay.

Originally Posted by nybor62

do not use a ready mixed adhesive. you want a powdered adhesive white, mapei
is a very good 1 . there are loads 2 pick from . remove the paint from the walls and prime the walls. do not use pva. you will need a sealant for the trav again load off choice there . lithofin stain stop is fine,

Snap

good advise from above

Thank you for the replies,

The tiles are Travertine and not travertine effect.
I have already purchased the Lithofin Stain stop but was just unsure on the adhesive. The wall I have been informed is a sand and cement render that was just painted over.
I dont think my local supplier stocks Mapei white but I take it the BAL single part Flex in White will be just as good just double the price.

Once again thanks for your help and will let you know how I get on.

The BAL will be fine, just expensive as you say .
Good luck.

Ladies/Gents

Thanks for your help, the job went really well and customer delighted with end result. Managed to get rid of almost all the paint and used Bal SPF after priming walls. Please see photos attached if I have uploaded them correctly.

Once again many thanks for the advice.

All the Best

Ross

Tiling 034.jpg
Tiling 037.jpg

nice job. shame you could not get a row of tiles behind the cooker

Nice job Ross, I would have done a few things different but the finish is all good, so well done.

Originally Posted by Superally

nice job. shame you could not get a row of tiles behind the cooker

Sorry to hijack the thread but is it good practice to do that?

regards Dave

Originally Posted by Superally

nice job. shame you could not get a row of tiles behind the cooker

Tend to agree but a good looking job all the same

Sorry to hijack the thread but is it good practice to do that?

It is Dave mate, just covers that gap you can see on the first photoI just do it as procedure

Nice job Ross.. and thanks for sharing the pics..

A Tip for next time you do windows with none 90dgs reveal returns.

Mitre the edges to get rid of the square step edge, on square 90dg corners an overlap joint sits flush but on split angle joints like that it is neater to mitre..

Just a Tip for next time and a nice job you have made..

Thanks for all the positive feedback and advice throughout this thread it has been well received, as you can see I am still fairly new to this game and am learning all the time.

Many Thanks and wish you all the best.

Ross