Members,

I'm retiling the splash area of a shower. A shower mixer joint started leaking very slowly, so tiles and plaster had to be removed to rectify the leaking joint. The joint seems fine now, and the wall has been replastered and had over 6 weeks to dry.

I'm not planning on retiling the entire shower, just a section of the splash area (so I want to avoid the expense of a waterproofing/tanking kit).

Have been going round in circles trying to work out if primer is needed and if so which one ?

I understand that PVA should be avoided, but considering the location to be retiled is directly underneath the shower hence subject to continual wetness, what is the best value for money primer to use in this situation, since I've heard/read a confusing range of opinions ?

• BAL APD
• Mapei Primer G (water based: is this OK to use in a splash area ?)
• Nicobond (which product ?)

Would really appreciate some sound advice !

Mapei g, BAL sbr or ardex p51 are 3 good choices.

Hi and welcome

Considering you have had previous problems in a wet area surley a tanking system would not be an expence but a safe guard.

Originally Posted by Ito.Lemma

Members,

I'm retiling the splash area of a shower. A shower mixer joint started leaking very slowly, so tiles and plaster had to be removed to rectify the leaking joint. The joint seems fine now, and the wall has been replastered and had over 6 weeks to dry.

I'm not planning on retiling the entire shower, just a section of the splash area (so I want to avoid the expense of a waterproofing/tanking kit).

But your happy to end up with the same situation again? If you want sound advice, tank it and use a cement based adhesive

By the sound of though lads it was just a small section of the plaster and tiles that were removed to fix the leak, so tanking just a small area isn't really going to be much use in this instance.

I know we'd all like to tank the whole shower and retile but by the sounds of it that is never going to happen here.

OP the primers you've mentioned are fine although bare in mind that no matter how well you do a small area the rest of it may have already been damaged, I would check for any extra blown tiles in the shower now rather than later

Thanks for the replies Gents ...
(whoops, given the recent news about female Linespersons that may be classed as sexist).

Have opted for the Mapei G, and applied it diluted with water 1:1. The surface area turned out to be fairly small, to the extent that only a very small amount was used!

Am in agreement with Whitebeam and Scottley that tanking should really have been used, nevertheless in this instance Colour Republic seems to have judged the requirements quite accurately.

To have properly tanked, I would have had to dismantle the shower, remove numerous tiles and possibly replaster a larger area. I would definitely have done this if starting afresh, or if a larger area has been affected.

Fortunately, other tiles in the vicinity seem to be fine, due to the limited water diffusion.

Thanks again for your prompt and sound advice