Hi Guy's, I am wanting to fix some mosaic tiles to some marine plywood approx 1 sq metre. I am using a flexi mosaic adhesive. Do I need to seal or prep the plywood before I fit the mosaics with the adhesive? I have been told I need to seal the ply with PVA before I apply the adhesive, is this right? if so what ratio should I dilute the PVA if any & how long after applying the PVA or sealer must I wait before I can fit the mosaic's to the ply? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Regards Alan W

hiya alan,dont use pva someone has mis informed you although many people still use it its not suitable buy a primer instead

where is the plywood is it a floor area or in a a bathroom? thanks also how thick is the ply

Is this wall, floor or a sample board ? you would be better off if it's a wall with plasterboard or backerboard, and it's normal to seal the edges and underside with a primer, and do not use pva on the tiled side, a few more details please.

Must type faster, lol, beat me to it mate.

As above, a bit more info would be great, tile type, adhesive brand, ply thickness and what the piece is being used for. As has been said above, PVA is useless as a primer and I would also think about using a cement board rather than ply.

yes not a great substrate to tile on if you can change it or overboard it if possible that will be the best way

Thanks for getting back to me. I have bought the marine ply so will have to stick with it now. Originally I wanted to use hardi backer board but could not find anywhere local to me who supplied it in 8x4 sheets. All the suppliers only had the small sheet which was to small for the full mosaic to fit on.

Regards Alan

Hardie come in small sheets, full stop.

So what is it that is being tiled? Floor, walls or art piece?

Check with the manufacturer of the adhesive if you need to prime the ply or not, some say you do others say dont. The instructions will be on the bag and if it doesnt mention tiling onto ply, there will be a phone number.

Thanks for the advice.
Regards Alan