Hi Guys,
long time reader, first time poster.

I read on these forums that plaster and plasterboard need to be prepared before tiling as they are very porous surfaces, and that tiles and their addy will not stick securely when the plaster becomes 'live' again.
I will have a shower enclosure (2 sides plastered plasterboard, 1 side stud partition with aquapanel) and the rest of the other walls in the bathroom are plastered. I recently bought some Artex Sealer to seal the plaster with which it says it does well, however i dont know if its the right product for the job before tiling.

Can Artex Sealer be used on the plaster or do I need a a specific tile primer? and what is the difference between a sealer and a primer?
I will be tanking the plastered walls within the shower enclosure as it'll be used with a megaflo system and dont want it to leak later on. Should I grab some Mapei Primer G to do the 2 plastered walls in the shower enclosure with and have Artex Sealer for the rest of the bathroom? or do the entire bathroom walls need primer?

Main reason I got the Artex Sealer was because it was cheap(er) and covers 75msq, which I'm guessing the primer will not.

Thanks guys, Ive learnt so much from these forums already

hi guj,i have never used artex sealer before but i would opt for a primer that is reccomended by the adhesive company that you are going to choose for your tiling

If you're buying a tanking kit there should be the appropriate primer included.
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Yes but the primer in the kit only covers around 5msq right? how would I go about priming the entire bathroom's plastered walls. Or is it just inside the shower cubical that gets blasted with water which needs priming and waterproofing, ie; 2-3msq for my shower cubical.

yes just tank the areas that are going to get wet. as for the rest of the walls use a similar primer to the one with the kit, e.g. primer g

I just read the Artex Sealer VOC's table on the side of the bucket, and it says "product sub category: Primers g", the same as what the Mapei one is called in the tanking kit. Haven't got the tanking kit yet but I'll use the Mapei Primer G inside the shower cubicle where it gets wet, and the Artex Sealer where it only gets humid, if you think that'll be ok.

If its primer g as you say then it will be fine. Make sure you use a flexible cement based adhesive for the walls.

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If you do use artex sealer and thin it down don't put back in the original tub because in a couple of weeks it will turn black and no good to anyone...

I've always been under the illusion that a sealer did just that - seal, i.e. form a skin on the surface.
As I'd want the plaster to still breathe; and thus allowing the cement based adhesive to grip deep into the plaster, I'd only prime the surface with the correct primer for the adhesive type and manufacturers advice.
IMHO to buy a sealer that is not recommended for tiling, just because it's cheap, is false economy and you take the ongoing risks.