water behind tiles

[flatnoseflynn]

in my bathroom the shower fittings have come loose and water has got behind the tiles and has made the silcone go mouldy on the bath rim
i need to replace, but not sure how to take them off without breaking or scracthing the other tiles above them which i dont really want to replace if i can avoid it.

[mikethetile]

can you be more specific please

do you want to remove the tiles or the silicone

[brian c]

The question you should be asking is how the water got behind the tiles in the first place m8.Is it due to condensation or a leaking pipe etc.As Mike says we need more info in order to help you out.

[flatnoseflynn]

yeah sorry half a sleep when i wrote that.

i need to no what is the best way of taking tiles off a wall without damaging other tiles.

and which is the best silcone to use to stop it getting mouldy in the bathroom as i need to replace this aswell.

thanks.

[whitebeam]

Remove grout around the tile you are going to replace then tap with a hammer to break out, remove old adhesive then replace with new.

[brian c]

cheapest way...use a piece of 2x2 wood with a nail in the end and gently remove the grout between tiles then gently crack a tile or drill a hole about an inch away from every corner and chap with hammer,remove loose pieces of tile and away you go.

Alternatively use a power tool such as a Dremmel or Fein with attachment and repeat the process above.Let us know how it goes.

[doug boardley]

what sort of wall are tiles attached to mate, if its plasterboard, it'll be hard to remove the tiles without damaging plasterboards beyond repair

[brian c]

very true Doug...in that case if plasterboard just rip the walls down and replace.

[flatnoseflynn]

very true Doug...in that case if plasterboard just rip the walls down and replace.

it is plasterboard behind tiles looks like its going to be a bigger job than i thought.
i checked under bath and the plasterboard is damp.

[bootsmckiber]

For sure flatnose looks like you're starting this one from the begining,easy enough to save your tile if you just rip down plasterboard,when you go to put your tiles back up use hardi backer board,or red guard water membrane or you'll be repeating this webpage 5yrs down the road

[cornish_crofter]

For sure flatnose looks like you're starting this one from the begining,easy enough to save your tile if you just rip down plasterboard,when you go to put your tiles back up use hardi backer board,or red guard water membrane or you'll be repeating this webpage 5yrs down the road

Agreed, I would personally go for either hardibacker or aquapanel screwed to joists.

Remove ALL the plasterboard that is tiled onto and replace those areas with the tile backing board. Take the time to try to get the walls as level as possible whilst you screw this up, this may mean planing down or packing out joists. It may seem like a lot of work at the time, but you will thank yourself later, trust me.

Whilst the plaster is removed you'll need to clean up the bath. This will be easier without the plasterboard in the way. I use a new stanley knife blade to separate 90% of the silicone from the suite, then go over the rest with silicone eater. I have taken baths out just to clean them up before now.

It would be better to remove the bath and refit it with the new board up, but if you don't then fit the board so it runs about 3 inches below the top of the bath. Pump silicone around the inteface/gap between the wall and the bath making sure it doesn't just fall through the gap. Get a good seal at this point then do the wet finger trick to get a good joint.

Then tile, grout etc then apply another bead of silicone.

If you do remove the bath, before you refit it, run a bead of silicone around the bath where it meets the wall so that it oozes out when the bath is fitted.

[wacker]

Have to agree with cornish_crofter on this one
hardie boards do not rot when they come into contact with water. Ok, they are more money than plaster board, but its money well spent in the long run. Let us know how it goes