newbie needs help!!!!!!

[liam999uk]

hi all, next week im going to be tiling my bathroom, which is going to be an experience!!! lol, anyways after spending 150 quid on some wall tiles which i have decided not to use because i think they're too big im determined to get it right in the end!!! im just wondering about priming the walls after they have been plastered, whats the best stuff to use and how do you apply it??? Also regarding floor tiles, iv got the usual standard floorboards down in the bathroom and they are in very good shape. i was thinking about putting some of these concrete backerboards down as not to give me a huge lift in floor height! what do u guys think about using these, and what's the best way to fix them down??? im a sparky by trade and never done any tiling so any help would be appreciated!! cheers liam

[Dave]

Hi liam and welcome.....Bit of a task for your first job......

What background/substrate do you have to tile too in the bathroom..?

Is the floor solid..as in no movement/deflection..?

[Daz]

Hi Liam,

What size tile are you intending to use?

If you are using a tile larger than 200 x 250mm I would suggest using a cement based adhesive and therefore you will need to prime the plastered walls with an acrylic primer.

If your tile size is smaller, you will get away with using a ready mixed adhesive (provided it is a good quality and rated for use in a wet area), I would consider Ardex D30 or BAL White Star although there are other very good and suitable products available, which are generally self priming.

With regards to the floor, you need to ensure that all the floorboards are securely screwed down and that there is no deflection (bounce) in the floor. The 6mm cement boards must be stuck with a flexible adhesive and then screwed to the floorbaords at 300mm centres (although I tend to prefer 200mm). The exception with regards to the sticking is No More Ply cement boards which supply an adhesive for you to use.

Good luck.

[liam999uk]

hi yeh got a family friend whos done a little bit of tiling before but we are not that experienced!!! lol, anyways the walls are breeze block n plastered over, it's just going to be a skim over whats already on though so should dry quite quick. as regards the floor its just t&g floorboards in i must say quite good condition. there's not much movement in the floor. the house is a 60's built ex -council so is fairly spacious and built solid in my opinion compared to new builds now a days.

[doug boardley]

I see whhy Dave is asking on your substrate Liam, if your walls are plasterboard don't bother to plaster them, actually better not to plaster them! Same if they're sand and cement rendered. However if they're floated out with a gypsum basecoat i.e. browning/bonding it is better to skim.

[liam999uk]

hi cap slow yeah the wall tiles will be 400 x 250 so will need to prime. does this depend on wall adhesive though?? how are the primers used is it just like pva or can you just slap it straight on?? cheers

[Daz]

Don't use PVA, make sure it is an acrylic primer.

Depending on which product you use, there will be instructions on the pack regarding whether to mix with water and how to apply etc..

[liam999uk]

great stuff, so do you reckon that with the floor tiles to go with no more ply boards and to spend a bit more money on the best flexible floor adhesive then?? or would a normal one be just as good when the boards are down??

[J.R Tiling]

Hi mate and welcome.

Just done a floor this week using hardi backerboard for the first time , its realy simple to put down and gives you a great surface to tile onto.

Gets a big thumbs up from me and you can pick it up from topps for about £7 a sheet.

Good luck with the job

[liam999uk]

sound cheers lads for this!!

[peterhouse]

just a quickie lads,or lasses, do u screw hardi down onto joints? and do topps sell the screws?is it easy to cut? thx

[faithhealer]

Hi Pete,
yes
yes
and yes

[jimbo]

Hi .Screw the boards down every 8 inches and 2 inches in from the edge of the board to stop cracking. Inside the screw packet you will find a srewdriver bit especially for the screws.

[loaderman]

Thanks for the info Guys. I was going to ask a question along similar lines re backer boards so it's saved me the bother.