Setting Out Please advise me with my travertine

[palcal]

This is my 1st post, so here goes...
I'm renovating a house - project managing & using lots of contractors whilst doing bits myself. I've decided to take on the tiling as its something I enjoy & a skill I want to learn. 1st job is the bathroom. I'm using natural honed & filled travertine on walls & floor. All surfaces are nice & flat. Floor is ply, walls are plasterboard. Fixed head shower over the bath.
1 Can anyone recommend an impregnating sealer?
2 Do I apply this before tiling (I've heard it makes it easier to clean tiles after applying.
3 What do I need to do to prepare the floor?
4 What adhesive should I use for the floor?
5 & walls?
6 & grout?
any advise much appreciated.

[chris.tiling]

Hi and welcome to the forums
In answer to your questions...
1. I use Fila travertine impregnator, but there are others on the market - Lithofin, HG etc - ask your local tile shop to recommend one.
2. no - apply after grouting. Just grout smaller areas at a time and make sure you clean the tiles off well
3. What thickness is the ply on the floor? I would suggest that it is 12mm thick min. It must be securely screwed (not nailed) to the substrate. Some adhesives will advise you to prime the underside and edges of the ply as you lay it, others dont - depends which adhesive you use.
4 and 5 I would use a powdered adhesive on both(eg BAL Natural Stone which can be expensive and is a rapid setting adhesive - or Keraflex / Keraquick from Mapei - depending on what your tile shop stocks) it should be white not grey. As this is your first go, I would stay away from the rapid setting adhesives unless you are confident, or just work in small areas at a time. All ones mentioned are flexible. I would make sure that the weight of the tiles is less than 16kg / sq m if the plasterboard is skimmed (the British standards for skimmed plasterboard walls is 20 kg/sq m, so allowing 4kg for adhesive and grout, you are left with 16)or 28kg if bare plasterboard (32kg - 4kg). If your tiles weigh more than this per sq metre, I would advise you to remove the plasterboard and re board using a tile backer board 12mm thick. If tiling straight onto the plasterboard, I would also suggest priming the walls with BAL SBR or some such primer / bonding agent - DO NOT USE PVA
6. As with the adhesive, use a flexible grout

When laying the tiles, back butter them as well as trowelling adhesive onto the floor. This means that you put adhesive on the back of the tiles and using the straight edge of the trowel, scrape it into all of the holes on the back. Travertine is very soft, and holes can appear later - this is just a way of hopefully preventing it!

Good luck and post the pictures when you've finished!

[wetdec]

An uncoupling membrane between wood and tiles would be of benefit so preventing latteral cracking of traverine............



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[palcal]

Phew! Thanks for the advice Chris. The weight thing has troubled me. The new plasterboard has been skimmed so from what you say it rules out the travertine. Plan B is to go for a conventional (light) wall tile & travertine floor. Should I apply a waterproofer to the shower area? The walls are skim coated with plaster.

wetdec - what is an 'uncoupling membrane'??

[wetdec]

Hi

It seperates your tiles from the wood floor so as the wood expands and contracts the tensions are not applied to and crack your tiles.

Dura-wp will be good for your floor and you could also use it to tank your shower walls.

What size travertine tiles are you thinking of m8

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[palcal]

40x40cm

[wetdec]

looks like plan b as yiu say then..............

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