Bathroom, UFH, Travertine and Impey

[cja]

We're redoing our bathroom and have been let down by the guy who was meant to be doing the job - i think when he arrived he realised he'd bitten off more than he could chew!

My plan of action now is to try and understand what needs to be done, in what order, and then to get specific tradesmen in to handle their specific specialties, rather than going for a jack.

The room has a concrete floor, two walls are stud with metal bars, one is stud with wooden nogins, the other is a wall, but again with wooden nogs. None of the walls currently have plasterboard/plaster on as it's all been stripped back.

We have bought all the materials to date and have:

- an impey aquadec shower tray (with drain)
- durabase ci (enough to do the whole floor)
- durabase wp (enough to do the 'wet area' and then some)
- electric UFH (matting)
- polished travertine wall tiles (60x40)
- travertine mosaics for the floor (30x30)

Questions:

- to achieve drainage, the impey is going to have to sit on a step - i.e. we'll build up the 'wet area' with a wooden base to site the tray as the drain sits at floor level and cannot groove into the concrete - what height would be recommended?
- what order should the UFH and CI be fitted - what products should be used?
- can we run the UFH over the Impey tray - if so, what order should the UFH and CI go in, and what product can we use to ensure we don't mess up the incline on the tray
- what boarding should be applied to the walls - plasterboard? marine ply? would it need plastering before tiling? in the wet area then we'll be using the WP so can this go straight onto board (either ply or plaster) or do we need priming?
- what sealer would you recommend for the tiles? am i right that we seal once when put up, wait, then grout, then seal again?
- what grout would you recommend?

My plan is to get the room built to a state where it's just the tiling to be done, and then look for one of you fine chaps to recommend someone in the Portsmouth area who is a good tiler to come in and blap the tiling out - does this sound like a plan? What costs should i be looking at for a tiler - is it by the sq/m?

Thanks for any advice - i'd really like to understand how it all works as i've got a bit of an OCD with respect to knowing how things work!

[Colour Republic]

is this on the ground floor?

[cja]

Yep - it's all on the ground floor..

[faithhealer]

1st off, give dave a pm and ask for a tiler in your area. In the mean time read this thread from a few weeks ago UFH and tanking

one thing missing off your list is insulation boards, vital on a concrete floor

Forget plywood, unskimmed plasterboard minimum, cement boards in wet areas better, see link re weight issues Tiles and Adhesive Weight Per Square Metre - THE TILE SOURCE
lots of good sealers out there, LTP lithofin Aquamix not b&Q, Tradetiler Aqumix Tile Sealer

mapei ultra colour plus is a favourite on here. Is your shower a power shower, if so you might have to use an epoxy grout

[whitebeam]

Tanking is the way to go

[cja]

Thanks chaps - i'll take a read of the links and see if it sorts my head out

[cja]

So - is the accepted wisdom:

- Durabase CI, then UFH, then tile
- UFH, CI then tile?

What adhesives should be used? i.e. for the CI, the UFH and the tile? i'm getting confused! What would the 'insulation boards' be for? To stop heat going into the concrete?

Looking at the weights then it looks like travertine on plasterboard might be pushing it - is cement board the same thing as tilebacker?

The shower is an overhead and then a hand shower - is epoxy grout the best way to go?

Thanks for any help!

[Rich]

Im not sure about that brand but Ditra mat (pretty much the same thing) recomend that you lay the uncoupling membrane over the top of the UFH because it helps spread the heat out over the entire floor. You will need a flexi powder adhesive and I would use a SLC over the UFH before laying the matting. Epoxy grout is very good stuff but is not cheap and is very easy to ruin if you are not confident. I agree with Faithhealer, get a recommended tiler from this site, it sounds like a job for a pro. Paying for a good tiler would be a lot cheaper than paying for some1 to put it right if anything goes wrong.

[cja]

Thanks Dylante - yeh, i'm going to get a good tiler in - i just know not all of them will have used the products - i.e. the durobase ci/wp - so want to make sure i have a clear understanding of what needs to be used with what!

[Rich]

If you have a word with Dave Im sure he will put you in touch with a pro in your area who knows what hes doing