Help needed with Bathroom Tiling

[chris316]

Hi

This is my first post on here, so please be gentle, and bear with me.

I am for tiling my bathroom, walls and floor. And I have a few questions which I would be very greatful if someone could answer, or give me some advice.
My bathroom has plastered walls which had been painted with emulsion paint. Originally I was going to just key the walls and tile over. But when I keyed the walls the paint came away in places so I decided to remove the paint from all the walls, right back to the plaster.
My questions are:

1. After removing the paint from the walls you can still see where the
walls have been keyed/scored right back to the blockwork/undercoat
plaster. Can I tile the bare plaster walls with the key marks, or will the
key marks have to be filled up prior to tiling?

2. Do the plaster walls still need to be keyed/scored now that the paint has been removed?

3. When removing the emulsion paint and keying the walls there are small
areas of the wall where the finish plaster was very thin and has come
away. What would be the best filler to use to patch the
walls up, or would I need to re-skim the walls?

4. Do I need to prime the plaster walls prior to tiling. If so what would be
the best primer to use?

5. I have also had to re-plaster a bit of the wall where I installed a new
shower. Can I tile on top of this new strip of plaster straight away?
or do I need to leave it to dry properly, and if so how long do I need
to leave it?

6. Finally, I also plan on fitting a new plywood floor, does this need to be
primed and if so, again what would be the best primer to use?

Sorry if my questions are a bit long winded.

Thanks
Chris

[faithhealer]

don't think you have too much to worry about Chris, walls are ok providing they are only ceramic tiles you are fixing

[diamondtiling]

Prime all the surfaces with an acrylic bond.

What adhesives are you going to be using?

Ply is fine on the floor, 18mm minimum, bond the reverse side before fixing and add plenty of strength to the joists, I fix 6mm backer boards over ply for a better tiling surface.

Welcome to the forum by the way.

[suave]

[jay]

[Scott]

How thick was the new plaster? Rule of thumb is leave it 1mm per day to dry, however with the milder weather we are having now that should speed things up. With the skim plaster thats come away, you can make that up with adhesive if its only thin. Would have to be a cementious adhesive though.

[chris316]

Hi

Thanks for all your replies so far.

faithhealer - With the finish plaster coming away and exposing the bare blockwork, undercoat plaster, I was a bit worried about the tile adhesive not setting right at these places as i was told by someone not to tile directly onto undercoat plaster. Just so that I know for the future, if I have bare plaster walls, do they have to be keyed/scored before tiling or is it only painted walls which need keyed/scored?

Diamondtiling - I will get back to you later regarding what adhesives I will be using. I don't know exactly, because when I bought the tiles from the tile shop, they gave me all the adhesives, grout etc that they said that I would need.

Scottley - There is some large areas where I had to replaster. I tracked the wall to install a new pipe and cable to a new electric shower this will need to be plastered. Also when I removed the couple of old tiles at the window, half the window sill came away, and the other half I had to remove because it was hollow underneath, This is because the previous owner of the house installed new wooden framed double glazing and made a terrible job in fixing the wall. By the way would you know if I need to prime the existing plaster walls before re-plastering these areas in order for the new plaster to take correctly?

Can you tile on walls fixed with Polyfilla? Its just that I have some holes in the wall to fix which I was going to fix with Polyfilla or is there a better wall filler to use?

[Scott]

Hi

By the way would you know if I need to prime the existing plaster walls before re-plastering these areas in order for the new plaster to take correctly?

Can you tile on walls fixed with Polyfilla? Its just that I have some holes in the wall to fix which I was going to fix with Polyfilla or is there a better wall filler to use?

For replastering yes, prime them and as for polyfiller, if you have plaster why not use that?

[faithhealer]

most of the lads on here would patch up minor damage with a rapid set adhesive but it's not something you will have lying aroung. Wickes one coat plaster is pretty fast drying. Please let us know what the tile shop have given you to use and type and size of tile

[chris316]

Tileshop has given me the following:

Adhesive for wall tiles - Larsen's Professional Showerproof high grab, non-slip, ready-mixed, thin-bed adhesive
(Larsen Building Products - Tiling - Manufacturer, Supplier of Concrete, Mortar and Plaster, Tiling, Flooring, Waterproofing, Timber and Filling and Sealing products based in Northern Ireland.)

Adhesive for Floor tiles - Larsen's Professional Flexible Fast Set
(Larsen Building Products - Tiling - Manufacturer, Supplier of Concrete, Mortar and Plaster, Tiling, Flooring, Waterproofing, Timber and Filling and Sealing products based in Northern Ireland.)

And also some BAL tile grout.

I'm now beginning to wonder wether or not the adhesive they have given me for the floor tiles is suitable. Because my bathroom is upstairs and the floor tiles are going on a wooden floor which I will be sheeting with new plywood.

[faithhealer]

flexible adhesive is suitable for plywood floor that is securely screwed down

and what size and type of tiles are they

[mikethetile]

what tiles are you planning to use

[chris316]

Ceramic floor tiles 30cm x 30cm

Ceramic wall tiles 30cm x 20cm

If using the adhesives I was given do I still need to prime the bare plaster walls and the ply floor?

[mikethetile]

you need to take the tubbed addy back, they should never have sold it to you for that size of tile

pick up a cement based addy

weather you prime the ply will depend on what larson recomend but you will need to prime the plaster walls

[chris316]

you need to take the tubbed addy back, they should never have sold it to you for that size of tile

pick up a cement based addy

weather you prime the ply will depend on what larson recomend but you will need to prime the plaster walls

Whats wrong with the tubbed addy they sold me?

[mikethetile]

its the way it dries

tubbed adhesive dries by water dispersing into the tile and substrate and also evaperating through the grout joint

once the tiles are grouted the addy cant set properly in the centre of the tile

with the tiles over a 100mm2 theres no way of telling wether addy has set up enough to grout, it could take days or even weeks to set

with a cement based addy it dries by chemical reaction and willl set behind any size tile

[chris316]

its the way it dries

tubbed adhesive dries by water dispersing into the tile and substrate and also evaperating through the grout joint

once the tiles are grouted the addy cant set properly in the centre of the tile

with the tiles over a 100mm2 theres no way of telling wether addy has set up enough to grout, it could take days or even weeks to set

with a cement based addy it dries by chemical reaction and willl set behind any size tile

OK,

By the sounds of it then, I might be best to go for the cement based adhesive.

Regarding priming the walls, have you any recommendations on what primer to use?

By the way, thanks for your help and sorry if my questions sound very basic or stupid, its just that I have never tiled before and I want to make sure that I am using the right adhesive and preping the walls right in order to avoid retiling in 6 months time.

[faithhealer]

nothing wrong in asking questions chris, as you can see tile shops don't know it all. Not familier with larrson products but generally people like to use the adhesive manufacturers own primer.
I would be looking for a standard (slow) set addy for your walls as opposed to a rapid set then you can take your time, white would also be better as I assume your grout will be light coloured.

Is there a shower involved here chris? if so do a search on here for 'tanking'

FYI I stripped two or three bathrooms last year where the addy was still not set after a couple of years

[paulyoung666]

By the way, thanks for your help and sorry if my questions sound very basic or stupid, its just that I have never tiled before and I want to make sure that I am using the right adhesive and preping the walls right in order to avoid retiling in 6 months time.

and you think you have asked loads of stupid questions , i must have asked 10 times as many as you when i did my kitchen , every one was answered very helpfully as well

[chris316]

nothing wrong in asking questions chris, as you can see tile shops don't know it all. Not familier with larrson products but generally people like to use the adhesive manufacturers own primer.
I would be looking for a standard (slow) set addy for your walls as opposed to a rapid set then you can take your time, white would also be better as I assume your grout will be light coloured.

Is there a shower involved here chris? if so do a search on here for 'tanking'

FYI I stripped two or three bathrooms last year where the addy was still not set after a couple of years

Yes there is a shower over the bath.

I have read on here about tanking, but I'm not sure exactly what this is.

[paulyoung666]

Yes there is a shower over the bath.

I have read on here about tanking, but I'm not sure exactly what this is.

basically it is waterproofing the wall , various different products to do it with , and everyone will suggest something different , you watch

[doug boardley]

something like this Chris
[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pigKorqimGk]YouTube - Durabase wp wet room tanking membrane dura-wp[/ame]

[chris316]

Would I really need to tank the walls above the bath?
Since the shower is only going above the bath and it is not a full height shower enclosure that I am for fitting?

[paulyoung666]

Would I really need to tank the walls above the bath?
Since the shower is only going above the bath and it is not a full height shower enclosure that I am for fitting?

how much do you reckon you have spent on tiles / adhesive / grout
/ trim etc ?? , would an extra £100 or so to g'tee peace of mind break the bank ??

[faithhealer]

A paint on type tanking system might be easier than a membrane for a beginner, they cost about 50 quid chris

[Phil Hobson]

A paint on type tanking system might be easier than a membrane for a beginner, they cost about 50 quid chris

Hi chris, as faith, paint on is easier. Mapei Gum is good I use membrane, mostly, but it can be tricky if you are not used to it. Corners, tape etc. I would go with Mapei Gum and their tape/ primer. It seems to do the job, good luck mate

[Scott]

Is it an occasional use shower?

[chris316]

Is it an occasional use shower?

Yes.

So, If I prime all the walls with an acrylic primer and tank the walls above the bath. Can I use the same cement based adhesive on the primed plaster walls and the tanked walls or would I need 2 different types of adhesive?

[mikethetile]

yes you use the cement based right through

[chris316]

yes you use the cement based right through

So, just to make sure I have got it right:
1. First. I need to change the ready mixed showerproof adhesive the tileshop sold me to a cement based adhesive.
2. Prime all the walls and floor with an acrylic primer (Do I prime both sides of the ply floor or just the underside of the ply which is not being tiled?)
3. Tank walls above the bath with a tanking paint after priming all the walls. I have seen this one on screwfix, would this be ok? (Dunlop Shower Waterproofing Kit - Screwfix.com, Where the Trade Buys)
4. Tile walls and floor
5. Grout tiles

Is the Larsen's flexi tile adhesive for the floor which I was sold (details of the adhesive, I posted earlier in thread) ok?