Recommendation: Tiling a bathroom ceiling

[chubbywayne44]

Hi this is my first post and i was hoping someone out there could help with advice.
i am considering tiling my bathroom ceiling which is only 4 square meter. i am a joiner by trade so the problem doesnt lie there.
what i need advice on is
has any body done this before did you use plywood, plaster board,???
what adhesive what grout
what were your results.
Basically can it be done so they dont fall off.
if so please could you give advice to a struggling chippie
thank you all
wayne

[nybor62]

yes it can be done , it depends what tiles you plan to use ,you have to think about the weight .
and to be honest why?

[chubbywayne44]

The tiles are 400 x 400 and only 6mm thick.
as for the why the wife would like it tiled.
i myself would reskim it but that would be to easy.
any help would be great
cheers

[Mike]

i'd never feel safe lieing in your bath never mind what addy you'd used. i've tiled window/door headers but i'd not like to do a ceiling. put her off the idea mate!

[nybor62]

im with mike , and not very practical ,you would get a lot of condensation on the ceiling as well

[Mike]

women have some strange ideas, i've just tiled a bedroom wall for a lady customer, looks nice but not my cup of tea!

[Alan.P]

It can be done, you'll need to overboard your ceiling with either a backerboard or plasterboard, use a good bagged adhesive, flexible rapid set would be my choice, and a good flexible grout, there are some pictures in my albums of a ceiling we did in a kitchen area in Chiswick.

[chubbywayne44]

ive been thinking of all angles to do this.
could i epoxy resin some mesh to the back of the tile then when dry epoxy this to plywood ceiling ??????????
has any one tried this?????
i might give it a try on a test piece first.
again any advice would be great.
cheers

[chubbywayne44]

Hi Alan many thanks.
so you dont think condensation would be a problem????

[Alan.P]

Hi Alan many thanks.
so you dont think condensation would be a problem????

I wouldn't like to say, I suppose it depends on ventilation, how much steam and how hot / cold the room is.

[chubbywayne44]

women have some strange ideas, i've just tiled a bedroom wall for a lady customer, looks nice but not my cup of tea!

Hi Mike
a bedroom wall now thats when i would say no
but just to be on the safe side i'm not going to mention that to her in doors.
Cheers

[chubbywayne44]

Hi Alan what do you think of the epoxy resin idea as a failsafe
have you ever tried to do this.????
sorry to be a pain but you seem to know your stuff
cheers

[doug boardley]

Personally I'd steer away from tiling a ceiling, it just doesn't sit well with me.

[Alan.P]

Hi Alan what do you think of the epoxy resin idea as a failsafe
have you ever tried to do this.????
sorry to be a pain but you seem to know your stuff
cheers

Never tried it, and couldn't say yes or no about it working, as I said, a decent flexible adhesive onto a decent board, the tiles in the pictures were smaller than yours, but thicker, we didn't have one tile fail and all the grouting was epoxy grout 5mm joints.

[Scott]

The tiles will naturally be colder than a plastered and painted ceiling so will mist up at any opportunity. I think you will also end up with it dripping all over you.

Id also advise mechanically fixing each tile.

[Michael kiss]

What about mosaic tiles? i don't think 1 inch square tiles can do much damage to your head

[mark1324]

If you do this make sure to put up a sign "Hard Hats must be worn"

[Scott]

What about mosaic tiles? i don't think 1 inch square tiles can do much damage to your head

Depends on how touch your head is and how many come down at once!

[chubbywayne44]

Never tried it, and couldn't say yes or no about it working, as I said, a decent flexible adhesive onto a decent board, the tiles in the pictures were smaller than yours, but thicker, we didn't have one tile fail and all the grouting was epoxy grout 5mm joints.

Thanks for you help Alan i will give it a try
cheers

[jay]

have to agree with Alan yes it can be done mechanical fixing of backer board to ceiling first then use a good quality flex cement based adh (suitable for swimming pools if you are concerned about moisture) epoxy grout is a good idea

[tfs]

Hi mate,

if it was I would want to drop the ceiling a little so I could put in a new frame (needs to be rock solid and dwanged to the max) being 4mtr x 4mtr as you will know will need alot of braces from new frame into joists above, so these realy need to be solid too which, may not be the case at the minute. Remember it is not a standard ceiling now unlike paint or wallpaper, tiles and grout etc will not tolerate much deflection cuased by people walking above or slamming doors etc.

Issues in my opinion would be;

1. bounce in ceiling (existing or new)
2. bounce at other side of ceiling (joists etc)
3. Steam/ moisture
4. weight of tiles

suggestions;

1&2. Reinforce ceiling as much as possible (does depend on what above to an extent)
3. Be sure to fix a backer board to ceiling (12.5mm)
4. selct small tiles e.g. mosaic etc

In regards to fixing I would support tiles with deadman and board or screws and washers whilst the addy is drying. I would preffer to use a good fast setting adhesive such as kerraquick. I you are up for it then epoxy grout gives you even more peice of mind.

This type of work can be done and is not unheard of but when doing this work you rely on the existing ceiling/ floor above being sound. You just need to do as much prep as possible to ensure that the installation lasts.

[chubbywayne44]

as a fail safe i will epoxy resin a butterfly cavity fixing to the back each tile,
i wont be able to tighten it up but it will give a failsafe if the tile breaks free,
it will be time consuming but will give me piece of mind and the area is only 4mt square
hopefully that will do the trick.
what do you think?????

[albyshellshear]

why not just use the plastic clading batoned to the cieling I did mine and it looks good and is easy enough to do, I used plain white but I think it comes in many colours and even marble look just a thought.

[tfs]

as a fail safe i will epoxy resin a butterfly cavity fixing to the back each tile,
i wont be able to tighten it up but it will give a failsafe if the tile breaks free,
it will be time consuming but will give me piece of mind and the area is only 4mt square
hopefully that will do the trick.
what do you think?????

I personally wouldnt go to that bother in a basic dommestice installation. I would opt for smaller tiles or avoid tiling.

[chubbywayne44]

Hi mate,

if it was I would want to drop the ceiling a little so I could put in a new frame (needs to be rock solid and dwanged to the max) being 4mtr x 4mtr as you will know will need alot of braces from new frame into joists above, so these realy need to be solid too which, may not be the case at the minute. Remember it is not a standard ceiling now unlike paint or wallpaper, tiles and grout etc will not tolerate much deflection cuased by people walking above or slamming doors etc.

Issues in my opinion would be;

1. bounce in ceiling (existing or new)
2. bounce at other side of ceiling (joists etc)
3. Steam/ moisture
4. weight of tiles

suggestions;

1&2. Reinforce ceiling as much as possible (does depend on what above to an extent)
3. Be sure to fix a backer board to ceiling (12.5mm)
4. selct small tiles e.g. mosaic etc

In regards to fixing I would support tiles with deadman and board or screws and washers whilst the addy is drying. I would preffer to use a good fast setting adhesive such as kerraquick. I you are up for it then epoxy grout gives you even more peice of mind.

This type of work can be done and is not unheard of but when doing this work you rely on the existing ceiling/ floor above being sound. You just need to do as much prep as possible to ensure that the installation lasts.

I have a loft space above which is not used
as a fail safe i will epoxy resin a butterfly cavity fixing to the back each tile,
i wont be able to tighten it up but it will give a failsafe if the tile breaks free,
it will be time consuming but will give me piece of mind and the area is only 4mt square
hopefully that will do the trick.
what do you think?????

[chubbywayne44]

why not just use the plastic clading batoned to the cieling I did mine and it looks good and is easy enough to do, I used plain white but I think it comes in many colours and even marble look just a thought.

I know what you mean ive done that before on other jobs i like it
but the wife would like it tiled.
so one must be seen to try you know what i mean
cheers

[tfs]

The way you mention is not one I have come across before mate. Mechanicaly fixing is normally associated with larger, thicker tiles and is done with special clips.

I wouldnt use ply on the ceiling either mate it will be to unstable. The ceiling in my opinion will more than likely have more deflection than I would be happy with at this time. Some modern properties have only 2x4 joists on the ceiling which realy isnt ideal if it is ever walked on as this bend etc with any load. This is why I would fix new frame below existing ceiling. If you didnt want to build new ceiling, you could perhaps fix braces from existing ceiling to the common rafters this would help eliminate the chances of deflection in existing ceiling. (dont know what a structural engineer would think of that though)

[tfs]

Here is a cracking example of an arched ceiling done by Phil Hobson with small stone tiles
Picture 2 of 14 from arch

[TF Ed]

yes tiling a ceiling is possible.

1. simply treat the ceiling as if it were a floor but use mechanical fixings on the tiles!!
2. ensure the ceiling joists are free from deflection..this can be a bit of a task / headache because the ceiling joists into the ceiling space are not as thick compared to your 1st floor joists! the problem will arise more when your plodding around in the loft! if you have a loft conversion then this will have a supended floor which will help.
3. add extra strength by using 25mm wbp ply to the ceiling. again, ply adds strength, backerboards have different properties.
4. overlay with a suitable backer board for a stable surface.
5. use a flexable adhesive combined with mechanical fixings
6 as jay with exoxy grout
7 . good extractor fan!! and plenty of ventilation when possible

[chubbywayne44]

yes tiling a ceiling is possible.

1. simply treat the ceiling as if it were a floor but use mechanical fixings on the tiles!!
2. ensure the ceiling joists are free from deflection..this can be a bit of a task / headache because the ceiling joists into the ceiling space are not as thick compared to your 1st floor joists! the problem will arise more when your plodding around in the loft! if you have a loft conversion then this will have a supended floor which will help.
3. add extra strength by using 25mm wbp ply to the ceiling. again, ply adds strength, backerboards have different properties.
4. overlay with a suitable backer board for a stable surface.
5. use a flexable adhesive combined with mechanical fixings
6 as jay with exoxy grout
7 . good extractor fan!! and plenty of ventilation when possible

i should have said i am putting in a false ceiling using 4 x 2 the area is only 4 sq mt aprox 6' x 6' so to elimanate any vibration i wont put any hangers in