pva priming ITS THE BEST!

been having interesting conversations with other tilers following joining this forum. One youngish tiler who swears by PVA and scoffs at the need to use expensive primers,was highly amused that i should roughen up plastered surfaces prior to priming. I explained that tiles are so well adhered that removal of them rips off plaster. His opinion was that tiles should be held on just sufficceintly to allow for easy removal. It did get me wondering if there was any sense in his logic. How well do you want your tiles stuck

[Dan]

There's no sense in his logic by the sounds of it. Tiles in a dry area need 60 - 80% coverage I believe and in a wet 80 - 100% and in a power shower area 100%. PVA should never be used as a primer for reasons stated in THIS THREAD.

You wouldn't want to stick your tiles onto plaster with a view of getting them off in the futre, the adhesive just wouldn't do it. Even with 2 tiny blobs at two oposite diaganol corners and only those two blobs will pull the plaster off the wall if the plaster has gone past its peak stage (I think 25 years?) and starts to break back down to a dust after 50 or so? or something? I doubt you'd be able to change the tiles too many times before needing to re-plaster even if it was possible.

And actually, so what if a bit of plaster falls off when you're re-tiling, you just carry on tiling it, if the hole is big, you fill it. Why risk tiles falling off'?

Plus, if you're selling the bloody adhesive to the customer and you're selling them 40% of the real required amount, who's winning? Get your standard cash in per job if not over-engineer - the customers will respect you for that.

Tell the lad to get himself on a course lol. And it sounds like he needs to touch up on his business skills too. He's really underselling himself unless he's doing per meter contract work and having to supply the adhesive, in which case let him fight for the jobs lol - him or the firm employing him are the ones with the come-backs then hey?

its frightening that a youngster can be so stuck in his ways and not open to new information. I am a lot older ,been tiling a lot longer but well aware that this trade is one long learning curve, especially so with the current explosion of interest in natural stone

[Dan]

I'm guessing he's a contractor on a per meter rate and has been introduced to the trade with no propper training and only knows that way.

And although he's backing his way and seems set in his ways, he actually doesn't know any other way.

I'd tell him to get on here and have an open mind. I think he'd eventually see that we're not making up stuff, there is a process and system in place for every application known to man in the building trade, and not just tiling.

I can see where he could have got such theories from, as you do see/hear things like that all the time, but only ever from DIY or somebody not trained.

I'm guessing he is the guy buying the gear which is why it is him that's moaning about primer prices. So I'm guessing he is in a price war either in domestic or commercial tiling. The latter being the more common I guess. But for him to justify not using the at least the minimum british standard is alarming.

Falling tiles can seriously hurt somebody. They can be like bits of glass if they manage to break in the process of falling and god help him if a whole wall of them falling off landed on a child whilst they're in the bath one time.

[Varley]

Originally Posted by Dan

Falling tiles can seriously hurt somebody. They can be like bits of glass if they manage to break in the process of falling and god help him if a whole wall of them falling off landed on a child whilst they're in the bath one time.

Damn right, why would anybody be putting tiles on a wall with the thought of removing them in their mind, tiles aren't meant to come off walls.

[Fekin]

I'd nail mine on if I could

[brian c]

Originally Posted by Fekin

I'd nail mine on if I could

cant do that Adam they would craack,psml.

[falkirktiler]

...no nails..?

[Fred]

Acrylic bond for me every time.

One little point that i omitted. The tile retailer in whos premises we were discussing the use of PVA felt that the stuff was ok ! ....And the guys got shelves stocked with acrylic primer!

[devonmark]

Originally Posted by falkirktiler

...no nails..?

no...he said nail..lol