DIY Related: Preparing Walls and Floor in Bathroom (newbie)

[dfuk121]

Hi, I am about to embark on tiling the bathroom of our first home and want to do it right. I've got a few questions I'm hoping you can help with Pre-text: The bathroom is in a 1970's house. Walls are concrete and the floor is covered with tongue-and-groove floorboards. The bathroom is tiny measuring around 1.8m square . It has a wide window on the rear wall. We are tiling the floor and walls completely. Walls The bathroom walls are currently tiled but some of the tiles have fallen off and they have been poorly fitted in the first place (uneven, bulging, etc.). We are going to strip back the tiles to the walls as these don't provide a good enough foundation in my opinion. We've taken one tile off to find the plaster has also come off. The wall behind is concrete (1970's house). From reading this forum I believe I can either:

1. Re-plaster the original concrete wall > tank > affix tiles
2. Dot and dab affix backerboard to the concrete > tank > affix tiles

This is our only bathroom so time-saving is more important than cost saving (though we are on a budget!). I'm concerned that plastering will take so long to dry. Any advice here is appreciated but my main question is which method would you advise is the best? Floor The floorboards look to be sound. I don't really want to lift the floorboards and replace them with ply as it sounds like quite a big job but if that's the best way then so be it. From reading this forum I believe I can either:

1. Affix backerboard to the floor > tank > affix tiles
2. Lift floorboards > lay WBP Ply (18mm?) >lay backerboard(?) > tank > affix tiles

In (2), I'm not sure whether backerboard is required on-top of WBP ply or whether a thicker grade of ply could be used instead. Any advice here is appreciated but my main question is which method would you advise is the best? Adhesives I've been told to stick to one brand for adhesives and grouts, with BAL being recommended. I've seen a lot of Mapei advertising on the forum so would possibly suggest that must be a good brand to be featured here. Are there any other brands I should be looking at; and are there any pros/cons of using either BAL or Mapei products? Many thanks for your help in advance. Apologies for all the questions. Dave

[dfuk121]

(The formatting was lost on the above, so here's a more legible version)

I am about to embark on tiling the bathroom of our first home and want to do it right. I've got a few questions I'm hoping you can help with

Pre-text: The bathroom is in a 1970's house. Walls are concrete and the floor is covered with tongue-and-groove floorboards. The bathroom is tiny measuring around 1.8m square . It has a wide window on the rear wall. We are tiling the floor and walls completely.

Walls

The bathroom walls are currently tiled but some of the tiles have fallen off and they have been poorly fitted in the first place (uneven, bulging, etc.). We are going to strip back the tiles to the walls as these don't provide a good enough foundation in my opinion. We've taken one tile off to find the plaster has also come off. The wall behind is concrete (1970's house).

From reading this forum I believe I can either:

1. Re-plaster the original concrete wall > tank > affix tiles
2. Dot and dab affix backerboard to the concrete > tank > affix tiles

This is our only bathroom so time-saving is more important than cost saving (though we are on a budget!). I'm concerned that plastering will take so long to dry.

Any advice here is appreciated but my main question is which method would you advise is the best?

Floor

The floorboards look to be sound. I don't really want to lift the floorboards and replace them with ply as it sounds like quite a big job but if that's the best way then so be it.

From reading this forum I believe I can either:

1. Affix backerboard to the floor > tank > affix tiles
2. Lift floorboards > lay WBP Ply (18mm?) >lay backerboard(?) > tank > affix tiles

In (2), I'm not sure whether backerboard is required on-top of WBP ply or whether a thicker grade of ply could be used instead.

Any advice here is appreciated but my main question is which method would you advise is the best?

Adhesives

I've been told to stick to one brand for adhesives and grouts, with BAL being recommended. I've seen a lot of Mapei advertising on the forum so would possibly suggest that must be a good brand to be featured here.

Are there any other brands I should be looking at; and are there any pros/cons of using either BAL or Mapei products?

Many thanks for your help in advance. Apologies for all the questions.

Dave

[Dave]

(The formatting was lost on the above, so here's a more legible version)

I am about to embark on tiling the bathroom of our first home and want to do it right. I've got a few questions I'm hoping you can help with

Pre-text: The bathroom is in a 1970's house. Walls are concrete and the floor is covered with tongue-and-groove floorboards. The bathroom is tiny measuring around 1.8m square . It has a wide window on the rear wall. We are tiling the floor and walls completely.

Walls

The bathroom walls are currently tiled but some of the tiles have fallen off and they have been poorly fitted in the first place (uneven, bulging, etc.). We are going to strip back the tiles to the walls as these don't provide a good enough foundation in my opinion. We've taken one tile off to find the plaster has also come off. The wall behind is concrete (1970's house).

From reading this forum I believe I can either:

1. Re-plaster the original concrete wall > tank > affix tiles
2. Dot and dab affix backerboard to the concrete > tank > affix tiles <<< go with this.

This is our only bathroom so time-saving is more important than cost saving (though we are on a budget!). I'm concerned that plastering will take so long to dry.

Any advice here is appreciated but my main question is which method would you advise is the best?

Floor

The floorboards look to be sound. I don't really want to lift the floorboards and replace them with ply as it sounds like quite a big job but if that's the best way then so be it.

From reading this forum I believe I can either:

1. Affix backerboard to the floor > tank > affix tiles << if the floor is deflection free then go with this.
2. Lift floorboards > lay WBP Ply (18mm?) >lay backerboard(?) > tank > affix tiles

In (2), I'm not sure whether backerboard is required on-top of WBP ply or whether a thicker grade of ply could be used instead.

Any advice here is appreciated but my main question is which method would you advise is the best? Backer boards for me..

Adhesives

I've been told to stick to one brand for adhesives and grouts, with BAL being recommended. I've seen a lot of Mapei advertising on the forum so would possibly suggest that must be a good brand to be featured here.

Are there any other brands I should be looking at; and are there any pros/cons of using either BAL or Mapei products? You will find Mapei a great adhesive and cheaper than BAL IMO.. but there are other good manufactures out there, Weber is another.

Many thanks for your help in advance. Apologies for all the questions.

Dave

Hope that helps.

[whitebeam]

You say the walls are concrete, is it more of a sand/cement render behind the thin plaster finish.

[dfuk121]

Hope that helps.

Certainly does, thanks!

[dfuk121]

You say the walls are concrete, is it more of a sand/cement render behind the thin plaster finish.

From what the electrician said it's poured concrete. To me, it's two layers. The core is large bubbles of cement held together, almost like a dense breeze block consistency, but poured as one long slab. This is coated with a concrete skim of around 1 inch in thickness.

On top of this then was a plaster skim, then tiles on the top. Taking the tiles off, it's taking the plaster too, right back to the concrete skim.

Hope this helps :-)

[whitebeam]

Sounds like no-fines concrete on the bulk of it and the house is pebble dashed externaly, not sure of the concrete skim though other than sand/cement render which would be more than adequite to tile to if it's flat...

If not you could use plasterboard dot and dabbed and tank that, not sure what tiles your fixing though.

[dfuk121]

If not you could use plasterboard dot and dabbed and tank that, not sure what tiles your fixing though.

Ceramic tiles, 40x25cm :-)

[dfuk121]

Is there a particular brand of tanking recommended? I originally thought of using BAL WP1 but wonder whether a membrane solution would be better. Have no idea where I'd buy it from though!

[GirlRacerRed]

Mapei do at least 2 types of tanking to my knowledge. Mapegum is their paint on type of tanking, and I have used this myself. It goes on with a paint brush or roller and then is left to dry. Or they do a membrane roll that you glue to the wall. This is a faster solution as you can tile straight on to the membrane as soon as the adhesive has dried. I believe, if others could verify, that you can stick the membrane up with fast setting tile adhesive?

Tile Giant have many stores nationwide and can provide you with all Mapei tanking products.

[whitebeam]

Ceramic tiles, 40x25cm :-)

Plasterboard would be fine for the tiles..