Tiling onto plywood - TilersForums.com

[Daz]

I read some posts earlier regarding tiling onto plywood.

I did a job just over a year ago. When I looked at it I advised that the 12mm wbp plywood was not a satisfactory substrate. The customers builder argued that it was and that he had been building bathroom & wetroom walls like it for years with no issues. We eventually reached a compromise where I had to tank the walls with a membrane (I used Porcelanosa Imperband) first.

The back wall area is 2.4m across, and the tiles were 930 x 330mm. I used Mapei Keraquick to fix the membrane & Mapei Keraflex to fix the tiles.
The pics below show a vertical crack that runs from top to bottom right down the centre of the wall, i.e. where the two plywood panels meet.



I explained the issues with regards to thermal expansion caused by rapid heating and high humidity in wetrooms, but the builder knew best :lol:. I now have to strip everything out and build the walls correctly using a tile backer board, then re-tile all at the builders expense.

I hope the above helps illustrate why plywood is not a suitable tile substrate for high humidity areas.

Daz

 

[Stewart]

I hope it costs the builder an absolute fortune to re-place and do the work with a big knowing smile on your face......

 

[hillhead]

Plywood is a disaster to tile on.
Some builders still think it's best in showers :mad2:

 

[Muse2k8]

Do builders know anything? Lol.

 

[Gazzer]

This was a job I had to repair recently. The tiling was only weeks old before the tiles all cracked along the line of the join in ply.

 

[flaggy]

i dont even bother doing the work anymore its more hastle than anything ,i just say you will after get somebody else to do the work

 

[DHTiling]

Thanks for sharing daz... deffo shows why not to..

 

[nybor62]

just shows why prep work is so important , and to listen to the tiler not the corner cutting builders

 

[flatstones]

hi. i would not have took the job on. that was a problem waiting to happen? as a tiler sorry to all carpenters but me and plywood will never get on

 

[Gazebo]

Great example thanks for posting it.

I hope the builder has learnt his lesson albeit the hard way.. hey ho now he knows he might start listening to tradesmens advice.