Tanked up

robatwork

I've just had a few bathroom fitters around to quote for a new bathroom. As per advice I saw here I asked them all if they included tanking around the shower area. All of them said no, it wasn't necessary.

In all their years of fitting bathrooms and plumbing they never saw a leak caused by not tanking - just by bad tiling. If the tiling and grouting is sound then it's waterproof, so they say.

Are people on here more fussy, are these plumbers simply wrong?
I have used a combination of recommended people, local authority TS approved, and mybuilder sourced......

thanks
Rob

Jonesya

I'd have thought that leaks will always be due to a problem with the tiling but if you tank it or use a cement tile backer board you limit the damage and might be table to repair it. If you just tile onto regular plaster board it will expand and blow the other tiles off.

iamcornholio

Tanking is a very recent thing to compensate for lack of experience, lack of training and lack of knowledge of how to tile properly

Those firms are probably correct

BlueC

So long as they seal the plaster(board) with the correct sealant (which type depends on the tile adhesive to be used) then there is no need for "tanking".

tpt

erm, sorry people but thats just not correct. All grout will allow water to pass through it - even waterproof ones. the only difference with waterproof grout and adhesive is that it doesnt break down when wet.

More powerful modern showers throw a lot more water at a wall than they used to, and modern backings such as plasterboard dont like water at all.

Tanking has become more popular recently due to wet rooms rising in popularity but its been around a while and for good reason. In a shower area for stud walls they should either use cement based backerboards or tanked plasterboard. tanking kits cost under £50!

No mater how good your tiler, or how experienced he\she is they wont be able to make your tiled wall waterproof, the idea is that the backing is and the shower tray is sealed to that.

robatwork

OK well - thanks for the opinions!
I guess I pays me money and takes me choice...

C_Mababejive

Why not just buy a shower cabin and save all the bother...?

http://www.victoriaplumb.com/Shower-Enclosures/Shower-Cabins/Valencia-Shower-Cabin_496.html

noelphobic

C_Mababejive wrote: »

Why not just buy a shower cabin and save all the bother...?

http://www.victoriaplumb.com/Shower-Enclosures/Shower-Cabins/Valencia-Shower-Cabin_496.html

I wouldn't touch Victoria Plumb with a bargepole after my recent experiences with them.

C_Mababejive

OK not necessarily that company but you get the picture..

Leif

I had some quotes for a bathroom refit, with a bath and shower in the bath area. I asked about this. I was told that if you take the odd shower, then don't tank. But if you shower a lot, then it is best to tank.

I'm not questioning tpt's knowledge, which is superior to mine, just giving my tuppence worth.

noelphobic

C_Mababejive wrote: »

OK not necessarily that company but you get the picture..

Sorry, wasn't having a go at you but had some horrendous problems with that company. Shower cabins look good otherwise though - obviously from somewhere else!