Bit of re-tiling around the bath- check my plan?

skintpaul

A few tiles cracked, grouting looking shabby, so decided to replace bottom two layers around the bath..

Want to make sure I've not missed anything, before I start, and make a foul up..

I have-
hammer / chisel.
Tiles.
adhesive, and spreaders.
All purpose filler, for any holes in the wall behind.
matchsticks (for spacing tiles).
sealant for edge of bath.


Going to remove the offending tiles, clean up / fill in the brickwork behind, leave to dry.

Apply adhesive to layer 1 (at bottom) of wall, leave to go tacky then add tiles.

When dry, repeat for 2nd layer.

Fill in between tiles, with grout. Clean off any excess.

Fill bath* with water, then apply edge sealant. smooth off with wet cloth.

* Apparantly, this makes sure bath is at lowest point, before adding sealant -so it's less likely to split..?

Read suitable tabloid, scratch b * m, while drying..

wallbash

Apply adhesive to layer 1 (at bottom) of wall, leave to go tacky then add tiles.

When dry, repeat for 2nd layer.

So you are planning to 'insert' tile row ??
Interesting.

Not a method I have ever tried.

chisel.

Bolster may be better.

* Apparantly, this makes sure bath is at lowest point, before adding sealant -so it's less likely to split..?

Remove the word 'apparently '

angel_of_dartford

Make sure the bottom row are whole tiles before you take them off, they might need cutting to size

Also cover the bath with towels to protect it while you work

Norman_Castle

Apply adhesive to layer 1 (at bottom) of wall, leave to go tacky then add tiles.

When dry, repeat for 2nd layer.

No reason not to do both layers at the same time. I would do a top and bottom tile together and move along. Slide them up to join the above tiles properly. If you start at the bottom the gap for the second row is very likely to be wrong.
They need supporting underneath.to stop them sliding down the wall. Once they are in place taping them to the fixed tiles above may work.

A bolster chisel may be too large to remove sections of tiles. Unless you are very careful its possible more tiles than planned will come off the wall. Carefully using a large flat bladed screwdriver as a chisel may be more successful.

Don't wait for the adhesive to go tacky.

Unless you have left over original tiles its likely the new tiles will be a different shade.

Depending on how many tiles are cracked would carefully replacing just the broken ones and regrouting, or just regrouting would be easier?.

wallbash

Bolster is more likely to remove tiles, smaller tools will only break the tiles into smaller pieces.

27col

If you "hang" the new tiles from the existing fixed tiles, using sticky electrical tape, then there will be no tendency for the tiles to slip down. I have done this several times over the years and it does work.

skintpaul

Two full rows being done- all standard size, some are random designs, hence reason to unify the look.

Just the corner tiles will be split in two, to fit.

Cornucopia

As above:

- Do both rows "as you go" i.e. as columns of 2. If you really want to do them in rows, then do the top row (next to the old tiles) first, perhaps using small nails on the bottom edge to keep them in place temporarily whilst the adhesive is drying?
- Ensure tiles don't slip down the wall.
- Don't wait for adhesive to go tacky - in fact, if you are finding yourself taking an extended amount of time getting the columns of 2 new tiles into place, then apply adhesive one column at a time and use it fresh.
- Proper spacers are cheap, and easier to use than matchsticks.
- You may find your sealant doesn't respond well to being smoothed with a wet cloth. Either use a wet thumb or get a silicon smoothing tool.
- Unless the holes in the wall are huge, you probably don't need to fill them, as the adhesive and tiles will cover them.
- Remove excess adhesive from the surface and edges of the tiles before it dries fully (there is an art to judging when to do this so that the tiles don't fall off).
- If you want a perfect result, use a straight-edge to ensure that the surface of the new tiles is consistent, and consistent with the old tiles. You can vary the thickness of the adhesive SLIGHTLY to make up for small differences.

kerri_gt

I have just done exactly the same thing (or in the middle of) in my bathroom, albeit with just one row.

Things I learned:

Do not use any kind of all in one / ready mix adhesive and grout - its rubbish. I got recommended a cement based powder on here and it was like night and day. I used Mapei Tile Adhesive, and Mapei / Keraflex Grout.

I had to cut a few tiles (after breaking one) - tile scribe and nippers did the job, the nippers were also good at removing old grout stuck to the tiles.

Got lots of conflicting views on sealing the plaster behind the tiles - spoke to a plumber who said that I should do this (when I was getting a quote to see how much it might be to get a professional in) - used this stuff below.

http://www.screwfix.com/p/mapei-plaster-primer-1ltr/4261c?_requestid=98908

Screwfix do a good 'no nonsense' silicone remover for £3.99 - miles cheaper than Homebase or any other stuff I found. You brush it on, leave it for 15mins and then scrape the sealant off. It doesn't make it magically dissolve, you still need elbow grease but it helps break down that 'pingy elastic' that silicone has so its easier to scrape / remove.

I used a piping bag (just a regular baking one) when doing the grout to really get it into the spaces, then filled over with grout to smooth it. Didn't bother with a squeegee - any old credit card will do.

Do you have an adhesive comb for the adhesive?

http://www.screwfix.com/p/tile-adhesive-comb/12158?cm_sp=Search-_-SearchRec-_-Area1&_requestid=100457#_=p

I removed my wall tiles with a simple decorators knife - the adhesive behind was about 20yrs old and the tiles came away easily. We have bolsters used to chip concrete off brick so I would think they are more heavy duty than you need. Rule of thumb, start softly, then move up to more heavy duty tools if needed - think sledgehammer / nut.

http://www.screwfix.com/p/wooden-handled-decorating-knives-4-piece-set/94494

Most importantly, take your time - mine has taken me a couple of weeks of learning, making mistakes and redoing it with better materials thanks to some god advise on here.