Fixing loose shower tile

steveh2001

Hi

i have a few loose shower tiles due to settlement grout cracks I believe. I’ve used a grout rake to get one out and got some adhesive and new grout to stick it back. The surface behind though is a bit weird - i thought it was damp but left it for a week and ran a hairdryer on it but it didn’t change. Then I realised the darker brown bit I thought was damp flaked away if you prodded it. Behind that it appears dry. Any idea what this layer could be? Seems slightly damp to the touch and is the same on the back of the tile.  Could it be primer? Not sure what type of board it is behind.

I am wondering if I scrape it away, apply adhesive and try again will it hold or do I need to get some primer.

I am a tiling newbie - thanks for any help.

Steven

FreeBear

Damp gypsum plaster, perhaps with a bit of PVA soaked in. PVA is not a suitable primer when fixing tiles. Use a BAL or Weber acrylic primer designed for the job. You'll probably find other tiles will come away from the wall over the next few years. So might be worth planning on doing a full  refit when funds & time allow.

steveh2001

Thank you - so should I scrape away that dark brown layer then apply the primer you suggest, then adhesive and grout?

FreeBear

Do you know what is behind the plaster ?

Plasterboard, you don't want to be digging too much of the brown stuff out. Cement board, you'll be OK. If it is plaster on to bare brick, you won't want to go in too deep.. I'd suggest just roughing it up with an old screwdriver - Half a dozen diagonal scores one way, and then the same from the other side so that you end up with a pattern of Xs (say, abot 25mm apart). Apply a coating of primer as per instructions on the bottle, then fix your tile back in place.

Got any tile spacers ?

Matchsticks will do at a push.

When grouting small areas, a cheap icing bag (from Poundland or similar) is handy - Gets the grout in the gap without making too much of a mess.