DIY Tiling wall in bathroom?

dadofthree

i'm hopeless at DIY and i mean hopeless!!!

However, i decided to prove to my wife that i can do a bit of diy when i have the motivation and time.

I have since done my kitchen, bathroom and downstairs toilet. My father in law is a builder and is the worlds biggest perfectionist and critic!!
He commented on how good i'd done it.

I mainly used homebase value white tiles and bought a few boxes of different ones to brighten it up. I wold reccommend purchasing an electric tile cutter, they are around £40 but are well worth the investment.

Just take your time and make sure each tile is 100% ok before moving on to the next one.
Do a search on the web on how to tile guides. Thats how i did it.


Best of luck.

sutwam

Bungarm2001 wrote: »

Not strictly true...depends on the original wall (if new plywood then yes, firstly waterproof well with a coat of PVA) If a painted wall (plastered brick) then there is no need. Use adhesive with waterproofer already added. Make sure the edges are well finished with either plastic trim and silicone, or at least a good edging of decent grout with waterproofer.

My OH has tiled countless shower walls using the above methods depending on what kind of wall is to be tiled, including many of our own in various houses and he has never had a tile come off yet.

Hi Bungarm, thanks for raising that point and I'm glad you did as I have heard of many tilers using that method however when I have spoken to the adhesive manufacturers or attended their course they would not recommend that method. I'm no expert I just wouldn't want any tiles coming off or worst still, a drip appearing in the room below.

The problem, I am told, with the method you use is that the expansion and contraction of the wood in the framing of the walls and the floor means that the walls and the floor move independently of each other which means cracks appear, noticeably in the corner of the tiled area, as the adhesive or PVA cannot bridge the gaps then the water can penetrate into the walls of your bathroom and where or after how long that water pools and eventually shows itself again - your guess is as good as mine.

However perhaps if you go to www.tilersforum.co.uk they have lots of tilers on there willing to give advice.

Bungarm2001

Hi Bungarm, thanks for raising that point and I'm glad you did as I have heard of many tilers using that method however when I have spoken to the adhesive manufacturers or attended their course they would not recommend that method. I'm no expert I just wouldn't want any tiles coming off or worst still, a drip appearing in the room below.

Manufacturers will never tell you emphatically that their products are 100% waterproof just to cover themselves if something ever went wrong, just like they will never state things like 'sliproof' when talkng about ceramic or porcelain floor tiles..they'll always say 'slip-resistant' As I say, my OH has been tiling for 20+ years and no tiles off yet.

The problem, I am told, with the method you use is that the expansion and contraction of the wood in the framing of the walls and the floor means that the walls and the floor move independently of each other which means cracks appear,

If this was a real problem in your bathroom or wherever, then you are pretty much in trouble anyway, tiles or not. Tiled walls can and do have a stabilising effect on stud walls particularly and assuming they have been built properly in the first place and the right adhesive (with flexi and waterprooofing additives) is used, then there are next to no possibility of cracking as you describe. noticeably in the corner of the tiled area, as the adhesive or PVA cannot bridge the gaps then the water can penetrate into the walls of your bathroom and where or after how long that water pools and eventually shows itself again - your guess is as good as mine. As I said, if you use silicone (a good one) in all corners and traditionally weak areas, then you should have no problems, apart from changing the silicon after a time as and when it becomes brittle and/or stained beyond cleaning.

However perhaps if you go to www.tilersforum.co.uk they have lots of tilers on there willing to give advice.Thanks for the advice...but don't need to. We know dozens of tilers, some of whom have been in the trade since the 60's, and a good mate of ours owns one of the biggest independant tile showrooms in London. What he doesn't know about tiles and tiling ain't worth knowing.

sutwam

Hi Bungarm

I’m very interested in what your saying - just to clarify your saying PVA the wall, use waterproof adhesive and grout and silicon the corners and edges as well as using a trim.

I was speaking to the technical department at Mapei about Waterproof and Water Resistant adhesives and grouts and they said "Quite simply tanking will totally ensure that your shower wont leak water into the rooms below!
All adhesives are not the same. Whilst they claim to be waterproof or water resistant that only means they will not break down and dissolve in water- it does not mean they provide a waterproof barrier to prevent water passing through them hence the need for tanking. Grouts are the same."

This is what concerned me, as I would like to know the best course of action if I was tiling a shower.

A waterproof matting is guaranteed to be waterproof; it doesn’t depend on applying the correct amount of PVA at the right thickness to achieve a waterproof layer.

I understand that your OH and his tiling friends have many many more years experience at tiling than me, but what your saying and what the manufactures are saying differs dramatically. If the adhesive people are saying their waterproof adhesives are not waterproof in the sense that you and I would logically think then this branding of the adhesives is, to a point, misleading.

Could I ask what brand of adhesive and grout your OH would recommend to waterproof/tank a shower?

George_Bray

sutwam wrote: »

I would agree try a small area first and look at your results, if your happy go for it!

I agree with this comment and with others who say that tiling to a good standard yourself is perfectly achievable. There's no way I'd pay anyone to come in to do tiling when I can do it myself.

Stand back and look at the alignment of each and every tile to make sure it's correctly aligned, just after laying it. If not, move it a bit to get it spot on, before the adhesive sets.

Bungarm2001

Are you talking about a 'traditional' type of shower with a ceramic or plastic tray? or installing a shower over a bath? then you really don't need to tank the walls. If you are doing a wetroom, then definitely tanking the floor especially would be essential. A wetroom is an entirely different ballgame, particularly if you are installing one in an upstairs room on a wooden floor.

I was speaking to the technical department at Mapei about Waterproof and Water Resistant adhesives and grouts and they said "Quite simply tanking will totally ensure that your shower wont leak water into the rooms below!
All adhesives are not the same. Whilst they claim to be waterproof or water resistant that only means they will not break down and dissolve in water- it does not mean they provide a waterproof barrier to prevent water passing through them hence the need for tanking. Grouts are the same."
Sorry, but this is c0bblers.

These guys are telling you this for two reasons...to stop any comeback on them if their products broke down, and to sell you a load of uneccessary stuff that you don't need. Tanking in a non-wet room shower situation is overkill, but if you have no confidence in your tiling ability, then by all means go ahead, waste your money or pay a tiler to do it for you.

My OH says just go to your local independent tile shop, tell them you'll be tiling a wall for a shower and they will sell you the correct adhesive and grout and cheerfully chuck in a load of free advice as well, not a load of bovine excrement. :rolleyes:

George_Bray

Bungarm2001 wrote: »

Are you talking about a 'traditional' type of shower with a ceramic or plastic tray? or installing a shower over a bath? then you really don't need to tank the walls. If you are doing a wetroom, then definitely tanking the floor especially would be essential. A wetroom is an entirely different ballgame, particularly if you are installing one in an upstairs room on a wooden floor.

I was speaking to the technical department at Mapei about Waterproof and Water Resistant adhesives and grouts and they said "Quite simply tanking will totally ensure that your shower wont leak water into the rooms below!
All adhesives are not the same. Whilst they claim to be waterproof or water resistant that only means they will not break down and dissolve in water- it does not mean they provide a waterproof barrier to prevent water passing through them hence the need for tanking. Grouts are the same."
Sorry, but this is c0bblers.

Yes, I agree it's bad advice and overkill if one is talking about walls for a shower with its own base. But if a shower floor is in semi-permanent contact with water, as for a wet room, then it's probably fair advice (just for the floor), as I think you also say.

lapat

by the bal wp 1 waterproof kit or at least the sealing part of the kit which can be bought sepratley
its primary use is for wet rooms but i use it on the majority of my tiling jobs as its excellent for preventing ingress of water

and invest in an electric tile cutter(cheapest ones are around £40) worth every penny they pay for themseleves just in tiles you with break trying to do it with pliers,tile saws etc