Advice on Re-tiling New Build Walls

[chrisab]

Hi all,

I want to re-do my bathroom which was a new build about 20 years ago. A bathroom fitter came around to quote and stated that because the walls are new build (stud wall) they will have a very thin plaster coating and what with water damage etc etc. it might be a big job. Is this really going to be a problem? I want to do this work myself, surely if the walls are that bad I can just put up some new board?

Are there any basic guides on doing a bathroom on this forum, i.e. include information of which backing to use, which sealants where etc? For example I've been reading about tanking, would the tiled area above a bath shower be required to all be sealed etc. OR do you just tile on top of water based plater board etc.?

Any advice much appreciated!

Also, if I were to tile the floor which is currently lino and 10mm below the caprpet outside presumably after boarding with ply, then I're read another board is needed, then the tiles - how to you then cover up a 10-15mm step into bathroom?

Many thanks

 

[kilty55]

hi chris are you doing the bathroom fit yourself or are you just asking about re boarding the walls? thanks

 

[chrisab]

Hi, Well the plan was to do as much of it as I can, I may get in help to do the actual tiling. I just wondered if what the guy said was true, and if it was true what sort of job I'm leading myself into!

Thanks

 

[White Room]

Hi and welcome..are you removing any existing tiles which may damage the walls...

 

[kilty55]

yes if you remove plasterwork and plasterboard substrates then re doing a bathroom is a big enough job imo especially for someone who doesnt do it day in day out

however there are a few on the forums who have managed to do full refits to a standard they are happy with,,the advice is here if you need it.

 

[chrisab]

Whitebeam - yes one whole wall and above all aroudn the bath will need to be rid of its existing tiles.

I accept removing the tiles will cause damage but the guy who did th quote was suggesing it would be worse because it was a new build etc etc. What do these new builds normally have - just a plaster board? If the board is damaged but not too badly what would you use to skim it over? Presumably skimming with plaster will mean a long drying out period before re-tiling?

Sorry for all the Qu's, it owul dbe easier to get someone to do it but I like 'projects', and saving money!

 

[White Room]

If it was tiled when it was built there's good chance it will tubbed adhesive...new builds may have dry linning even for 20 years ago, if it has been skimmed theres a good chance the plaster will come off which could avoid any damage to the plasterboard.

 

[chrisab]

It's definately stud wall, would you expect the tiles to be straight onto plaster board? Or onto a skim over the plasterboard? Would the area over the bath been tanked if the bath was fitted with a mixer tap/shower hose?

If they are straight onto just plasterboard what would you use to make right the boards? Presuming they wern't completely knackared!

 

[chrisab]

Oh - what is the significance of them using tubbed adhesive?

 

[kilty55]

hi chris tiles direct onto plaster board or skimmed plasterboard ......remove the tiles...possibly the plastboard etc will be okay but normally it gets ripped to bits

i always just rip the lot out in whole sheets for quickness
plasterboard is cheap to replace

 

[White Room]

Oh - what is the significance of them using tubbed adhesive?

If it's a cheap tubbed adhesive it may soften with warm water...are you sure that all your walls are stud work and some of the boards are not dot and dabbed onto block walls ?? if they are all stud work then as Kilty55, remove and replace.

 

[kilty55]

as beam also,,ifs its dot and dab onto an exterior block wall get a good sds gunn

 

[chrisab]

Sorry, I was referring to the internal wall, however the external wall is probably dot and dab like you say.

What si the normal base for the tiling that makes up the shower part of a bath. Plasterboards, some sealant and then just tiles?

Any pointers on the floor tiling questions.

Thanks!

 

[White Room]

If your just using plasterboard around the bath/shower then I would advise on tanking...

The floor between the tiles and carpet would require

 

[EverDon Tiling]

if it was me I'd rip everything out all new plaster board apart from wet areas i would use hadie backer and re tile. will only take a few hours to rip out and re board end result will be better will save time in the long run.

 

[chrisab]

Thanks for you the help, much appreciated, I'm sure I'll be back with some more questions soon, first though more research needed. Thanks

 

[AliGage]

Your internal walls are all likely to be timber frame and plasterboard. If it's the original tiles on the wall have a go at knocking them off. Someone above mentioned tubbed adhesive thats true and it's usually used direct onto the plasterbaord/skim in a property of your age. You might knock the tiles off easy and find all the adhesive is sill on the wall.

 

[chrisab]

Hi,
Right I've finally got around to stripping some of the tiles. Them seem to be coming off ok, taking some adhesive with them and leaving some on (not exbosing any plaster though - just brown covering). I've noticed the boards have come loose where they are secured to the stud wall. Can I just screw the platerboard back onto the stud wall and plaster over it. Does all the existing grout need to come off or can i just tile over it?

Thanks

 

[AliGage]

Get yourself a blade scraper and try and get it all off. More you get off (and keep the board intact) the flatter and easier you'll find tiling it.

 

[bugs183]

It's really hard to say for sure what will happen when you start, every job is different.

I'd price up for having to replace the plasterboard walls, as these will more than likely drop to pieces once you start.

Ripping tiles off is a horrible job, damages the boards and could cut you to shreds (very sharp tile shards).

I reckon there is 0% chance of it being tanked, (virtually no-one did then),so if you are worried about moisture after you tile then you may as well rip the boards off and replace with Marmox boarding (at least 12.5mm).

Tiling 20 years was not as advanced as now, it would have been plaster board, maybe skimmed, a big gap over the bath, original Bal Grip adhesive (at best) and fairly duff adhesive. Its done 20 years, redo it again and make yourself proud by having a nice up to date shower that will be infinitely easier to tile than a rehashed one.
Everyone here will advise you well, it's nice here!!!

 

[AliGage]

Completely agree with you bugs. Myself and a few others advised replacing the boards but i think he's content with just taking the tiles off and going over the old board.

 

[bugs183]

Cheers Al, it sounds like the boards are coming off cleanish in this instance, it does sound like Chris wants to do a good job, especially with maybe getting it tanked, but as we all know if it looks like Rocky has been using it for punching practice then its back to the drawing board!!

 

[AliGage]

Re-boarding is a relatively inexpensive job, and simple enough when it's going on studwork. You'll appreiciate the flat sureface when it comes to fixing.

 

[chrisab]

Thanks for the replies guys. When i sadi "can I just screw the platerboard back onto the stud wall and plaster over it." i meant ...and tile over it.

I'm happy to put new boards up if necessary but if not then obviously if it saves me time and money by not doing it then great! If i keep the existing boards I'll tank the shower before tiling, if i re-board I'll use the board you have described.
The existing boards look ok but have popped away from the stud wall in places so might need to be screwed back down. Here's some photos of what I've done so far - please let me know if you think I need to re-board. Thanks

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[JLM Tiling]

You're only as good as what you're going onto! And sheets of plasterboard are only about a fiver each anyway, if I can't clean it off to a decent standard in under ten minutes then it's cost effective to just replace them