Bathroom Tiling

[chrisjkerr]

Hiya,

Been having a look on here for about a week or so but not managed to find the exact answers i'm looking for.

I'm completely gutting my small bathroom (House Built in 2001)
1.9m x 1.7m (w)x(d) and replacing with new W/C Basin and Bath. I'm looking to tile both the wall and floor. My questions are.

I've pulled up the carpet and underlay and found some small water marks around the pedestal on the chipboard floor. Due to this being chipboard will i need to pull it up and replace the whole bathroom with WBP PLY @ 25mm if i can get it? If not can i use a backerboard from a Tile warehouse and fix this as overboarding onto the current Chipboard? The floor at the moment is fairly steady and i guess this is down to the minimal area of the bathroom.

If i go down the route of new PLY or overboarding with backerboard, do i board right upto walls and door threshold? Will i need to overboard under the bath too?

The tiles i'm looking to use are Polshed Porcelain and are 60 x 60 in black. Ardex are a customer of mine so i'm able to get their products cheaply. I've been told i need to use the P51 Primer first, then the FLEX 7001 product to adhere the tiles to the floor. I'm also looking to use the Warmup UFH 150watt matt. Am i correct in thinking that this will just sit in between the adhesive and the tiles without insulation board?

Regarding the Porcelain tiles, i've been informed that they have to be cleaned and sealed at the tile of laying and then repeat after grouting? Can anyone recommend products for this?

The wall tiles are 25x33 and are being applied on all walls. The walls have been emulsioned in the past. Will i need to sand the walls back to the
plaster or is scoring them and then applying the Ardex WPJ barrier going to be fine? Around the non bath area, do i need to use a watered down Unibond pva solution beforehand or is there an alternative solution for preparing a wall for tiling?

Thanks for help!!

Chris

 

[Scott]

If the watermarks on the floor are only stains and it hasnt swollen and lifted i wouldnt replace it. You can fix the backer boards over what you have already. Ideally it would be great to start with 25mm ply but in reality it can be a pain to remove the chipboard depending how its laid, ie does it run under stud walls etc. hence why i would leave it if its not swollen or rotten. You will need to to board all the areas you want to tile. Some prefer to board under the bath as well, your choice.

As for addy and sealer, i will leave that for others. However its recommended not to use PVA but a proper tiling primer.

 

[Daz]

Any answers that you receive will be subject to the stability of the existing floor boards. However, if the floor boards are dry and stable with no deflection (as mentioned above) then you will be able to overboard with a 6mm cement based tile backer board, such as Hardie Backer. Use Ardex 7001 applied with a 6mm trowel to stick the boards down and apply screws every 150 to 200mm centres. (To avoid screwing into pipes, use a screw that is no longer than 24mm).

You may choose to substitute cement boards with cement lined thermal boards as these will have greater thermal properties for the UFH.

I normally do not overboard under a bath and I leave a small expansion gap around the perimeter of the room. Always consult the manufacturers fitting instructions.

You will be able to install the UFH directly to the overboarding, remember not to apply it under cupboards, bath, toilet etc..

I always recommend covering the UFH with a flexible floor smoothing compound (such as Ardex Arditex NA), as this will ensure that there are no air pockets around the heating elements and also help in preventing wire damage when tiling (and / or tile replacement).

If you are tiling directly onto a cement backer board or slc you will not require the primer, but just use Ardex 7001, although S16 will work just as well.

The tiles will probably require cleaning and sealing but without further details I would not like to offer advice at this stage. Likewise the wall preparation is a whole new thread.

 

[chrisjkerr]

Thanks for the replies. Much appreciated.

The chipboard is only stained on taking a further look. Possibly where the plumbers fitted the sink. I've use a spirit level all over the floor to be tiled and there isn't any deviation possibly due to the small area. Also going back to the strength, i've checked the boarding and it's nailed and screwed every 200mm into the joist underneath and ain't budging.
On looking at the current boarding it does seem to go under the studded wall into the second bedroom, so as the first reply. replacing the whole floor to 25mm may not be a good idea afterall.

So if i can confrim what you've suggested...

Leave the current boarding and overboard with the cement lined thermal boards (Can i get these from Tile Giant or similar?) using the Ardex 7001 and screwed 150-200mm centres. Overboard doesn't need to run under bath, so i won't bother and possibly leave a few mm gap around borders for expansion but check fitting instructions beforehand. Lay the UFH and cover with the Arditex NA SLC. Tile using the Ardex 7001 or S16 over SLC.

What info would you need regarding the Porcelain tiles? I purchased one to see how it looks. It was from Tile Clearing House in Nuneaton. The chap there said they'd need cleaning and the sealing but that was about it..

I'll start a new thread on the Wall tiles as suggested.

I work in Nottingham, so i may pop into Tile Giant there and take a look at what they have.

Again, thanks for the help.

 

[doug boardley]

as Capt Slow suggested is my advice

 

[Daz]

Leave the current boarding and overboard with the cement lined thermal boards (Can i get these from Tile Giant or similar?)

What info would you need regarding the Porcelain tiles? I purchased one to see how it looks. It was from Tile Clearing House in Nuneaton. The chap there said they'd need cleaning and the sealing but that was about it..

Both Tile Giant and Uheat provide the thermal boards. Check the sponsor links at the right hand side of your screen.

The porcelain tiles obviously come with a transit wax on them to help prevent staining during carriage etc.. My preference would be to install the tiles and then clean them with a suitable grime removing solution (your tile supplier should be able to recommend a product that will not damage the tile surface, such as LTP Grimex). I would then seal them with a suitable impregnator, such as LTP MPG sealer.

Good luck and don't forget to post pics of the finished job .