Best Boarding for Bathroom Floor and Where to Purchase from?

[gordybaillie]

Hi

I am looking to tile a bathroom floor which is approx. 3m x 3m and is currently just floor boards.

What would be the best option for boarding the floor prior to tiling?

I am in Fife, Scotland and also trying to see if anyone local can supply Hardiebacker etc.

Thanks!

 

[gordybaillie]

Haha £30 delivery, approx £10 a board.

 

[Time's Ran Out]

Board price is ok but the remote part of the British Isles is the issue!

 

[rufus the tiler]

I will get some stick maybe for saying this....but if you were to use 9mm exterior grade ply screwed down at 100mm intervals .....I promise this will work ....they do say use a lot thicker ply but it is not needed and makes to much of a step leading into bathroom......good luck.....ps adhesive has to be flexi

 

[White Room]

I will get some stick maybe for saying this....but if you were to use 9mm exterior grade ply screwed down at 100mm intervals .....I promise this will work ....they do say use a lot thicker ply but it is not needed and makes to much of a step leading into bathroom......good luck.....ps adhesive has to be flexi

Can't believe you said 9mm ply, exterior or what ever to use....BS states 15mm minimum.

 

[Dan]

Ply just isn't as good as it used to be, apparently, so I'd completely avoid it these days.

 

[rufus the tiler]

Can't believe you said 9mm ply, exterior or what ever to use....BS states 15mm minimum.

Hahaha...I said I would get some stick.....BS does say 15mm but 9mm put down properly works.......I have done hundreds of bathrooms and never once had a cracked tile......with this in mind ... why not use it ?

 

[Stef]

Hahaha...I said I would get some stick.....BS does say 15mm but 9mm put down properly works.......I have done hundreds of bathrooms and never once had a cracked tile......with this in mind ... why not use it ?

& the last twice I've tiles to ply I've had issues with cracked grout lines.
Do away with the ply & use backer boards.
Ply is just not the same as it was years ago & 9mm isn't thick enough.

 

[Time's Ran Out]

Rufus - the problem is it's not what you've done for years without any issues, its what's BS recommended that should be advised.
For years my local tile distributor stocked 6mm plywood! Now it's got 2 new displays of Hardiboard racks and no plywood to be seen.
If your not sure ask, but don't give incorrect information as an alternative.

 

[rufus the tiler]

Rufus - the problem is it's not what you've done for years without any issues, its what's BS recommended that should be advised.
For years my local tile distributor stocked 6mm plywood! Now it's got 2 new displays of Hardiboard racks and no plywood to be seen.
If your not sure ask, but don't give incorrect information as an alternative.

well with this in mind I dont know where near fife he may get hardiboards but although not up to BS standards (9mm exterior grade ply will do the job nicely so long as it screwed down in 100mm squares..........so they now know its not up to BS but will do the job with no issues

 

[White Room]

Topps sell Hardie boards, that's the only place I can get hold of them locally to me.

 

[Tile Shop]

Recently been dealing with an issue where the correct ply, fixings and intervals were used. Still failed. All joints cracked over the board joints because of expansion and shrinkage. Not too much of an issue and a quick fix with Bal Superflex and GT1. Any wood nowadays is so temperamental. Can't be trusted.

Importantly, I think some people need to read the guarantees of the adhesives they are using. A lot of them will only cover their products on the condition that the recommendations of BS5385 are followed. You may not like it, but tough. You gotta stick to it. Do anything different and your warranty is flushed away. So how can you guarantee your work if you can't even guarantee the materials you use?

Maybe nothing has gone wrong so far, but if it ever did, the liability would fall firmly at your feet. You couldn't even raise a complaint for genuinely faulty products against the manufacture if you don't use it like they tell you to (thats called a loop-hole or get-out clause. A bit mean but again..... tough. We tried that one about 3 years ago and it didn't work out to well for the fitter). And if you refuse to pay for the remedial work because you're stubbornly saying you've done it right, there is a document available to say you haven't and a court would happily bend you over and take a long run-up!

Follow it or not..... the risk is all yours.


ps.... the court won't use lube either.

 

[PaulSmith]

Our B&Q sell HB also, both 6mm and 12mm.

 

[Jcshutts]

Remove rubbish chipboard floor boards and replace with 18mm wbp ply.
Fix blanke permat and you're good.

I agree with removing the boards if you can. I replaced with 22mm STS construction boards t&g which I’ve found to be superb . So stable and great for tiles particularly with UFH