Marble tiles to a first floor bathroom

[Cappuccino cath]

Hi and thank you for letting me post a question!

I would like to ask anyone out there for comments/advice concerning a small project. I am in the throws of tracking down marble wall tiles that would cover a bathroom area of aprox 26 square metres (allowing for damage/breaks). The intention is to tile a bathroom floor to ceiling in a period property. The walls (below)are load bearing, and the house is in superb condition. What I would like to know is there a total weight limit to a first floor room ( the floor will not be tiled) and at 26 square metres each tile will be 305mm x457mm x 12mm. Obviously there will be the usual bathroom pieces (bath, basin and WC and shower unit). I could do with some help to determine what the weight considerations are allowing for materials etc... Thanks !!!

 

[DHTiling]

C/cath..

If you go to your email inbox that you signed up with...you will have an activation email that will confirm your email address and validate your account.
Then you can post in the main forums..

Any probs doing that then come back to this post.

 

[Cappuccino cath]

Okay Dan...did say Hello!

Oh and the walls are in great condition with one wall 50% plastered 3 years ago. This was the original bathroom, so we are putting it back in the 8ft x 8ft room. My guess is that it has never been plastered since the house was built circa 1912, but the walls are sound and am looking for advice on whether the tiles mentioned in my original post are going to be too heavy? Cheers!!!

 

[DHTiling]

Moved to stone tiling forum now cath...

 

[Cappuccino cath]

Okay Dave, very much appreciated!

 

[Colour Republic]

Hi Cath, Welcome

Are you asking if the walls themselves can take the weight or are you asking if the plaster will take the weight of the tiles?

 

[White Room]

If your in a period property the walls could be lime mortor, which can be very unstable when weight is applied.
These walls were never designed for that kind of weight

 

[Cappuccino cath]

Hiya Colour,
Good point, ermmm... I guess that would be questions to both.
The walls are in good original condition (pre modern plaster) apart from the 4th internal wall which is 40% part plastered 3 years ago where an original hot water tank and header/feeder pipes were part sunk into the wall, so we skimmed this area. There has been no sign of previous tile work as there was the tiniest mount of 1920's wall paper (when we prepared the walls for decorating some 5 years ago).
If there is a "belt and braces" approach then I welcome advice! having just weighed a sample tile at 4.4kg each ( that's about 7.15 tiles per square metre or 31.5kg square metre)and not actually shelled out for tiles yet(and I would need to take into account the grouting/fixing weight too)... perhaps I am getting a bit hung up over the total weight of these tiles hanging off 4 walls, despite the very secure and central location of the room in the house.

 

[Cappuccino cath]

Hiya whitebeam,
Okay... silly question for you...how can I identify lime plaster?

The "plaster" on the bare walls (apart from the modern gypsum plaster) show very little movement and historical cracks have been filled with what looks like fine old polyfilla. The gypsum plaster is good too with no cracks or "hollow" sounds, having unstripped the walls from prepping... hope this helps

 

[Colour Republic]

It's never good to give absolute correct advice without seeing the property in question but the room can support an extraordinary amount of weight (much more than a standard bathroom) given that it is in as you say the house is in good condition i.e. solid brick work, solid joists with no sign of rot, woodworm or stress. Unfortunately the plaster will not hold the weight of the tiles you are proposing to use (even if the plaster was new. If you do wish to go ahead i'm afraid the plaster will have to be removed