Mosaic Tiles in a Shower Enclosure

[tom975]

I am a total novice so hopefully my questions are valid, I would really appreciate if one of you experienced and knowledgable tilers could spare a couple of minutes to help me.


Here goes...


We are refitting our bathroom and plan a tiled shower enclosure (tiled to 3 sides).


Firstly do I need to 'tank' or seal the walls before tiling, if so what would be the best product ?


Secondly my wife really wants to use mosaic tiles on all three walls, Is this possible are there any drawbacks or potential problems with these. (I have read on Google water may leak through and they are hard to clean)


Finally If they are ok to use, do they need sealing after being fitted. (if so what's the best product ?)


Oh and lastly as a total novice having never tiled before does this seem the type of job I would better to get one of you guys to do rather than having a go myself.


Thanks for taking the time to read my post, I really look forward to hearing your advice


Tom

 

[peteablard]

It is definitely worth tanking the walls first, I normally use the Bal WP1 tanking kit which isn't too expensive and for piece of mind is well worth using. What mosaics are you planning on using? If they are ceramic or glass then they shouldn't need sealing, if you go down the natural stone route then they will and will need re-sealing on an ongoing basis.
With regards to doing it yourself, mosaics definitely aren't the best tile to use for your first attempt and I would consider getting a professional in to give you a quote.

 

[tom975]

Many thanks for your quick and helpful response peteablard.

She has spotted some glass "Lustra Pearl Tiles" in petrol black from wallsandfloors.co.uk

I don't seem to be able to set up a link to the exact tiles

But from what you have said they should be fine and not need sealing.

I didn't fancy tackling the work myself so I will follow your advice and get some local quotes. Presumably most good tilers will recommend tanking the shower area, or will it be something I will need to insist on at the time of getting the quotes ?

Thanks Again.

Tom

 

[bugs183]

Hiya Tom.
All good tilers (well ones on here would recommend tanking), you'd be amazed just how many experienced tilers still do not tank or even suggest it.
But you've done your homework so you are on the ball.
Mosaicing is a real skill, i reckon it's the one of the hardest tasks for a tiler as there are so many variables.
You need to check that all your walls are nice and flat and that they are level, including any internal or external corners.
I'm not aware of the product your lady wants, but i guess the tiles are dark, does she want a dark grout with these or light? Light will be a right pig as it shows every line and bump, dark grout will be more forgiving.
If you want to save a few quid you could tank it yourself, just make sure you really smooth all the tapes flat, and then get quotes.

 

[tom975]

Hi Bugs183


Thanks for the reply, you are right when I had my first shower enclosure fitted (5 years ago) the tiler never mentioned tanking, its only since I have been reading through the forum here that it has come to my attention, it seems to me the sensible thing to do, better to be safe than sorry.


At the risk of looking like a complete fool here, I just wanted to clarify one thing with you about the grout if I could,


The tiles are iridescent glass size 327mm x 327mm x 4mm with 225 tiles per sheet in petrol black the best way to describe the colour is they look a bit like oil does when you see it in a puddle (hope that makes sense), so would you advise dark coloured grout rather than white ?


Oh and following your advice I definitely won't be attempting to tile myself and based on my DIY skills I will get the tiler to put the tanking in as well, last thing I want is for that to fail in a few months time and have to rip off tiles and start again, these mosaic tiles are expensive enough as it is

Thanks again for taking the time to read through and answer my questions, it really is very helpful

 

[kaharrison9]

Walls need to be perfectly flat.

Would suggest using an epoxy grout.

Kevin