Need to waterproof gyprock plasterboard in shower compartment?

[strathfan]

My daughter and her partner have employed a experienced plumbing/tileing firm to instal a new bathroom suite and shower compartment. The walls are standard gyprock plasterboard on timber studs. The compartment is going to be tiled. I suggested they ask the firm about waterproofing the plasterboard before tileing. Apparently the reply was that if the tileing was done properly there is no need to replace or overlay the plasterboard with waterproof boards and no need to tank the plasterboard. I am sceptical about this advice. The work is due to start tomorrow 21 July 2014.

Any comments.

Thanks

 

[widler]

To be honest, and a few on here will have a bit of a ***** at me, " you crack on doing it wrong" ect ect yawn
Ive tanked a couple in 20 odd years, never had a problem,if its done right it should be fine for years

Ps one thing i do is Silicon the corners and bath before tiling and Silicon the corners before i tile into it,they are the weakest spots and always where water will leak in if the silcone fails

 

[One Day]

I've also taken out properly tiled showers 20+ yrs old with no water staining anywhere.
BUT...
If a shower is used heavily (more than twice a day) and doesn't get chance to dry out, water can and will pass through grout joints into the background.
Also, if movement in walls is excessive (new studs?) then that can open gaps too.
For the sake of a £50 tanking kit and 60mins is it really worth the risk?

 

[widler]

Im just sticking up for the firm impish, i get sick of folk on jobs saying ' well i went ont internet and they said " ect ect
Most showers are used everyday twice as well, christ mines used about 4 times for about 15 mins a day, no probs in 7 years.
And grout aint like the 80s white crap grout, its top class stuff nowadays, if done right its fine, and maybe, just maybe these guys doing this job know there stuff

 

[Stef]

If I was a that stage then I would tank out the shower area, belt & braces approach but then you have 100% knowledge that it isn't going to leak.
I've been to a lot of new builds where there has been severe water ingress & I've also been to a few that have never leaked water in years.

 

[One Day]

Im just sticking up for the firm impish, i get sick of folk on jobs saying ' well i went ont internet and they said " ect ect
Most showers are used everyday twice as well, christ mines used about 4 times for about 15 mins a day, no probs in 7 years.
And grout aint like the 80s white crap grout, its top class stuff nowadays, if done right its fine, and maybe, just maybe these guys doing this job know there stuff

My own shower isn't tanked. 100x100 tumbled trav straight onto plaster skim with tubbed adhesive. Grouted with white ucp. 6 years used 2-3 times a day and no leaks yet.
Just shows that you never can tell!
(not tiled by me either. I can't get round to doing my own bathroom!)

 

[White Room]

This one that had to be a rip out, the back wall was finished in browning and the tiles were hollow anyway and the grout that was used was Ardex not sure which particular one. It was a power shower and used about 4 times a day and only a touch of moisture at the bottom right and areas slightly left and right in the corners, this had been in for 2 years.

 

[widler]

I totally agree it's a 'second defence' but to crap tiling .
White beam has not the water penetrated between plasterboard and shower tray and soaked its way up the wall ?
Ps the tiling looks crap so it's prob a crap install as well

Forget that it's dot and dab tiling,probably gone in grout and run down wall, the grouting looks horrendous ,so bad install is defo at fault in this one

 

[White Room]

The owner done it himself and no Silicon on any angles which dos'nt help...

 

[TJ Smiler]

Personally i tank everything that i think is gonna get wet but if i am completely honest here i do it because when i first started tiling i lacked confidence in what i was doing so i used it as a sure fire way of solving a problem before a problem had even started, nowadays i tank more out of habit rather than anything else (admittedly it's probably a good habit to have) but i have ripped out tons of showers that have been badly installed only to find the walls behind are bone dry so i'm with Wids on this one, i don't think it's essential if it's installed correctly.