Plywood walls in bathroom

[Dr_Gonzo]

Our builder has just finished our renovation project and he has boarded the bathroom out with plywood. After some research I now know that this is far from the ideal surface to tile onto. The ceramic tiles we have are pretty large (900x300) and are 10mm thick. It's quite a large bathroom (i.e. several sheets of ply) and we have a concealed shower recessed into the wall. Given the plywood is in, what is our best option now?

 

[Andy Tiler]

Remove the ply and use a cement backerboard. Or plasterboard!I'm not a fan of ply in bathrooms IMHO


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[nybor62]

1 option is to overboard with 6mm cement board, or as above

 

[Dr_Gonzo]

Is there any solution other than replacing/overboarding the ply with backer board?

 

[martin1c]

For what it is worth, your best bet is to replace/overboard. Those size tiles will have cost you a small fortune so you'll want the best chance of them staying up on the walls for years to come. Removing/replacing the ply won't take long and doesn't cost much. A sheet of plasterboard is only £6. I'll bet it could all be replaced/boarded over within a day

 

[Stef]

Im with Martin on this one.

Your builder would have already strapped out the walls to take the plywood so you should be able to fix the plasterboard straight onto these, (almost)

The only thing you might find is that a sheet of plywood is 1220mm X 2440mm, (if he has used full sheets) so your stud/straps will be set for this, if this is the case then just fix an additional length of wood onto the side of the existing legs to carry the sheets.

Its not a hard job replacing the plywood, it will be a harder & more expensive job if you fix those tiles to ply in a humid environment like a bathroom.

 

[Del W]

Welcome to TF. Remove/replace.

 

[BARRONBATHROOMS]

Don't forget to tank any wet areas easy to do and will guarantee all wet areas are waterproof.

 

[Dr_Gonzo]

If I do replace the ply with backer board, what thickness should I go for?

 

[Del W]

12mm

 

[BARRONBATHROOMS]

Cheaper to use plasterboard and tank IMHO. Depends on weight of tiles I suppose.