Tiling on mdf?

[trampy]

Hi, I have a kitchen 'island' to tile in sheet mosaics, the island surface is mdf, am I ok to tile directly onto this????????????

 

[Ajax123]

No. You will need to waterproof it first or if possible overboard it with 6mm hardibacker. I did my kitchen once with mdf which i tiled onto with waterproof tubbed sticky. It looked beautiful for about 6months then i noticed the swelling nd the delamination? At the sam time as i did the kitchen i did the ensuite shower wth the same result only much sooner. Mdf is not a great surface to tile onto especially in an environment prone to moisture.

 

[Tony73]

agree with Ajax123

 

[trampy]

cheers guys, not sure I'll be able to use hardibacker due to staying flush with the hob etc, what waterproofing would you reccommend?

 

[Tony73]

BAL wp1 tanking coating

 

[Bubblecraft]

If you have a freestanding cooker, raise the legs, if not, remove your hob & re-fit once tiled. NEVER TILE ONTO MDF! Medium density fibreboard is only compressed sawdust. Even primed, it will still draw in moisture. Ply or Hardi is the way to go. If you tile onto the MDF, you will regret it later. All your hard work will goto waste.


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[Tony73]

good point, why not replace mdf with ply?

 

[trampy]

are you saying I shouldn't tile onto mdf even if it's been tanked/waterproofed?

 

[Tony73]

better not to mate, but if you hhave no choise , then at least tank it

 

[Bubblecraft]

Tanking it will only hold back moisture for so long on MDF. Tiling onto MDF should not be an option. There are many options like covering it or replacing it. If you feel you have NO other option but to tile onto it, use Bal SBR primer on the MDF & a 2 part flexible adhesive. When grouting, use a Bal GT1 with your flexible grout. It may last for ever, it may last 6 months. It all depends on the humidity of the room.

A WP1 kit is an expensive way of taking a work surface. £60 to cover 6m2 (£10 pm2) Especially if it doesn't last. For the same price you could sheet it in 6mm ply & it'll last for ever (£25 to cover 2.97m2 - £8.41 pm2) Your adhesive & grout would be cheaper too.

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[widler]

just take the mdf off and re board,save yourself some heartache

 

[Mike Mike]

Sneak into the kitchen in the dead of night and set fire to the MDF island... :ninja:

 

[AliGage]

You can get WBP ply as thim as 3mm. Would this get over the hob height problem if you fixed this over the MDF?

 

[trampy]

yeah i reckon it would!! cheers.

 

[Perry]

Not thin ply just as bad but you can get 4mm backer board would be better to over board it with cement board as first said but how did you come by a work top made of MDF ?