Travertine in a shower

[GaryS]

Sorry guys you are probably fed up answering questions about these tiles already but as a novice i could do with some advice.

Both myself and the missus really love the look of travertine tiles however as we are considering this for a bathroom including a shower area, we have been advised to use an imitation rather than the real stone tile.

The info we have at the moment is that travertine is not really suitable for a shower area as water will soak through to the plasterboard beneath.

I am aware these tiles require sealing, though not sure what other preparation is required.

Any advice on how to prep so we don't have problems later will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

Gary.

 

[peckers]

Firstly you need to find out the weight of the tiles per M2! As they may be too heavy for plasterboard!
But To be honest with you I would remove the plasterboard any way and replace with a tile backer board!
As with any tiling the correct work is started with the preparation!
I would tank the shower area to be tiled!
Use a good quality white flexible adhesive and flexible grout! Not a DIY own brand!
Before setting the tiles remove any dust from the back of the tiles, with a damp sponge.
Back skim the tiles with adhesive to fill any voids in the tile if there are some.
Be sure to work cleanly washing any adhesive from the face of the tiles as you go.
After tiles have set in the adhesive Apply a good quality sealer.
Then grout using a flexible grout.
When dry buff off haze grout residue etc.
Apply another coat of sealer and another one if it will take it.
be sure to seal internal corners and against tray with a good quality silicone.

If the preparation work is done correctly and they are sealed correctly then you will have no problems.

Aftercare to keep them looking nice wash them down with a proper stone tile cleaner
Dont use domestos, bleach, Mr muscle etc as this eats into the sealer tiles grout etc and will ruin it over time.
hope this helps

 

[mikethetile]

spot on advice peckers

 

[GaryS]

Thanks for the advice since the old plasterboard was going to be getting changed anyway it makes sense to use the correct back board, would you recommend any specific product for tanking. and will this be necessary around the bath area too or just the actual shower area.

Bathroom is just a small 7'x7' space so not a huge area to start with.

 

[doug boardley]

only difference to Peckers advice , that I do, is to grout prior to sealing. I think that the grout gets a better hold into the voids if it's unsealed first.

 

[GaryS]

would something like lafarge aqua board be an alternative to tanking or is it still advisable to tank the shower area

 

[White Room]

I would still tank IMO

The cement boards will not break down if they are soaked but water could still bypass

 

[faithhealer]

Sorry guys you are probably fed up answering questions about these tiles already but as a novice i could do with some advice.

.

never get sick of answering any questions on this forum Gary

 

[grumpygrouter]

would something like lafarge aqua board be an alternative to tanking or is it still advisable to tank the shower area

You could also consider something like Wedi or Marmox boards as these don't need tanking, just the joints taped and sealed. Very light and easy to work with too, though maybe a bit more expensive.

 

[GaryS]

I had a tiler in to do the small bathroom downstairs today 20 years in the trade so he told me and he still cant get tiles flush on a flat wall surface so he wont be getting job of doing the main bathroom. granted its not as bad as some I have seen but when a so called professional walks away from a job that that you can do better yourself on you got to wonder. I am even going to have to cut back some of the tiles as he left them overhanging where the door checks go despite being told about it before he started.

rant over sry guys

oh for those of you that have not got one yet buy a fein multimaster its an amazing tool that will save you a lot of hassle and allow you to get a much neater finish around door checks