What to use for tile backing around bath/shower area?

[dan9385]

Hi guys,

I stumbled across this site at the weekend when searching online for some DIY bathroom advice. I've searched the forum but I can't find another post which answers my particular question so I thought I'd join and post it.

I've recently moved into a 1946 built house and I'm in the process of doing the bathroom. I could do with some advice as to what to use as tile backing around the bath/shower area. The bathroom was half tiled (lower) and half wallpapered (upper). I currently do not have a shower. I have removed most of the tiles apart from round the sink and toilet, and I've also removed the plaster from the walls as it was old and was no longer attached. See pic below.



The bath and shower (electric mounted over the bath) are going to be in a corner of 2 external walls, not stud walls. The shower will be mounted on the wall to the right of the window and I plan to tile each end of the bath, the wall with the window in it, and behind the sink. I'd like to use large-ish tiles in a brickwork style as I like the effect.

There is what looks like a layer of concrete behind the tiles and this has come away in part when I have removed the tiles. The old tiles were buttered on to the wall without about a half inch thick layer of something. It certainly didn't look like tile adhesive!

I have a friend of the family who is a plasterer who is going to be plastering the bathroom for me. He has advised me to buy 1200mm x 900mm x 12.5mm plasterboard, plasterboard adhesive, thistle bonding, and thistle multifinish from Wickes to re-plaster the bathroom. I think the plan is to plasterboard the lot, bond it then skim it. Although I could be wrong.

I've read horror stories which suggest that you shouldn't use plasterboard in a bath/shower area as the grout between the tiles will eventually become porus, water will get behind the tiles, the tiles will fall off, the plasterboard will rot etc etc. Others I've found say that it is OK to use plasterboard and that you can tile directly onto the plasterboard providing you use a primer. Others say you can use plasterboard but tank it first. Others say to use aquapanels. In reading the instructions for aquapanels on Wickes' website, it only talks about screwing them to stud walls and specifically says they are not suitable for direct bonding. I'm not sure exactly what that means?

I'm really confused as to what the best backing for the tiled area. Obviously I don't want to have to re-do everything in 6-12 months time because it has all fallen off or gone rotten, and I would much rather get it right from the start.

Also, on the other side of the bathroom I have a stud wall. In removing the tiles from this there is a mesh fixed to it which has been plastered. Would you recommend leaving that as it is and plastering over it or ripping it off and plasterboarding the stud wall? The old plaster at the top seems fairly well stuck to it and could probably just be skimmed. Again, there is a pic below to show what I mean.



If anyone here is willing to help me and give me a pointer in the right direction I would be extremely grateful!

Thanks in advance,

Dan

 

[Bubblecraft]

Welcome to the forum

 

[White Room]

Hi and welcome Dan, Sounds like your plasterer friend has got that under control.....I would tank after the plasterboards have been fixed around the shower area.

If you feel the expanded metal lathing is solid enough then scratch with some Thistle bonding plaster, wait to set and then float to the existing surface then skim the whole wall but your plasterer should know this, that would be the route I would take.

 

[kilty55]

hi there ,as whitebeam if lathe is solid enough plaster it and skim,are you tiling the whole bathroom or just bath area?

any tiled area you are going to do i would just ask the plasterer to dot and dab the boards only with no plaster finish on top you dont need it if tiling boards will be fine

you could use green moisture boards in wet areas or tank if you wish both are better solutions than standard plasterboard

 

[dan9385]

Thanks for your replies whitebeam and kitty55, that certainly clears things up a bit. The lathe seems fairly sturdy, it just has a large hole in it near the top where the overflow from the cold water tank used to be, and a large hole at the bottom where some other pipes used to come through. It's also a little bent in parts from me knocking the half inch thick "tile adhesive" off it. My plaster seemed to suggest he could work with it and said it would be a better "key" than plasterboard so hopefully it'll be OK.

With regard to the plasterboard and bath/shower area, my plan is to only tile round the bath (from the edge of the bath to the ceiling round the window and either end) and sink and paint the rest of the room. My plasterer asked me to get plasterboard angle bead to go round the edges in the window. I think his plan was to plasterboard round the window, attach the angle bead then skim it. I've already bought the plasterboard so if I can get away with tanking it I think that will probably be the best option. Presumably if the plasterboarded area can just be tiled onto directly, I wouldn't need the angle bead?

Because I'm a new user on TilersForums I can't post URL's, but I've seen a video by UltimateHandyman on YouTube which shows you how to tank and I've found the same kit he uses online for about £54. Does that seem a reasonable price for a kit like this? Do Topps tiles sell tanking kits like this? I can't find anything on their website. Can you recommend an alternative that would suit?

Thanks again for your advice, much appreciated!

Dan

 

[White Room]

Don't go to tops unless you have one of their cards for a discount otherwise your'll be paying top dollar,the price you mention dos'nt sound bad for the tanking kit but make sure the corner tape is included....