tiling a wetroom shower downstairs

siraz · Post by **siraz** » Fri Mar 27, 2009 10:50 pm

I have just started to do the tiling after 4 years of standtill due to doing other jobs and being busy.

I have checked with different level and 3x2 scant wood to act as straight edge to check the uneveness of the wall, but correct me if i am doing it right or not how to check the walls and floor for straightness.

However i did notice the wall wasn't perfectly straight and could be covered up by tile adhesive.I have just measured the tile which is 450mm x 300mm against the wall to check i do not have any small end to cut and i will have 7 full tiles across and the last tile a slight cut.

Vertical i will have 7 full tiles with 50mm border and 3/4 lenght of the last tile at the bottom of the wall.

I am using trowel 4mm and 6mm to apply on the wall and ready mixed adhesive from a local tile company.

I have placed 3 tiles and when i place my level against these 3 tiles i see a gap meaning a curve at the centre or am i doing something wrong?

Another Question is the water and Heating pipes at the bottom, is it ok to cover with the tile adhesive, as the plasterer said you can not use sand and cement right to the bottom of the floor, as it may cause rising damp, even though i have damp proof layer.

Anv advice will be most welcomed and appreciated.

manchestertiling · Post by **manchestertiling** » Sat Mar 28, 2009 2:59 pm

Hi again Siraz

In an ideal world all walls (& floors) should be flat & level for tiling onto but we know this is usually not the case. In a case like yours where the work has just been completed, they should be of a reasonably level & flat enough surface to tile to without any problems. Did you do the work yourself or a plasterer? Is it boarded or plastered directly onto the blockwork?

Just as an example, we would start by checking the level of the walls with an 1800mm or 2000mm spirit level to see how good/bad it was, if we thought it was good enough to tile to with only a few minor hollows which could be lost with the adhesive then we would start setting out. If we thought it was too far out of level then we would ask the plasterer back to level off or tell the client the walls weren't level enough to tile onto without curves being visible in the finish.

I would also want to know how long the plaster has been left to cure & before starting fixingany tiles to it I would prime all of the plaster with an acrylic primer like Bal APD or similar.

I would not use the 4mm trowel, stick with the 6mm & aim for 100% adhesive coverage on all tiles. What is the adhesive you are using? I know you state ready mix but what? Personally I wouldn't use a ready mix adhesive in a wetroom. I would also definately be tanking the whole area too, from the pics it looks as though there isn't any?

siraz · Post by **siraz** » Sun Mar 29, 2009 2:31 pm

I would say the wall is not bad, as i can cover it up by the adhesive.
I only knocked the finishing plaster off where the copper pipes are hidden, as this is where the slight bump was.

Plasterer did the work, but he is like the jack of all trade. Sand and cement has been applied on to the breeze block approximate 2.0cm thick and then finishing plaster on top of the screed and he just used the comb to make it like a wavy effect for the tile adhesive to give it a key.

Plastering has been done 3 years ago. as i was not in the rush at the time, so i just got round to doing it now.

Do i still need to prime the walls and floor (asphalt) as the 3 tiles i have just experimented are fixed a stuck quite solid. So i do not know if i have to prime the wall.

I will use 6mm and the tile adhesive i am using is from Tilemart own brand ready mixed tile adhesive, no need to prime, waterproof it says on the Tub.

Do i still need to tanking, as i do not see any damp, as it has been over 4 years and no sign of damp or penetrating damp or is this just a precaution. half of the room will be shower area and the other half side of the room will have the basin and toilet.

My parents next door had their tiling done and they did not applied tanking and it has gone over a 11/2 years and had no problem. this is the same wetroom as mine.

manchestertiling · Post by **manchestertiling** » Sun Mar 29, 2009 10:30 pm

Well as a professional tiler siraz I would recommend tanking in any wetroom & certainly wouldn't be fixing any tiles to plaster in a wetroom without it. If a customer asked me to that I would walk away form the job as when the leaks do start to appear (& believe me they will, just a matter of time) it would be my reputation that is brought into question. The tanking is a waterproof layer which stops any water penetrating your walls from the shower, not the other way around ie rising damp/penetrating damp etc.

No need to prime???

I would prime all the plaster with an acrylic primer, reason for this is to reduce the porosity of the plaster as it will suck all of the moisture from the adhesive as soon as you apply it & leave you with a poorly bonded tile to the plaster, also it stabilises any remaining dust etc on the plaster & gives an excellent substrate to tile to.

My next concern is the adhesive your using, a definate no-no in a wetroom IMO, I would be using a cementious powder rapid set flexible or single part flexible for a job like this, the room itself will be subject to temperature changes & water immersion in places, the wet to dry within hours & will be subject to some movement due to this.

I can carry on siraz & give you advice on how to install a wetroom that will still be a perfectly functional wetroom in 10/15 years without any problems or you can use the stuff you have & not tank or prime but I will guarantee that in 2/3 yrs time you will definately have damp problems & leaks, definate floor tiles failing & coming loose & possible tiles failing on walls. Upto you which way you go for, all I can do is give you advice on how best to tackle the job

siraz · Post by **siraz** » Mon Mar 30, 2009 8:09 am

Thanks Paul for your professional advice.

Do the tile shop sell these Acrylic primer and tanking ?

Which tanking do i buy, as there are lot on the market, just a liquid base.

So i apply the tanking first and do i still need the primer, as the plaster wall will be covered by the tanking.

The tanking is a waterproof layer which stops any water penetrating your walls from the shower, not the other way around ie rising damp/penetrating damp etc.

If the tiles a attached correctly and grouted propeprly is there is still a chance for to go on the wall.

Do you need tanking when you doing the bathroom around the bath area, as some people will have showers or some may just lie in the bath will water filled.[/img]

handyman · Post by **handyman** » Tue Mar 31, 2009 4:35 pm

http://www.bal-adhesives.co.uk/specifiers/literature

The 'waterproofing shower' leaflet is good

manchestertiling · Post by **manchestertiling** » Tue Mar 31, 2009 8:43 pm

handyman wrote:http://www.bal-adhesives.co.uk/specifiers/literature

The 'waterproofing shower' leaflet is good

Excellent literature from Craig siraz, well worth the read & also this video too. It shows the prep work that goes into a wetroom albeit slighly different from yours but you get the jist, its worth doing your homework on this if you want to do it right

http://www.impey-showers.com/videos/

siraz · Post by **siraz** » Tue Mar 31, 2009 10:08 pm

Thanks paul and Craig the Handyman, as i will seen the video and i will read tomorrow morning at 6.30am the bal literature.