Fixing Aquapanel to Wimpey Walls

[Cantseeitfrommyhouse]

Has anybody come up with a quick, cost effective means of getting a plumb flat surface in aquapanel when the the substrate is an aerated block wall laid by a blind pikey with parkinsons disease??

This is a constant source of annoyance for me, as walls are never plumb or flat, and trying to tile using 500 x 250 tiles onto anything less than flat is a right ball ache.

I've read the gubbins about "aquapanel needs to be fixed to battens not dot n dabbed etc" but frankly when the bathroom has had to have the plaster notched to fit the bath in, there's no room to be throwing in stud work that shouldn't be necessary just to support the already fiendishly expensive cement board!

Not to mention of course that if the wall isn't plumb or flat the frame work is going to waste even more precious space.

The only method I can think of is using floor to ceiling 6" wide rips of WBP 12mm ply laboriously shimmed out and hammer fixed to plumb/flat at 400 centres , and then screwing the panel to that. Any takers?

The only other alternatives seem to incur huge risk of tiles falling off/damp or a 6yr wait for cement/plaster to dry out enough to tile onto

[DIY_Johnny]

As I understand it ...

the stud work isn't there just to support the aquapanel. Its to allow for an airgap behind it. Aquapanel will let the water through very easily (just pour some water on it). The point of course is that it doesn't deteriorate when wet.

I just did not have the room for a stud work either so what I did is Dot and dab the aquapanel to the wall and the use fisher 60mm fixings also. The Dot 'n' Dab seems ok but I read that you cannot use the dry wall adhesive on cement based board. I don't know how accurate this statement is. The drywall adhesive is probably more use as a support & spacer behind the aquanel rather than an adhesive

I swang out of the board like a retarded ape and it was going nowhere Iam not convinced I needed the screws also but it costs little too much risk if the drywall adhesive failed.

Oh and I used aquapanel joint adhesive and joint tape then tanked the aquapanel, so a real belt and braces approach.

Work out well

[Cantseeitfrommyhouse]

...Its to allow for an airgap behind it. Aquapanel will let the water through very easily (just pour some water on it).

Not when it's been liberally coated in SBR. And besides if that were the case, the stud work would rot so I'm not buying that justification myself Besides, dot and dab probably provides more ventilation behind due to there being no enclosed spaces due to studs & noggins.

I just did not have the room for a stud work either so what I did is Dot and dab the aquapanel to the wall and the use fisher 60mm fixings also. The Dot 'n' Dab seems ok but I read that you cannot use the dry wall adhesive on cement based board. I don't know how accurate this statement is. The drywall adhesive is probably more use as a support & spacer behind the aquanel rather than an adhesive

I've used waterproof flexi rapid set tile adhesive to dot and dab cement boards up recently, and I too was contemplating using 80mm fischer hammer fixings to assist, but came to the conclusion that the fixings would have no grip on the board after drilling a hole. Some sort of galv washer would be needed, and that would jack the fixing head up into the way of the tiling

Oh and I used aquapanel joint adhesive and joint tape then tanked the aquapanel, so a real belt and braces approach.

I've used scrim tape and adhesive to joint.

[tictic]

have you tried calling aquapanel direct for fixing instructions?
might be worth the 20p mate.

[tictic]

also the dri wall addy is gypsum based so it will react to the cement in the backerboards and will blow after a while, you can use a cement based tile adhesive and mechnical fixings but give them a call...dont be tempteted to use a tubbed addy tho..

[tictic]

or dot and dab 12.5mm m.r. plasterboard to walls and tank the wet area...just a thought.

[DIY_Johnny]

They way I outlined it above was from aquapanel direct. Of course they stated that you shouldn't DnD and have a 38mm airgap of what he told me was his unofficial advice.

Actually yes I used fisher fixings but those square ones thaty really get a good grip. An I also used rounded Penny washer, so looks like we are doing the same thing

Probably should have used a tile adhesive rather than a drywall one as TicTic says

Regarding the stud work, they recommend metal studding, not wood so no problem if water gets through I suppose.

[Cantseeitfrommyhouse]

They way I outlined it above was from aquapanel direct. Of course they stated that you shouldn't DnD and have a 38mm airgap of what he told me was his unofficial advice.

Ah right. Saves me ringing them then.

Actually yes I used fisher fixings but those square ones thaty really get a good grip. An I also used rounded Penny washer, so looks like we are doing the same thing

Square fixings? Do you have a link or piccy please?

Probably should have used a tile adhesive rather than a drywall one as TicTic says

Well I hope ours both stay put :P. Can't see why it would fail, if tile adh. is fine on the wetter side of the board, should be ok on the other side. Only issue I can think of would be if the tile adhesive dabs were too thick might affect strength.

Regarding the stud work, they recommend metal studding, not wood so no problem if water gets through I suppose.

Ah, I see. Other than when it ruins the floor I guess :D

[DIY_Johnny]

These plugs and screws were the ones I used. I only used penny washer cos I have a heap of them and just opened up the hole to allow for the screw to fit through

As I tanked the shower area too I can't see any water getting through and even if I didn't tank I would be that worried about it as if a grout line failed we are not talking about gfallons of water gushing through

As I say the dry wall adh did hold it but I fixed it a day later with screws so don't know if it would have failed over time.