Leaking shower cubicle - found the cause (possible cowboy co

[Skeety]

Had this in my bathroom, fixed as follows:

Remove tiles
Cut out all damaged plasterboard and let the timber dry out.
Replaced plasterboard with Hardibacker cement board using stainless countersunk screws.
Tanked with a Mapei tanking kit for the joints and then sealed the Hardibacker board with the Mapei sealer.
Fitted the sealing kit ( http://www.showersealsdirect.co.uk/seal ... 5-kit.html )
Retiled and grouted.

No sign of any leak after 3 years, thats with a 2 head monsoon power shower.

As has been pointed out the "score and snap" on the cement board doesn't really work. I used a diamond blade to cut mine but was using 8 boards as I had to bring the wall back true due to the moisture damage , had a 25mm run out horizontally between the ends.

HTH,

Jon.

 

[graduate_owner]

Regarding cutting Aquapanel, I have cut it very easily by scoring with Stanley knife on one side, and snapping it over a batten ( scored side upwards). The cut edge followed the scored line, but was raggedy in the 'depth' and needed tidying with the Stanley blade.

K

 

[Estoril-5]

I ended up using my circular saw to cut it to size.

Done in minutes

Sent from my Moto G (4) using Tapatalk

 

[Chippyjoe]

Hi,

Wonder if the people having trouble cutting Aqua Panel, are actually using Hardibacker board which does the same thing but is a lot harder to cut.
Aqua Panel is easy, cuts easier than timber with a saw.

Also was told by Topps Tiles that if you use PVA as a sealer, then BAL would not guarantee any of their products.

Mark.

 

[Lons]

Also was told by Topps Tiles that if you use PVA as a sealer, then BAL would not guarantee any of their products. Mark.

That's interesting Mark.

Seems a bit strange as pva properly applied sticks very well and gives a decent impermeable surface which is excellent for tiles, one of the best surfaces is sound old tiles and can't get less permeable than that. I wonder if they're covering their backs in case of poor application.

As an aside, I have a friend who installed showers in 2 bedrooms and just fixed the shower cabinets into a corner leaving two existing walls complete with wallpaper intact. She then applied several coats of pva on the wallpaper and used the showers for a number of years without an issues whatsoever.

I laughed at that but she went to great pains to prove her point, I still wouldn't risk in in my house. #-o

Bob

 

[Chippyjoe]

Well, I think part of the reason they will not stand by PVA (Bal), is the way that it skins over especially on MDF, therefore anything that is stuck to it, isn't if you know what I mean.

Of course it could have been a fib, so that you buy their sealer which I must admit is a lot better IMO.

You tend to take the advice of the people who are in the know, and I must say that the guy I spoke to in one of the Norwich branches, had been on lots of courses and tech meetings and seemed to know his stuff. Also after speaking to several local Ceramic tilers who do it for a living, they all said the same, so that was good enough for me.

Mark.

 

[Jake]

The reason they will not stand by PVA as a sealant is that if they said they did, any distinction between cross-linking and water soluble PVA would get lost in the mist. Tiles (if ceramic rather than porcelain) are not completely waterproof and nor is normal grout. So their carefully formulated adhesives could be glued to a layer of water soluble PVA which will just turn to goo if it gets damp. Unsurprising they don't want to underwrite that.

 

[Lons]

The reason they will not stand by PVA as a sealant is that if they said they did, any distinction between cross-linking and water soluble PVA would get lost in the mist. Tiles (if ceramic rather than porcelain) are not completely waterproof and nor is normal grout. So their carefully formulated adhesives could be glued to a layer of water soluble PVA which will just turn to goo if it gets damp. Unsurprising they don't want to underwrite that.

+1

They have no control over the pva, not all of which is equal or how it's been applied, watered down whatever.