tiling on to plywood

[recipio]

:? Sorry Folks if this is not strictly woodwork.
I've got to replace painted t+g cladding under a bathroom sink + around the loo.Its fixed cladding with two insert doors for small presses.
I made the units 15 years ago when I had no taste .!
The rest of the bathroom is being re-tiled with mosaic tiles.
Can I make the units with WPB plywood and them tile on to them ?
I'm a little concerned that it's a bit like sticking veneer on to one side only--a sure recipe for warping.
Any suggestions ??

cheers.

 

[wizer]

When I bought my last lot of WBP I was told it was 'Good enuff for tiling, mate'. So I guess you can.

I think we have a resident tiler who can probably help more.

 

[jasonB]

If tiling ply you should seal the reverse side with something like BAL Bond SBR, this will have the effect of balancing the tiles on the other side. The other options is to use a cement based board fixed to a timber frame such as Aquapanel, Hardibacker or Wedi Board.

Also use a flexibel powdered adhesive, BAL Mosaic Fix would be ideal in this case, flexi grout as well such as BAl superflex or Mapei Ultracolour plus.

Jason

 

[mr]

'Scuse ignorance what is WPB?

Cheers Mike

 

[jasonB]

'Scuse ignorance what is WPB?

Cheers Mike

Don't know, but WBP that we are talking about refers to the glue in the ply being Weather & Boil Proof :wink:

Jason

 

[mr]

Ahhh
See that's what happens if there's someone bending your ear while youre trying to read or write something.
Thanks for the explanation.
Cheers Mike

 

[Jake]

Like Jason said, use a tilebacker board - preferably one of the foam ones (like wedi, aquapanel thermal etc) because they are waterproof rather than just water resistant, and they won't move.

 

[recipio]

Thanks all.
can one cut the cement based boards to fit an opening. ?I presume the edges need to be tiled also. ?
Apo;ogies, itis WBP ply.[/i]

 

[Grinding One]

Here in the U.S. we use cement board as underlayment for tile then set the tile and grout ,sealing is next..with a good sealer.Mine turned out good.

 

[Jake]

Thanks all.
can one cut the cement based boards to fit an opening. ?I presume the edges need to be tiled also. ?[/i]

Yes,you can cut any of them with a hardpoint saw. The saw will last longer with the cement-faced foams than with the solid cement panels (trad aquapanel).

Exposed edges on an external corner get mesh (like plasterboard tape) over them. If you have a wet area, the big advantage of the foam-based panels like Wedi is that all you need to do to get a totally waterproof underlay (for a shower or whatever) is to seal joints with a tanking kit - the panels themselves are already tanked, as it were.

 

[Mr Ed]

I used some Knauf Aquapanel (from Wickes) recently for tiling mosaic onto and found it very good.

Not the easiest thing to cut, but I found an electric jigsaw worked well although the blade is scrap afterwards. The dust off it is something else mind you! You can drill and screw it pretty much like any timber sheet material although it is more brittle.

The advice I had was to prime it first, as it is quite absorbent and would dry the adhesive very quick without a primer. The stuff I had was from Palace Chemicals and seemed to do the job.

Originally I was planning to use ply, but the advice I had was to use a cement board instead for reasons of water absoprtion and future movement.

Ed.

 

[tenpin]

When i did my bathroom recently i inserted the bath in a WBP box
i spoke with a friendly tiler and he advised that sealing and flexible grout and adhesive will be fine....

Almost 1 year on and everything is all still stuck down where it should be but if your a bit worried about it you can go the Aqupanel route.

 

[jasonB]

Aquapanel is best cut like plasterboard, score one side with a stanley knife, snap and then cut the mesh on the other side. Very quick and no dust.

Jason

 

[recipio]

Thanks all.
It seem the cement based boards are the way to go.What about cutting curves-- is there a special hardpoint coping saw. ?
Sorry, but cabinet making is my passion not d.i.y. !

 

[Mike B]

Just out of interest, can aquapanel or wedi be used to cover a wooden floor before tiling (as opposed to ply etc), or are they too brittle and only suitable for walls or cladding??

thanks
Mike

 

[Jake]

Both can. The cement-faced foam boards are very often used with undertile heating.