Cut tiles from wall

[mutley11]

My builder has proposed that he cut a panel off the stud wall with tiles on them to put pipes behind in the bathroom and then put this whole slice back. This will save having to hack the tiles off and retiling.

Is this possible? How would the piece be put back? Won't the slice be prone to falling off after it is put back?

 

[Richard C]

Has he done this before? It may be possible to do it without damage but even so, I can’t se how he will get it back without it being noticeable &, as you’ve pointed out, how does he propose to fix it back? Sounds like a chancer to me; not the way I’d do it.

What are you having done? If this is going to be a wet area, inside a shower or around a bath, plasterboard without tanking is really a non starter if you want it to last & cutting a panel out of it is going to make it even more vulnerable. If you have concealed shower pipes/mixer valve, the back of plasterboard will still be vulnerable; you should be using a waterproof tile backer board.