Fixing lrge safety backed mirror tiles to scratch coat wall?

[bigmondy]

Hi folks. Warning: Newbie with a tricky one armed with photos.

I have large mirrors that are bathroom ones (60 in total) they are 190 wide and 480 high and I was hoping to apply them to a single wall in a brick type pattern - but vertically.

Like this - although this is a small tile:

The difficulty is that I thought I was being clever getting bathroom tiles that are safety backed - but now I realise that mirror adhesive is not recommended because of the plastic backing.

To compound matters it is the only wall that the finished plaster came off when I removed the old tiles so it is a bare scratch coat. I was thinking if I tanked that that I could perhaps use silicone on the mirrors which I would be butting straight against each other.

The wall will only be subjected to condensation and is away from sources of water.

Any advice appreciated (or have I just wasted a lot of money on mirrors)?

My mirror tiles look like this:

The wall surface looks like this:

Thanks. Be gentle with me.

 

[bigmondy]

Should have said - the scratch coat (2nd coat) plaster wall is very sound indeed - it took me weeks to get the tiles off and they came off with the finish coat - so the brown coat is solid. I was thinking I could apply some of this to the entire surface of it:

Having never used the BAL WP1 before I would assume the plaster would need primed.

Then when that was cured - I thought maybe we could mastic (silicone or adhesive as the mirror has a backing) to adhere them to the tanked wall - albeit a very rough surface.

Am I taking a risk? The wall isnt very high - around 2.1m - it is a small wet room but the wall will be on the dry side.

 

[CBF]

I'm keeping well out of this one

tpt over to you

 

[bigmondy]

Oh dear - does this bode bad for me then?

 

[bigmondy]

I'm keeping well out of this one

tpt over to you

Is tpt a moderator Sir?

Or should I be worried that the proposal is impossible - starting to panic.

 

[CBF]

no he's not a mod but he does know what he is talking about, tbh i would go into a good tile shop (not one of the sheds) take a mirror with you & see what they recommend, the trouble is you have a rough wall very heavy mirrors (which would normally need an air flow to prevent them from tarnising (which is why you normally hang a mirror on the tiles rather than tiling it in), what ever you use you will only be sticking the plastic backing & nothing else so you will have to reley on the plastic not parting with the glass, i do quite alot of tiling for my customers but i've never been asked to tile with mirrors this big or heavy that's why i said i'm keeping out of it as i didn't want to give you incorrect advice.

 

[bigmondy]

no he's not a mod but he does know what he is talking about, tbh i would go into a good tile shop (not one of the sheds) take a mirror with you & see what they recommend, the trouble is you have a rough wall very heavy mirrors (which would normally need an air flow to prevent them from tarnising (which is why you normally hang a mirror on the tiles rather than tiling it in), what ever you use you will only be sticking the plastic backing & nothing else so you will have to reley on the plastic not parting with the glass, i do quite alot of tiling for my customers but i've never been asked to tile with mirrors this big or heavy that's why i said i'm keeping out of it as i didn't want to give you incorrect advice.

Thanks for the advice - was dreading the first post on this thread - but there is a glimmer of hopefor me - the plastic backing is on really soundly - it is fully adhered and TBH I think if you tried to take it off it would strip the mirroring.

at one stage I was considering dry lining the wall with dry wall adhesive and plasterboard - but it is such a small space every inch is precious.

I will speak to a tiling shop and perhaps a glazier and get advice as you suggest.

Cheers.

 

[bigmondy]

Just occurred to me. Would a skin coat of plaster be the best solution?

Then I could mastic them say with 1mm spacers and at least they will reflect on an even plane.


http://m.youtube.com/watch?feature=related&v=L-jPxzv-P08

 

[IJWS15]

Can't advise on fixing them but setting mirrors so they give an even reflection is difficult and tolerances, if you wnat it to look right, are very tight - far tighter than normal plastering.

At least you have a chamfered edge which will hide some out of flatness.

 

[bigmondy]

That's a good point - the bevel wil hopefully hide a mulititude of imperfections.

 

[bigmondy]

Decided to dry line the wall with 1/4" ply applied with dry wall adhesive and a couple of anchor screws at the top.

Will then adhere the mirrors individually like this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-jPxzv-P08&feature=plcp

I know it will be slow - but they will be secure.

Any thoughts on that solution from the experts?