How to flatten walls in prep for large tiles

[Last Triumph]

Hi, I'm in the middle of re-doing my en-suite from the ground up.

My problem is the walls in the shower area. They are not straight at all and I'm going to be fitting 40cm x 30cm tiles which at the moment will look a mess unless the wall is flattened.

If I lay a long steel ruler accross the walls (they are fine in the verticle) there is upto 7mm varience in the surface in two nice uniform waves.

The walls need re-skimming anyway as I need to make good around the tray and where the old power shower was mounted.

I will be plastering them myself but I've never done it beofre although I am reasonably competent at most DIY taks.

What is the best method of skimming the walls to get them flat, and what tollerence should I be aiming for to leave a flat enough surface for my tiles?

Thanks in advance!

 

[brist]

PVA Walls , use multi finish 2 coat plaster.Apply first coat no need to be to fussy , mix and apply second coat giving a good even application. Wait a while and when you apply fingers to wet plaster and it barely leaves a inprint hard trowel to close the plaster down. This if done properly and your walls are smallish as a novice and you are tiling should give you a fairly flat surface.

 

[Last Triumph]

Thanks for the reply.

I've heard that B& Q are not a good place to buy plaster from as it is often very old and therefore goes off much faster than new plaster that hasn't sat in stock for a long time?

Is this true, and if so, where is a good place to buy it from and what size bag should I buy - I am doing 900 x 760 shower cubicle on 3 sides from floor to ceiling

Thanks

 

[brist]

Couple of bags will cost you a tenner at Jewson.

 

[Richard C]

Thanks for the reply.

I've heard that B& Q are not a good place to buy plaster from as it is often very old and therefore goes off much faster than new plaster that hasn't sat in stock for a long time?

Is this true, and if so, where is a good place to buy it from and what size bag should I buy - I am doing 900 x 760 shower cubicle on 3 sides from floor to ceiling

Thanks

I usually get all my plaster from a B&Q trade depot due to the extortionate prices the local con, sorry builders, merchants charge & I've not had any problems. As long as the date on the bag still has at least 1 month’s validity it should be OK; a little trick is to look at the pallets at the back as they put the older stock at the front.

 

[Nige F]

I wouldn`t touch it with a barge pole .....and niether would the spread who tried to use some @ my house .............spent as long getting it off as it took to re do it he didn`t earn much from that room BUT learned a lesson

 

[Richard C]

I’ve been getting mine from a B&Q trade depot for nearly 3 years & they sell lorry loads of the stuff. I generally try to get the longest use by date I can (typically around 12 weeks) but I have used some with only a week or so to go & not had problems. I did, however, have a problem with 2 bags I got at short notice from the local Jewsons (£7.12 a bag!); they were well in date but stored in a grotty tin warehouse with huge doors that are always open so I can only assume damp had affected it. It all comes from the same place (British Gypsom) & how it performs has more to do with the way it’s been stored than where you actually buy it from.

 

[FredFlintstone]

Like Richard, I usually get most of my plaster from B&Q.

Cheapest place around and my local builders merchant won't match the price. OK, so it's only 70p a bag more but when you're going through 20+ bags a week it adds up to a lot.

I find that the stuff in B&Q is usually longer dated than anywhere else. Finishing plaster has a shelf life of 4 months and I quite frequently end up with bags showing a date of just a few days shy of 4 months away. Plus, whilst in the store, it's stored indoors in temperature controlled suroundings which is more than can be said for most builders merchants. I doubt that B&Q keep stock of it in a central warehouse so therefore reckon their stocks of it come directly to stores from British Gypsum (although I could be wrong).

As for how much to buy, you don't say how high your ceiling is but assuming it's a standard 2.4m ceiling you shouldn't really need more than a single 25kg bag. If just laying on an even skim coat you'll have a third of a bag left over but you'll obviously use a bit more due to filling the recessed bits.

Build them up in layers of you can. Lay it on too thick and it'll crack and craze all over the place.

Regards

Fred

P.S. I know it sounds like I'm a B&Q lover but I'm really not. They are way to over priced for most things but for bulk stuff and certain materials they're unbeatable. Plus, they're open Sundays too so I can check my diary on a Sunday morning for the coming week and go buy all my stuff for the week in the afternoon.

 

[Richard C]

P.S. I know it sounds like I'm a B&Q lover but I'm really not. They are way to over priced for most things but for bulk stuff and certain materials they're unbeatable. Plus, they're open Sundays too so I can check my diary on a Sunday morning for the coming week and go buy all my stuff for the week in the afternoon.

Likewise; I never though it would be the case but a B&Q trade depot can beat most of the local big merchants hands down on most basic trade products, even with the 40% discount the locals will offer at the drop of a hat - but you don’t get it unless you ask!

Typical savings; Marley drain/waste products 100% (yes 100%); copper plumbing 20%; plasterboard 30%; plaster/cement etc. 30%. I think the service you get from the large merchants very much depends on location; I’m only small fry but when I lived in Essex, I got everything at a competitive price & got it delivered the same day, free! Try that around here & they just laugh at you unless you have an account & even then it’s maybe we can do it tomorrow! So now I make a list of non urgent stuff I need & take my truck up to B&Q once a week & save a fortune; it’s a shame I don’t qualify for the over 60’s discount card as I could go every Wednesday & save another 10%!

 

[Last Triumph]

Had a go at my shower walls yesterday.....

I've got a plasterer coming round tonight for a quote....

 

[FredFlintstone]

Had a go at my shower walls yesterday.....

I've got a plasterer coming round tonight for a quote....

LOL! At least you tried eh.

Might be easier just to take it right back to brick and dot n dab some boards up.

Regards

Fred

 

[iaith]

If I lay a long steel ruler accross the walls (they are fine in the verticle) there is upto 7mm varience in the surface in two nice uniform waves. [/quote]

I don't think 7mm is too bad. I reckon you could lose that with the adhesive if you dab the tiles, instead of combing the walls with adhesive.
But then if a plasterer's coming to sort out the bumpy wall it will make your life much easier when it comes to tiling