I have spoke to a fitter who was in the frame for the job and he told be taking the floorboards up and boarding with WBP is overkill and as my floorboards have no play in them then overboard with ply is fine.
As I said in a previous post, over boarding shouldn’t be an issue if it’s only a small room, everything is in good condition & the original floor is well fixed down with additional fixings if necessary. I don’t really disagree with him but difficult for me to say for certain without seeing it.
I asked if the ply is going to be treated in any way and he said no, 6mm ply is fine for my bathroom and as the floor never really gets wet then this would be fine.
I really do disagree with 6mm being “fine”; 12mm is the minimum you should consider using or a decent tile backer board. It’s not about water getting into the top, it’s about possible damp ingress to the board underside & edges when a suspended floor is involved. It may be minimal risk but is entirely possible in some situations; you will always get seasonal moisture fluctuations & an under floor burst pipe would certainly do it. For the minimal cost & time it takes to apply a couple of coats of acrylic primer to the back side & edges, I don’t see the point of not doing it. It’s recommended proceedure for BS, the Tile Association & the quality adhesive manufacturers; it’s about attention to detail & minimising risks.
He argued that 25mm WBP is only really required for a wet room or a floor that gets wet, a lot.
The thickness of the ply you need is about floor construction, loading & the type of use the room gets. Kitchen/hall = heavy use & 25mm; bath/shower room = light use & 18 -22mm but sometimes 25mm is necessary. Ply thickness has nothing to do with it being a wet room but in wet room’s ply floors must be tanked anyway or it won’t that long. It’s worth noting that apart from epoxy products, waterproof adhesive & grout is only waterproof” in the sense it won’t (shouldn’t) disintegrate when wet, it’s not impervious to water & it’s why it’s important the tile base is truly waterproof in wet areas or if regular wetting of the tiles is going to occur.
I asked him about the stud wall and he said they would be using plasterboard with no tanking, I voiced my concern and I suggested cement backer board. He said no problem but it would increase the price a little.
Many will just use PB (not even moisture resistant) & tile straight on to it but invariable it won’t last long in a shower area once you understand what I’ve said above about the true meaning of “waterproof” with all but expensive epoxy tile products; I suspect he has no idea!
I did get a lot of OTT comments during the conversation, the only plus point with this fitter is he is a copper only man.
As I said, all very predictable & I do get a lot of it but for me it’s all about quality & how long it’s going to last; not important if you like refurbishing your bathroom every 3-5 years. Still at least he likes copper!
So, I have an installer who I am not sure I could trust
You should never use anyone you don’t feel you could trust or who makes condescending comments; the customer is always king & generally right or at least I make them feel they are.
and another installer who I do trust but he is a 'speedfit' plastic only man.
Have you asked him if he will use copper (assuming he actually can) if your prepared to pay for it?
I feel like I have hit a brickwall and feel like renewing my search for a fitter
There are good ones out there including several who post this forum, just keep looking you will eventually find one. Just make it clear that quality is important to you & you don’t mind paying for it but obviously get detailed & specified quotes & don’t lay yourself wide open to getting ripped off.
Out of interest what kind of price do you think I should be paying for a job like this? I have set no limit and give any indication that I want the job on the cheap so I don't understand the corner cutting?
That’s a difficult one without seeing the room, knowing the quality of fittings & tiles you want & assessing the job requirements specifically like any difficult bits or additional building works (plastering, electrics etc.) & it’s important any quote you get list exactly what’s to be done & the materials that are being used. For a shower bath, realistically, the overall cost could be anything from, say, £4k for a simple job using budget fittings up to £10k if there are complications or you want posh fittings & pick very expensive tiles.
You could add up the cost off all the materials you need & add on £1.8 - £2K for labour costs but that would only be a rough guide. May be slightly cheaper where you are but be wary if it’s too cheap; if you pay peanuts you generally get monkeys!
