Plastering over the top of bathroom tiles.

[suggett1976]

Is this possible?

I was talking to a customer the other day. He has just had a new bathroom fitted. He said the plasterers skimmed straight on top of the ceramic tiles.

How does it bond. Surely it will all fall off.

Anyone hear or done it before.

 

[trowelmonkey1]

can only have been by using WBA or the likes which has a grit in it.

i've heard it said that it can be done but couldn't quite imagine it, there would be ZERO suction and not sure how troweling finish with no suction goes, you'd be there all day.

 

[roughcaster]

There's been many an argument here on this subject. I've alway been against plastering over old tiles,, i think the job should be done properly, by removing the tiles, then plaster the walls.

 

[1john]

i have worked with a builder before who was a plasterer by trade (allegedly) and he told me of a time he pva'd and then threw sand into it on tiles to skim over the next day.

 

[roughcaster]

i have worked with a builder before who was a plasterer by trade (allegedly) and he told me of a time he pva'd and then threw sand into it on tiles to skim over the next day.

It would work right enough, but i've alway thought it was a lazy, bodge way of working,,,, and imagine trying to fix something to the wall. This'll start the argument off all over again.

 

[tommyl18]

u apply pva sand and cement slurry coat to them first to give it a key. I think its a right crap way of doing it i always take the tiles off or knock hollows into the tiles and then dab boards over the top

 

[trowelmonkey1]

indeed, good excuse to get your bolster out of its holster.

 

[1john]

where do you get a bolster holster from??

 

[noseall]

Plastering over ceramic tiles would have to be the absolutely last resort.

It is a bodge.

However, if the customer is skint, wants little mess, is not worried about losing space and the tiles have been rendered-on (like in old fashioned sculleries and are bombproof) then there are ways to plaster over tiles.

I would not encourage this method and the tiles would have to be seriously stuck.

 

[wozza56]

If someone asked me to do this i would refuse and tell them to look in the
yellow pages for someone else

 

[suggett1976]

I agree with all of you.

The customer just said that they used a "special" sealer then skimed on top.

Im amazed its still on the wall.

 

[noseall]

I would never ever suggest skimming directly on top of tiles. Too brittle.

You would be better off using a bonding coat first.

 

[tommyl18]

i bet that special sealer was thistle bond-it, basically pva glue mixed with paint and sand

 

[tommyl18]

that thistle bond it isnt 100 percent because i skimmed a ceiling that was in a fire damaged house and the plaster came off in sheets just didnt stick to the ceiling because of the soot the merchant said try thistle bond it will stick plaster to anything so did it and the thistle bond it came off with the plaster second time round just wernt having none of it because of the soot so i just overboarded it in the end as u can imagine made a lot of money out of that job NOT!!!

 

[Micilin]

that thistle bond it isnt 100 percent because i skimmed a ceiling that was in a fire damaged house and the plaster came off in sheets just didnt stick to the ceiling because of the soot the merchant said try thistle bond it will stick plaster to anything so did it and the thistle bond it came off with the plaster second time round just wernt having none of it because of the soot so i just overboarded it in the end as u can imagine made a lot of money out of that job NOT!!!

He was right, it will stick to anything - in this case, the soot!

Same with dust - you need to have clean surfaces for pva , bodit, sbr etc or a mechanical key.

You maybe didn't make any money, but gained a good lesson!!