Surface preparation question...

[blondebier]

Hi Guys,

I've never done any tiling before but most people I speak to say that's not that hard and well worth a go. I've recently moved into an old house with a really old bathroom that I am getting replaced. The plumbers are booked in for late October.

Question 1: Is it worth re-tiling part or all of it before they come?

Question 2: the current bathroom is part tiled. If I remove all the old tiles, do I need to do anything to the old surface before re-tiling it? (other than get all the old adhesive and grout off...?)

Question 3: I'd planned to tile all the walls up to the ceiling. 2 walls mosaic(around the shower bath) and 2 walls standard tile. The untiled walls have been painted with that horrible bathroom paint (very shiny glossy stuff in purple!) Is it ok to tile over this? Do I need to do anything to it before?

Any recommendations for adhesive/grout?

It seems BAL is the top choice after reading a few posts. I'm a complete novice here - does it come in different types? for different backgrounds / tiles?

Thanks for any advice or pearls of wisdom.

 

[gcol]

Hi Guys,
I've never done any tiling before but most people I speak to say that's not that hard and well worth a go.

It's not, as long as you prepare properly and tile correctly.

Question 1: Is it worth re-tiling part or all of it before they come?

Only if you can get behind the basin and toilet - but if your bathroom is already fitted (and your new toilet and basin are in the same positions) then you won't be able to. You'll have to tile around the toilet and basin, or temporarily pull them away from the walls and refit after tiling.

Question 2: the current bathroom is part tiled. If I remove all the old tiles, do I need to do anything to the old surface before re-tiling it? (other than get all the old adhesive and grout off...?)

Not unless the walls are damaged by removing the tiles. It might need skimming in places if the plaster comes off.

Question 3: I'd planned to tile all the walls up to the ceiling. 2 walls mosaic(around the shower bath) and 2 walls standard tile. The untiled walls have been painted with that horrible bathroom paint (very shiny glossy stuff in purple!) Is it ok to tile over this? Do I need to do anything to it before?
Any recommendations for adhesive/grout?

You need to make sure that the paint is properly stuck to the wall, if so, you just need to rough it up with some course sandpaper. For mosaics, Bal do a mosaic fix adhesive that will stop the tiles sliding down the walls. Use a 3 or 4mm notched trowel. When using mosaics around a shower, you should always tank the walls first. If you haven't already bought the tiles, can I recommend that you don't put mosaics around a shower - that's a whole heap of grout that will get grubby. Sure it looks nice when it's just done, but after a few weeks, I pretty much guarantee that you'll regret it.

It seems BAL is the top choice after reading a few posts. I'm a complete novice here - does it come in different types? for different backgrounds / tiles?

Bal make very good adhesives. Yes it does come in different types. Have a look here http://www.bal-adhesives.co.uk/bal/bal_products/products.asp

 

[blondebier]

Thanks for the advice - I'll give it a go.