tileing floor

[bower]

hi after reading the forum for the last few months picking up pointers and now im about to take the plunge and tile my bathroom floor
theres a couple of questions i would like to ask
im going to tile on top of existing fllor boards with ply so :

1: is far eastern 12mm ply ok to tile on aslong as you pva?
2: what ratio to you need to mix the pva with water
3:do you need to leave a gap in between the ply to allow for expansion?

thanks for any help you can give me

 

[mattysupra]

you need to use exterior grade plywood (wpb) Also i would say 4/1 on primer. There is a tiling forum which you may do better posting in there.

 

[bower]

at the builders merchants they said that far eastern ply is for exterior use they said is just a lower grade than marine ply, are they just telling me rubbish?

 

[JohnD]

far eastern ply is better and more expensive than you need, and Marine Ply is still more expensive. They both have a hardwood surface that you could varnish and use for furniture (if you wanted to) and it will look like mahogany or similar veneer.

WBP ply is cheaper, waterproof and is what you need.

If your old bathroom floor is chipboard it's likely to be in poor condition, you could pull it all up and re-floor with 18mm WBP which will be stronger and resistant to moisture.

I got some 18mm 8x2 T&G WBP flooring ply the other day for £17.50 each (which I think is rather expensive). It is available in square-edged 8x4 sheets cheaper but they are more difficult to handle as they are so big.

 

[bower]

thanks for replying,
will the far east ply be ok to use if thats all i can get?

the only other thing i wanted to know was about leaving gaps in the ply, between the walls and between the joints in the ply

 

[JohnD]

http://www.wickes.co.uk/icat/smplywood

http://www.wickes.co.uk/invt/110037...vJOxcInvY1H4JwBcSZ2MIfCIMv2VNq1z WJ9bQPNXrg==

or your local timber yard

 

[bower]

i cant drive so its the local merchant or nothing and they only have far east or marine

 

[JohnD]

phone a few and see who'll deliver

you local lot should be able to get WBP

 

[bower]

but will far eastern be ok im not bothered about paying more i just want to get on with it

also any info on the gap issue?

thanks

 

[JohnD]

far Eastern ply is more than good enough provided it is WBP (which I expect it is) not a furniture grade.

You don't need a gap between pieces. Ply does not expand and contract like boards.

Are you going to take up the old floor, if it is Chipboard?

 

[bower]

no, its floor boards
i was going to leave it down and just ply over them is that ok

also ive just been reading other posts about tileing in the shower area, ive taken ooff the old tiles from the shower walls and ceiling and was going to re-tile onto the walls which are skimmed plaster board is that ok?

 

[JohnD]

it's beyond me, but with luck a tiling expert will be along in a minute.

 

[Top Tiler]

no, its floor boards
i was going to leave it down and just ply over them is that ok

also ive just been reading other posts about tileing in the shower area, ive taken ooff the old tiles from the shower walls and ceiling and was going to re-tile onto the walls which are skimmed plaster board is that ok?

Hi the walls in the area which will be getting wet ie the shower area will require a d2 (grade of adhesive) waterproof adhesive and grout unless you have a power shower in which case you will need to use a tanking system first (comes in a kit approx 70 pounds) this will make the walls total waterproof then also use d2 waterproof adhesive and grout.As for the floor prob the floors should have been covered in min 12mm ext grade ply layed stagered with 1 to 2 mm joints to allow for floor movement.The ply should also be glued (no more nails) on underside and screwed every 20cm with 25mm screws (so you dont screw into pipes etc) then it should be primmed with a proper acrylic NOT PVA SEALER.The adhesive as it is up stairs should have been a 2 part (bag of powder plus bottle of latex) flexi adhesive and also flexi grout (mapei ultra is the best water/mould proof as well as being flexi).
I hope this helps

 

[bower]

sorry if this is a very stupid question but you say i need to stagger the ply joints but my bathroom takes exactley 2 sheets laid side by side is that ok or are u saying i need to cut them up?

 

[Top Tiler]

sorry if this is a very stupid question but you say i need to stagger the ply joints but my bathroom takes exactley 2 sheets laid side by side is that ok or are u saying i need to cut them up?

Hi,
You lucky devil ! if thats the case and the ply fits spot on then just leave a 1-2 mm gap between the 2 but thats only if the board fits at all the edges of the room etc without needing to cut them.If they do need to be cut then stagger the joints (like a brickbond pattern) also with 1-2mm gaps.
Hope this helps