tiling a shower cubicle, help please!!

[mattshaw]

I have a recessed shower cubicle I need to tile. The size is 1200mm x 800mm and I plan to use 400mm x 400mm x 10mm natural black honed slate tiles. I have a few questions and would love some answers please!

1) What will I need to cut the tiles, and also to cut a hole in one of the tiles.

2) At the moment 2 of the walls to be tiled have been boarded with green moisture resistant plasterboard. Do I need to treat this with PVA or anything else or can I tile straight onto it with the tiles?

3) The third wall is plastered, I was planning on giving it a coat of PVA to seal it prior to tiling, is this the best idea?

4) I plan on using a staggered (brick type) layout with the tiles. The edges are very straight and I like the idea of a small grout gap. With this in mind what is the best way to in the corners without using a edge strip? Can you just seal with grout or a clear silicone?

5) Can anyone recommend a good adhesive and waterproof grout?

All advice greatly appreciated.

 

[Richard C]

1) What will I need to cut the tiles,

http://www.screwfix.com/prods/83636...e-Cutter?cm_re=SEARCHPROMO-_-TILE SAW-_-83636

and also to cut a hole in one of the tiles.

http://reviews.diy.com/2191-en_gb/9706854/reviews.htm
or
http://www.tooled-up.com/Product.asp?PID=13764

2) At the moment 2 of the walls to be tiled have been boarded with green moisture resistant plasterboard. Do I need to treat this with PVA or anything else or can I tile straight onto it with the tiles?

DO NOT use standard PVA. It will delay the adhesive setting time, can cause adhesion problems & if used in a wet area, your tiles may eventually fall off. Plasterboard is not a good idea in wet areas either (even green MR board) unless it’s tanked. You need to tank it with this;
http://www.bal-adhesives.co.uk/products/wp1-coating
A waterproof tile backer board would have been better.

3) The third wall is plastered, I was planning on giving it a coat of PVA to seal it prior to tiling, is this the best idea?

Again, DO NOT use standard PVA, same as above;’ if it’s bare plaster follow your chosen adhesive manufacturer’s instructions regarding primer.

4) I plan on using a staggered (brick type) layout with the tiles. The edges are very straight and I like the idea of a small grout gap. With this in mind what is the best way to in the corners without using a edge strip? Can you just seal with grout or a clear silicone?

Mitred corners look very good & I mostly use this method for external corners rather than tile trim. Use a diamond wheel table saw but it can be tricky if you’re inexperienced.

5) Can anyone recommend a good adhesive and waterproof grout?

These are some of the best products you will find;
http://www.bal-adhesives.co.uk/products
not cheap but they will do the job properly & last unlike most DIY shed products which are generally a load of cheap rubbish. Use the correct adhesive depending on tile weight; heavy tiles need a cement powder mix rather than tub mix; you must prime Gypsum plaster if using cement powder mix.

 

[mattshaw]

thanks for some great advice.

 

[mattshaw]

Thanks - on the waterproofing, do I need to buy a whole BAL WP1 kit, or do I just need a tub of the WP1?

 

[Richard C]

The tanking kit contains 3L of WP1 solution, 0.5L APD primer, tape & matting. The WP1 tub is just the tanking solution, around 5½ L, more solution & cheaper; you will still need the APD primer but may not need the tape & matting (for gaps joins). If you’ve only a small area, the kit may be a better bet as the primer on its own only comes in 2 ½ L & is quiet expensive.

 

[mattshaw]

The walls comprise 2 x moistureboarded stud walls (butted to each other with hairline gap) and the third wall it's butted to (with hairline gap) is plaster. It then butts to the tray at the bottom. Do I need to tape do you reckon? Have you used the Dunlop kit on Screwfix? - around half the price? Thanks

 

[Richard C]

I make that either around 5sq/m for 2 walls or 7sq/m if you do all 3 walls which is probably a good idea. WP1 does around 8m but you will need the primer & the tape but maybe not the matting. A tanking kit around 4.5 sq/m includes everything your likely to need but you will need 2 kits.

Dunlop & BAL have actually been part of the same company for around 3 years or so. I haven’t used the Dunlop only BAL but found this thread which makes useful reading; //www.diynot.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=136932

Beware Topps prices, they are a rip off if you can’t negotiate any sort of discount.