Advice re tiling in the bathroom please...?

Question

Ok. Weve got all the tiles off the bathroom wall, and have found the wall behind is chipboard sort of stuff, and its damp. Obviously the previous lot of tiles let some water in, what is the best thing to do now?

Should I let the wall dry out? Any ideas on how to help this speed along?

Or does the wall need replacing?

When I re-tile, im going to tile further up the wall and put some sealant round this time!

Answer 1

Firstly get rid of the chipboard. Its probably the worst thing that you can tile on. If chipboard gets wet it swells probably twice the size and you'll probably find that if it gets wet again the tiles will strt to come off which is what i'm guessing has happened this time. Rip it out and replace it with plasterboard and have it skimmed. Its probably a little bit more expensive but its easy enough to do it yourself up to the point of the skimming.

Re-tile it using waterproof adhesive and the use a mould resistant grout. For tiling spend a bit more time setting out and getting it level. Try fixing a batton to the wall to work from on starting the first row. If your'e not going right to the ceiling then get a tile edging plastic or metal trim to finish off the edge and then seal accross the top with the waterproof adhesive by rubbing it into any gaps with your finger before painting.

Furthermore try and find out why that wall was wet is there a leak somewhere?

Good luck and don't use chipboard or MDF.....!!!!

Answer 2

I just went through this myself. I live in an old aprt bld and had to replace the tiles in my tubsuround for my landlord. the wall behind was a mess and soaked in water. I replaced the wood with new, but had to clean up the studs behind as well, as all had gave way. This can be a big job, as it was for myself. The one this I didnt take into account was the thickness of the previous wood. I have allways sudjested 3/8" plywood and all should be good. well some was 1/4" and some was 3/8". turns out the wood at the taps was 1/4" and I had some fun fitting in the taps again by using 3/8". To make things easier on yourself use a mastic rather than a thinset. this will be easier to use and requires no mixing. If you are planning to use a waterproof method of Kerdie cloth then you have to use thinset throughout. Tiling itself was easy as was the grouting. the demo was the nightmare. So your project should go like this- replace wood, tile the wall, wait 24hrs to allow mastic/thinset to set, grout tile, again allow 24hrs to cure. the next day you should be able to use the area. Remember to square the walls the best you can, your walls may not be square so you will have to addjust. also pick up sillicone for the caulking when all is done. Also after 7days you should seal the grout with a teflon sealer. allow 7days so the grout is cured and the the sealer will not discolour your grout at all. Good luck hope all goes smooth for you!

Answer 3

You've gone that far, with some discoveries that should be a red flag. I've remodeled and made repairs in many bathrooms, and find almost always that once I've removed the walls and replaced them, the customers have been satisfied,,,even years later.

Number one was the dampness, but I suggest checking plumbing, if in fact any of the dampness is in that area.

I'd then remove the particle board,,,and have to say,,, I cannot imaging a contractor of quality, using that, especially in a bathroom.

Once all the wall material has been removed, and the area is dry, I'd caulk everything, then apply concrete backer board, designed for that purpose, then tile over that.

You don't state what exists above the "flake" or how the balance of the area is finished,,,IE: Drywall/paint/greenboard, etc.

Rev. Steven

Answer 4

"chipboard sort of stuff" doesn't sound like a good job to me.
I'd rip it out and make sure you've got a good solid wall behind the tiles, you wouldn't want to see all that money fall into the bath in 3 months time would you ?

No need to buy a specialist backing board, builders ( inc. good ones ) often tile straight onto plasterboard. Water shouldn't get through the tiles/grout. I know this happened to your old tiles but ther is nothing to say they were fitted right.

Answer 5

You have to remove the chipboard or whatever it is in the area you will be tiling, better still a bit beyond the edge. Replace it with waterproof 'tile backerboard' there are various manufacturers, basically a cement based waterproof board, a bit like hard plasterboard that is ready to receive tiles. Use waterproof tile adhesive and grout and a bead of silicone at the joint between bath/shower and tiles.

Answer 6

Firstly LET THE WALL DRY COMPLETLY. You pretty much have the idea anyway.But another big tip is to never start tiling in a corner, or at an edge. the final result looks so much better if you start bang in the middle. And invest in a spirit level.

Or better still, just employ a proffessional.

Answer 7

would replace the wall as the new tiles might not stay on for long if the wall is damp it will rot and not last very long

Answer 8

let the wall dry out as long as its not rotten your fine but you have to let the wall dry out as otherwise the water will become trapped and it will go rotten. once it has dried pasrte PA and water mixture over it to seal it then put your grote on once again make sure the wall is dry.

Answer 9

remove chipboard stuff replace with moisture resistant plasterboard it is green in colour

Answer 10

replace the wall with marine ply, and re-tile.