Bathroom Floor / Tile preperation

[Simon_Edwards]

Hello,
hope your all well,

i am having tiles layed in my 1st floor bathroom which currently has chipboard down and glued together. I have spoken to a tiler who said plywood (min 9mm) has be layed down before he can do anything.

Would I need to pull the current boards up and lay plywood instead or would i nail/screw the ply on top ready for the tiles to go down on top of that?

I've been advised against doing the tiling myself due to the movement of the wood as its a bathroom but I cant see how its that difficult?

Surely I can just lay the plywood down and tiles on top of that using a adhesive which has flex in it?

Anyway, do i pull the chipboard up and replace with Plywood so he can lay the tiles?

Thanks in advance

 

[dextrous]

On the whole, chipboard and bathrooms don't really mix very well. I'd be inclined to lose the boards and lay 25mm wbp ply instead. Post this on the tiling section for advice on which adhesive and any further preparation required.

 

[Chukka63]

once youve decided which way youre doing your ply,either 9mm on top of existing or replacing chipboard with 22mm.all you need is flexible adhesive and grout.your local tile supplier should give you the correct materials if you explain your situation and then if youre competant enough you can tile yourself.
we can split the savings 50/50 lol

 

[Richard C]

Chipboard (even MR) has no place in a bathroom IMO & is pretty useless as a tile base. I wouldn’t even bother with overboading but if you’re tempted, use 12mm WBP minimum. Never nail, use only screws & fix down into the joists not just into the top of the floorboards but you must establish where pipes/cables are first!

Personally I would rip the crapboard out & start again with a decent WBP ply base as Dex suggests. Use only quality trade flexible adhesive & grout, not the cheapo stuff which generally leads to disappointment. Be aware that, like all other trades, there are good tillers & then there are the not so good; price is usually an indicator as skill & the best materials don’t come cheap, but not always the case. Good DIY results are quiet possible if your methodical & generally competent but which ever way you decide to go, good research about the materials to use & methods will avoid you making expensive & disappointing mistakes.

 

[Simon_Edwards]

ok thanks for advice chaps, As the walls are built on top of the boards I've decided I could be getting myself into hot water by attempting to pull those up so im going to put 9mm ply down on top of that (only a v.small bathroom so hopefully should be ok) and tile on top of that.

Need to find out which way the struts run and then screw into them using glue aswell and then tile on top of that!

thanks again...

 

[Richard C]

Hope it works out but don't say you wern't warned, British standards actually recomend 15mm minimum;
http://www.clickandstone.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=14&Itemid=23