Can I re-tile onto the same plasterboard?

[lisa0017]

I am having my bathroom tiled, the builder has plastered the ceiling, put plasterboard onto the walls and plastered the joins between the boards. If for any reason I have to take off a few tiles in the future (e.g. if ever need to change toilet or sink) will I be able to pt them back up onto the same board? I am a litttle worried as one builder has said yes, another has said no as the paper lining will be removed with the tiles and the tiler ias due tomorrow. Please help!

 

[wezzle]

In my personal opinion tiling straight onto plasterboard is never ideal. this is because if the grout and adhesive barrier fails the water will ingress and damage the plasterboard, this usually takes a while and therefore means the whole board will need replacing. ideally you would use a mermaid board or even plywood.

In answer to your question, it will depend on the length of time that the tiles are on before you remove them. After the adhesive has properly set it will most likely rip the cardboard part of the plasterboard away and will make it difficult to retile the areas you want.

 

[lisa0017]

I just phoned the man that did the work, he said that becuase he has used t shaped boards that retiling will not be a problem. Does this sound right to you?

 

[paul78]

it will wreck the boards at a later date. especially if powder adhesive is used, and if you have large tiles then powder adhesive is advised.

you could have the walls skimmed...... only if your tiles are not large ones because the weight limit per m2 will be reduced to 20kg m2

 

[Richard C]

The adhesive will wreck the paper lining when you remove the tiles but it would most likely wreck any plaster skim as well; I would normally expect remedial work/replacement to be necessary when re-tiling. Tiling directly onto PB (& it should be moisture resistant in a bath/shower room) is preferred, plastering is not necessary or desirable as it reduces maximum tile weight which can be a problem with large format tiles; what size/weight are your tiles? PB must also be tanked in wet areas if you want it to last but far better to use a waterproof tile backer board in these areas & tile directly onto that.

Mermaid panels are an alternative if you don’t particularly want tiles but I don’t think it looks as classy as a good tile job & would opt for those every time. Forget plywood as a tile base for anything other than floors, its old fashioned more difficult to work with & is not dimensionally stable unless it’s sealed.

I would advise you read the tiling sticky & Tiling Forum archive posts, your builders approach seems to be exactly that & not one a pro tiler would take.