diyer Tiling Bathroom - Which BAL adhesive etc ?

[46philh]

Bathroom inc tile around a bath with a shower on the wall.

Walls 10 Sq Meters
Ceramic Wall tiles - 250x330mm – Thickness 7mm

Previously tiled, all tiles removed and the high bits of adhesive removed.

Plasterboard – (Egg box stuff)

Had a couple of tillers round to quote and they said would be ok to tile on. Was going to get a tiller in to do the job but unfortunately cannot afford that now.

I have done very little tiling before so classed as total newbie, any help appreciated.

I have read the sticky and look to purchase the materials soon but a few questions still

2 X Bal White Star 10ltr – Ready mixed. £ 23.72 inc vat
Grout - Bal Superflex 3.5kg
8mm or 10mm notch size ?
Spacer Size 2 mm or 3 mm?


Floor 3 Sq Meters
Ceramic Floor tiles - 330x330mm - Thickness 7mm.

The floor is of a sound quality, still need to check levels.
Concrete floor with Asphalt over the top, (same in all rooms of bungalow)

Bal Adhesive – Which one ? Rapidset or Rapidset Flexible
Grout Superflex Wide Joint 3.5kg ?
Spacer Size – 4mm ?


I am working to a budget so don’t want to go overboard on materials but do want to use BAL, as reputable supplier.

After more reading it looks like I am going to need to get a Bal Waterproof Shower Kit

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7q3EMmV-XXA&feature=player_embedded

 

[Richard C]

Previously tiled, all tiles removed and the high bits of adhesive removed.

You also need to fill any hollows or board damage but don’t use plaster.

Ceramic Wall tiles - 250x330mm – Thickness 7mm
Plasterboard – (Egg box stuff)

You should be OK with tile weight over plaster which with 7mm thick tiles will come in at less than 20 kg/sqm but no experience of what “egg box walls” will support; should be OK but might be worth checking out.

Had a couple of tillers round to quote and they said would be ok to tile on.

If they’ve seen it then probably OK.

2 X Bal White Star 10ltr – Ready mixed.

White Star is good stuff but your on the size limit for tub mix & you can get problems with initial grab/hold & setting time if using tub mix on large tiles. 20 ltr may be a bit tight for 10sq/m. I use powder adhesive on anything over around 250mm; in this case Rapidset Flexible or SPF which might be better for you if you need a longer pot life; gypsum plaster/plasterboard must be acrylic primed when using cement powder adhesive.

Grout - Bal Superflex 3.5kg

I’d use Microflex on walls, it’s also anti bacterial.

8mm or 10mm notch size ?

In itself means nothing; what pitch & depth are the notches? You need a solid adhesive bed (2/3mm depth) for wet areas & the trowel size will depend how flat the wall is; 10mm tapering notches, 5mm deep, at 12.5mm centres but possibly a thick bed trowel 20mm round notches, 10mm deep, at 28mm centres (3/4mm depth). You can use a smaller notch trowel on the dry areas but I use the same trowel.

Spacer Size 2 mm or 3 mm?

I use 2mm as I think narrow grout lines look better on walls

The floor is of a sound quality, still need to check levels.
Concrete floor with Asphalt over the top, (same in all rooms of bungalow)

If it’s not level use a suitable SLC or it could show in the finished tiling. Do you know what type of asphalt? Is it hard or soft?

Bal Adhesive – Which one ? Rapidset or Rapidset Flexible
Grout Superflex Wide Joint 3.5kg ?
Spacer Size – 4mm ?

Only use Rapidset Flexible over asphalt or, again, SPF if you want a longer pot life. Superflex Wide joint OK & I generally use 4mm on floors but would not go less than 3mm.

I am working to a budget so don’t want to go overboard on materials but do want to use BAL, as reputable supplier.

BAL products are top quality but it’s always worth remembering that NOTHING will be more expensive than a tile failure due to using cheap or incorrect tiling products. Where are you sourcing your materials? Topps are notoriously expensive for DIY supplies.

After more reading it looks like I am going to need to get a Bal Waterproof Shower Kit

You MUST tank plasterboard in wet areas if you want it to last any length of time.

 

[46philh]

Bathroom inc tile around a bath with a shower on the wall.

Walls 10 Sq Meters
Ceramic Wall tiles - 250x330mm – Thickness 7mm

Previously tiled, all tiles removed and the high bits of adhesive removed.

Plasterboard – (Egg box stuff)

I have done very little tiling before so classed as total newbie, any help appreciated.

I have read the sticky and look to purchase the materials soon but a few questions still.

3 X Bal White Star 10ltr – Ready mixed. £ 23.72 inc vat
Grout - Bal Superflex or Microflex Ivory. 3.5kg
8mm or 10mm notch size - Need to do more reading!
Spacer Size 2 mm


Floor 3 Sq Meters
Ceramic Floor tiles - 330x330mm - Thickness 7mm.

The floor is of a sound quality, still need to check levels.
Concrete floor with Asphalt over the top, (same in all rooms of bungalow)

* Asphalt is hard

Bal Single Part Flexible
Grout Superflex Wide Joint Ivory 3.5kg
Spacer Size – 4mm

Tank shower area first with BAL Waterproof Shower Kit.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7q3EMmV-XXA&feature=player_embedded[/QUOTE]


Thanks for your time Richard C.

Going to go with ready mixed with doing very little tiling before. Have upped the qty 3, will use in kitchen anyway.

Will try and read up about trowel sizes / notches.

Not bought one yet.



Floor -
Single Part Flexible or Rapidset Flexible.

Q. What is the difference, and best for the floor and a novice to use ?

Will either buy all BAL materials from a local tile supplier to me South Yorkshire tiles http://www.ytc-tiles.com/products/adhesive/
or on line.

 

[Richard C]

Going to go with ready mixed with doing very little tiling before. Have upped the qty 3, will use in kitchen anyway.

I would definitely advise you use powder adhesive not ready mix on that size tile. Tub mix relies on evaporative cure & the only way the water can escape allowing the adhesive to set is through the thin grout lines this leads to greatly extended drying time (at least 24 hours) & in some cases it has never set resulting in the tiles having to be removed as they can move around & even fall off. Powder adhesive is chemical cure so you don’t get the problem but if you’re worried about pot life/working time then use SPF which has a pot life of 5 hours as opposed to around 40 - 45 minutes of Rapidset; powder adhesive is far better as well.

Single Part Flexible or Rapidset Flexible. What is the difference, and best for the floor and a novice to use ?

As I said above SPF might be easier for you to use; it has a stated pot life of 5 hours but I’ve never had cause to test it! Rapidset has a pot life of just 40-45 minutes so you must only mix up what you can use in around 30 minutes or so. Either way it’s not critical as long as you only mix what you can use at a time. Rapidset is a big advantage for tilers as it will grab & hold large/heavy tiles easily, cure quickly & can be grouted after just a couple of hours; SPF has to be left a minimum of 16 hours. It’s important you thoroughly wash your tools & bucket between mixes as traces of old adhesive will affect the pot life of the next mix.

 

[oosyoo]

it might be cheaper for you to purchase the WP1 coating and primer and tape seperate, matting wont be needed that is only if your doing a wet room.

if you're going with 2mm spacing then do not use superflex on the walls as this is only for grout joints 3mm upwards and has more of a grainy appearence. as said microflex is advised as it has microban to prevent black mould etc and it is suitable for for 2mm and has a nice smooth finish.

for the size of the wall tile, white star is fine, the tile size is not close to bordering the limits of dispersion adhesive, it will set fine, i would recommend using a 6mm trowel, if your walls are flat enough. only if your walls are bad and you will need to put more adhesive behind them then i would use a powder adhesive.

For your floor if time is not an issue then i would recommend using single part flexible, the extended pot life makes life so much easier to work with, bang the full tiles in then next day just put in the remaining cuts. because the floor is so small another option is to dry lay all the cuts and put it in in one go with rapidset or single part.

good to read that you want to use BAL, im a tiler and i swear by them, never let me down.

hope any of this helps.

sy.

 

[Richard C]

for the size of the wall tile, white star is fine, the tile size is not close to bordering the limits of dispersion adhesive, it will set fine

Depends on the absorbency of the tile base; any old paint etc. I like to err on the safe side with advice from a distance &, as I said, powder addy is a much better bet on larger format tiles even if BAL say it’s OK up to 300mm!

i would recommend using a 6mm trowel, if your walls are flat enough.

A 6mm (by what?) notch trowel may be OK for thin bed fixing in dry areas but it won’t give the 100% solid bed coverage required for wet areas; voids in a dry area = no problem; voids in a wet area = possible problems; not worth the risk.

only if your walls are bad and you will need to put more adhesive behind them then i would use a powder adhesive.

In addition to the solid bed requirement in wet areas, tub addy shouldn’t be used on tiles thicker than 8mm but at 7mm, may be OK all else being favorable.

 

[46philh]

Would this be suitable for my Walls which includes wet area ?

Solid bed fixing U type notch 12 x 20 x 10mm

http://www.wallsandfloors.co.uk/cat...iling/Tilerite-Tools/Trowel-20mm-round/15159/

 

[Richard C]

That’s a large format trowel, rather to big for what you need. An 8mm round notch should do if your walls are flat; http://www.screwfix.com/p/ragni-r31...od0kI5Ug#product_additional_details_container

If walls not flat & you need a bit more adhesive depth, use a 10mm round notch; http://www.thetilesource.co.uk/product/RU74943.html

 

[46philh]

Tiling going pretty well, thanks to sticky post and help reading other posts and here.


Had a couple of places where it was hard work to get the large tiles flush with each other due the wall not being level but are pretty good.

The bath is right up against the wall but there is a lip.
Used a batten above bath to start row of tiles so will cut tiles to fit just on top of the bath.

Q1. Should the tile be be cut to rest on the bath / as close as possible or do I need to leave a 2mm spacer gap.

Q2. Before I do that row should I put some sealant between the bath and wall ?

Must make sure I remove bath plastic cover a little before doing last row.


Will seal again around the bath once all grouting is done.

 

[tictic]

Q1...the tile,should be 2mm above bath...

Q2....yes...if bath not fitted,if you can put a 2x2 batten around for bath to sit on....if not make sure you get a good fixing with the bath brackets..