Ceramic Wall Tile Preparation
THE TILE SOURCE guide to preparing for ceramic wall tiling
| General The principles of ceramic wall tile preparation is to provide a surface that is clean, dry, sound, and free from grease, dust, dirt and any other barriers to good adhesion. Time spent at this stage will help avoid the risk of an expensive tiling failure. Below you will find useful how to tile hints for the most common surfaces that are tiled. It is very important that all surfaces to be tiled too are straight and true to avoid lipping or uneven tile surfaces. Plaster This is the most common surface found in British housing, which includes plaster-skimmed plasterboard. Check the surface of old and new plaster for loose, hollow sounding areas, remove and repair as necessary. If the wall has been papered ensure all traces of the paper adhesive is removed. Plaster needs a minimum of 4 weeks to dry and shrink, longer if conditions are damp and cold. The surface should be wire brushed to remove barrier materials and fine plaster particles. Prime with an acrylic primer watered down as directed. A properly applied and prepared plaster finish will support 20 kilos of tiles and adhesive per square metre. Plaster is not water resistant and if used in shower areas and wet rooms the plaster should be waterproofed. Plasterboard Clean un-plastered boards are excellent for tiling and as long as they are well fixed little preparation is required, however if using in shower areas and wet rooms the boards should be waterproofed. Plaster board will support 32 kilos of tiles and adhesive per square metre. Pay particular attention to how straight and true! Render Sand and cement render is widely regarded as the best surface for tiling but is seldom used domestically. Apart from being sound, clean and more than 2 weeks old there is little preparation required. It will cope with over 40 kilos of tiles and adhesive per square metre. Pay particular attention to how straight and true! |
Timber Based Boards These should not be used in wet areas. In dry areas the board should be acclimatised for 48 hours to its surroundings, the backs and edges painted with a polyurethane paint and screwed frequently with non-rusting screws. Timber is not a good surface to tile as it is liable to movement and should be avoided. We do not recommend tiling to MDF or any ply except WBP quality. Tile Backer Boards As long as these are soundly fixed there is no preparation. Marmox tile backer boards when fixed correctly will accept 62 kilos of tiles and adhesive per square metre. These are probably the best and most adaptable surface to tile too. Brick and Blockwork Although tiles can be fixed to these surfaces they are rarely straight and true. Ensure the surface is free from grease, dust, dirt etc and that the surface is mature. Some thermal blocks take 6 months to settle! Paint Paint is not designed to hold the weight of tiling and should either be removed or a tile backer board mechanically fixed over the top. Tiles Ensure the surface is free from grease, dust, dirt etc and that the weight of the new tiles and the old tiles and all the adhesive does not exceed the weight permitted for the underlying surface. Read Tile Adhesive Advice for the correct type of adhesive. For more detailed tile preparation guides download our main adhesive partners Ardex or BAL pdf brochures. Now you are ready to move on to How to Tile! |
