At wits end - Tiles falling off Wood - Tried everything
 

Hello All,

I'm at my wits end - and this post is a sanity check on what I have so
far to rectify the problem.

I've tiled the bathroom - the last two parts to tile are 18mm marine
ply for a boxed section, and 18mm flooring-grade chipboard, both in a
vertical plane.

Tiling on the ply failed. So I tried PVA. This also failed. Then I
tried spirit based undercoat for wood - the tiles were easily removed
with a screwdriver.

The adhesive is a general adhesive & grout from Unibond. The adhesive
after being allowed to set turns into a powerery substance and is
easily removed from both the wood and the tile. The adhesive works
perfectly on any other surface (testament to the 160 other 6'x4' tiles
already up).

My theory is this - the spirit based undercoat still isn't acting as a
barrier between the cement and the wood. My current course of action
is to add another coat of primer, then top-coat with at least one
layer of spirit-based gloss.

Having checked the archives, another avenue is to try a flexible
cement based adhesive.

Is there anything else I should do or try? I need to get this sorted
pronto before my wife leaves me for someone more DIY orientated.

Many thanks!
--
Steve

At wits end - Tiles falling off Wood - Tried everything
 

Ragworm The Abominable wrote:

I've tiled the bathroom - the last two parts to tile are 18mm marine
ply for a boxed section, and 18mm flooring-grade chipboard, both in a
vertical plane.

How well supported are your wood panels? They need to be absolutely
rigid, with no flexing. I've had the same problem as you in the past,
which was cured by adding another supporting batten behind the panel.

David

At wits end - Tiles falling off Wood - Tried everything
 

On Sun, 25 Jun 2006 17:40:42 GMT, Lobster wrote:
How well supported are your wood panels? They need to be absolutely
rigid, with no flexing. I've had the same problem as you in the past,
which was cured by adding another supporting batten behind the panel.

David

Hi David, thank you for your reply. I believe the wood panels are
absolutely rigid. Even given them a good wack with my hand they move
less than the internal walls.
--
Steve

At wits end - Tiles falling off Wood - Tried everything
 

Ragworm The Abominable wrote:
Hello All,

I'm at my wits end - and this post is a sanity check on what I have so
far to rectify the problem.

I've tiled the bathroom - the last two parts to tile are 18mm marine
ply for a boxed section, and 18mm flooring-grade chipboard, both in a
vertical plane.

Tiling on the ply failed. So I tried PVA. This also failed. Then I
tried spirit based undercoat for wood - the tiles were easily removed
with a screwdriver.

The adhesive is a general adhesive & grout from Unibond. The adhesive
after being allowed to set turns into a powerery substance and is
easily removed from both the wood and the tile. The adhesive works
perfectly on any other surface (testament to the 160 other 6'x4' tiles
already up).

My theory is this - the spirit based undercoat still isn't acting as a
barrier between the cement and the wood. My current course of action
is to add another coat of primer, then top-coat with at least one
layer of spirit-based gloss.

Having checked the archives, another avenue is to try a flexible
cement based adhesive.

Is there anything else I should do or try? I need to get this sorted
pronto before my wife leaves me for someone more DIY orientated.

Many thanks!

You have used the worst possible adhesive.

Use Evostik waterproof, for one..I can guarantee this works a treat.

I am puzzled as to why you had a 'spirit based undercoat' on there though.

I tile onto the bare wood.

At wits end - Tiles falling off Wood - Tried everything
 

In article ,
Ragworm The Abominable wrote:
I'm at my wits end - and this post is a sanity check on what I have so
far to rectify the problem.

I've tiled the bathroom - the last two parts to tile are 18mm marine
ply for a boxed section, and 18mm flooring-grade chipboard, both in a
vertical plane.

Tiling on the ply failed. So I tried PVA. This also failed. Then I
tried spirit based undercoat for wood - the tiles were easily removed
with a screwdriver.

The adhesive is a general adhesive & grout from Unibond. The adhesive
after being allowed to set turns into a powerery substance and is
easily removed from both the wood and the tile. The adhesive works
perfectly on any other surface (testament to the 160 other 6'x4' tiles
already up).

Think the answer is to use a so called waterproof adhesive (suitable for
showers etc - not swimming pools ;-)) - usually the next more expensive
one in the range. It will take longer to dry fully, though, than on
plaster. I've used it on wood, ply and MDF with some success - although
there may be some movement between the 'wood' and a wall etc resulting in
ordinary grouting giving way. But the adhesive holds. I'd just coat the
wood with dilute PVA and make sure it's dry before tiling.

--
*Why are they called apartments, when they're all stuck together? *

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

At wits end - Tiles falling off Wood - Tried everything
 

On Mon, 26 Jun 2006 09:39:29 +0100, Dave Plowman (News) wrote:
Think the answer is to use a so called waterproof adhesive (suitable for
showers etc - not swimming pools ;-)) - usually the next more expensive
one in the range. It will take longer to dry fully, though, than on
plaster. I've used it on wood, ply and MDF with some success - although
there may be some movement between the 'wood' and a wall etc resulting in
ordinary grouting giving way. But the adhesive holds. I'd just coat the
wood with dilute PVA and make sure it's dry before tiling.

Apologies, I've taken another look at the tub and it is a waterproof
adhesive & grout.

As time is of the essence (wife about to drop a sprog) I've gone out
and bought some Flexible 1 Part BS5980 Class AA Cement based adhesive
suitable for Walls and Floors - setting time 2 hours. Picked this up
from the local tile shop.

It says suitable for swimming pools ... (!)

Cost £17 for 10kg :-(

Any tips on using this type of adhesive as I assume it won't be as
forgiving as the adhesive I've been using? Eg, may remove my fingers,
probably won't come out of the carpet, and could be harder to remove
from the front of the time.

Many thanks!
--
Steve

At wits end - Tiles falling off Wood - Tried everything
 

Think the answer is to use a so called waterproof adhesive (suitable for
showers etc - not swimming pools ;-)) - usually the next more expensive
one in the range.

I would go for BAL White Star in this application. I am worried by the
undercoat, though. A solvent based undercoat could possibly reduce adhesion.
I would, at least, rub it down briskly with coarse sandpaper first.

Christian.

At wits end - Tiles falling off Wood - Tried everything
 

I know that is it bad form to reply to my own post ... the adhesive
with the cement base has done the trick - my two test tiles were
firmly attached after just two hours.

Thanks to all that replied :-)
--
Steve

At wits end - Tiles falling off Wood - Tried everything
 

On Mon, 26 Jun 2006 22:38:28 +0100, Ragworm The Abominable
wrote:

I know that is it bad form to reply to my own post ... the adhesive
with the cement base has done the trick - my two test tiles were
firmly attached after just two hours.

Thanks to all that replied :-)

I always think that posting an outcome or result is good form and very
useful for other readers especially those searching in the future.

Robert
Robert

At wits end - Tiles falling off Wood - Tried everything