Backer-Moisture Boards

[nod]

We are just getting started with tiling on a four million and rising self build 

The Architect liaison is fine 

The owner is a smart arse 

Hes spending all that money and won’t pay for backer or moisture boards in the wet room or pool area changing rooms 

To my surprise Hes got the Impi rep out Who backed him up and said plain wallboards are fine under there tanking Everydays a school day 

 

I’m just firing an email off expressing my concerns Which prompted my post 

Would anyone on here risk it to save several hundred pounds? 

[Canski]

Noooo For the small extra amount you want the right boards. Our plasterers thought we ere mad with 2 x DB board on all partitions and tile backer board and Aqua board to bathrooms. Getting  it put in the right places was another task but worth it in the end. 

[nod]

1 hour ago, Canski said:

Noooo For the small extra amount you want the right boards. Our plasterers thought we ere mad with 2 x DB board on all partitions and tile backer board and Aqua board to bathrooms. Getting  it put in the right places was another task but worth it in the end. 

To be fair Impi are correct in saying that if it gets past there tanking It all needs to come off regardless of what board that you have used I use the gypsum backer on most of our jobs 

Not a great deal of extra expense 

His loos are costing 6k each All the way from Japan 😂

[Mike]

2 hours ago, nod said:

a four million and rising self build

That's quite a lot...

 

31 minutes ago, nod said:

To be fair Impi are correct in saying that if it gets past there tanking It all needs to come off regardless of what board that you have used

Yes, if wet areas are properly tanked then the wall board shouldn't be getting wet; I've done it myself without problem.

 

Without tanking then MR board is certainly advisable where moisture is present.

 

[Nickfromwales]

@nod

 

You know what I’m going to say fella

 

Its all about the tanking afaic, and whatever is behind that is doomed, so too is the fabric of the wall or floors, if water gets to them routinely.

 

Tanking strips, corner formers, and tank. Then tank again. Leave to dry, and then tank again where constant flowing water will sit at wall / floor junctions.

 

Water is the enemy not the choice of substrate.

 

I’ve done projects up to the ~£4m price tag, (and everything in between over a 30+ year career ‘on the tools’), and have seen other bathroom fitters / plumbers / tilers on site and my blood has just run cold watching JUST how shit their workmanship was.

 

I’ve been doing or have been around countless high end bathroom / wet-room / kitchen / reno’s projects, and everything right up to full build packages, either on the tools or managing and consulting, and even as far as Q3 of 2024 I still cannot get over the lack of giveafeck that is still out there, even at the absolute top end of the charging / pricing spectrum. 
 

Some people think spending huge gets you great, it doesn’t guarantee anything.

 

On a ~£4m 6-bed ‘bungalow’ I watched the plumbing contractors charge >£100k for 1st and 2nd fix plumbing (not inc UFH or heat source) and it was garbage.

 

@nod just give them an email to caveat that they haven’t gone with your professional opinion and recommendations, and cover your arse. If they reply to say they’re happy to take the risk over a grand or so materials uplift then fine, but get it in writing. You’ll probably find that they’ll then change their mind when they realise what cocks they’re being   

 

[nod]

1 hour ago, Nickfromwales said:

@nod

 

You know what I’m going to say fella

 

Its all about the tanking afaic, and whatever is behind that is doomed, so too is the fabric of the wall or floors, if water gets to them routinely.

 

Tanking strips, corner formers, and tank. Then tank again. Leave to dry, and then tank again where constant flowing water will sit at wall / floor junctions.

 

Water is the enemy not the choice of substrate.

 

I’ve done projects up to the ~£4m price tag, (and everything in between over a 30+ year career ‘on the tools’), and have seen other bathroom fitters / plumbers / tilers on site and my blood has just run cold watching JUST how shit their workmanship was.

 

I’ve been doing or have been around countless high end bathroom / wet-room / kitchen / reno’s projects, and everything right up to full build packages, either on the tools or managing and consulting, and even as far as Q3 of 2024 I still cannot get over the lack of giveafeck that is still out there, even at the absolute top end of the charging / pricing spectrum. 
 

Some people think spending huge gets you great, it doesn’t guarantee anything.

 

On a ~£4m 6-bed ‘bungalow’ I watched the plumbing contractors charge >£100k for 1st and 2nd fix plumbing (not inc UFH or heat source) and it was garbage.

 

@nod just give them an email to caveat that they haven’t gone with your professional opinion and recommendations, and cover your arse. If they reply to say they’re happy to take the risk over a grand or so materials uplift then fine, but get it in writing. You’ll probably find that they’ll then change their mind when they realise what cocks they’re being   

 

Yes we’ve only been using impi for about five years Pretty bombproof 

[Nickfromwales]

2 minutes ago, nod said:

Yes we’ve only been using impi for about five years Pretty bombproof 

Impey stuff is awesome kit, and they do that big FO tanking sheet, the self adhesive one, which also gives 10mm (?) decoupling. Was great the first time I used it and royally fecked it up   Man that thing is sticky. Pulled it up, binned it, went and got another one, and then burned through £500 worth of Rubi blades cutting the grade 5 porcelain. Was like cutting titanium. 😵‍💫. 

Also that 610 liquid rubber adhesive in a mastic tube (Impey supplied it), you used that? I’m sure I still have some stuck to me somewhere, and I did the job a decade ago 🤣. Makes expanding foam seem tame. Had to bin my Stanley knife, and also made the mistakes of a proper rookie, wiped my nose, got it stuck to that, then scratched my head and had to cut it out of my hair.

 

The joys of being on the tools, eh? lol. 

[BotusBuild]

@nod, @Nickfromwales,

Clarifying Q. You tank before tiling? Can the tiles be applied directly to the tanking or do you need something else (tile backer board) in between?

FYI - I was going to do just backer board then tiles, but reading your above tales, I now want to know from the best, what is the best build up (from studwork).

This is not for a wetroom, just a bath and shower tray area of bathroom and ensuite

Thanks in advance

Edited February 28 by BotusBuild
Addition FYI paragraph

[nod]

3 hours ago, BotusBuild said:

@nod, @Nickfromwales,

Clarifying Q. You tank before tiling? Can the tiles be applied directly to the tanking or do you need something else (tile backer board) in between?

FYI - I was going to do just backer board then tiles, but reading your above tales, I now want to know from the best, what is the best build up (from studwork).

This is not for a wetroom, just a bath and shower tray area of bathroom and ensuite

Thanks in advance

You only need to tank if it’s a wet room Sealing floor to walls If you have a shower enclosure No need to tank

Impi is self adhesive Tile straight on top

[Nickfromwales]

If these are not wet rooms, and the shower trays are modular (vs wet-room formers under tiles) then just use MR plasterboard and tank the bejesus out of it. 

 

Tanking kits are cheap as chips and offer outright resilience to any water ingress beyond the tiles / grout / seals.

 

@BotusBuild  Have a scoot through a few of these, saves me getting a sore thumb and there's a load of gold in them there hills for ya :