Can Anyone Offer Advice On A Rookie Mistake?

[donwheelay]

Hi All,

First time poster in need of assistance.

Its been a while since ive tiled anything, and today I have proudly finished tiling a bathroom in a project flat which I have purchased as a fixer upper.

I had finished my days labouring and returned to look at my handiwork beer in hand and noticed one of the tiles had 'popped out'.

I sought advice on some forums and to my horror realised I had forgotten to prime the wall.

I tiled straight on to plaster (there had been old, and i mean OLD! tiles on the wall before hand which looked like they had been there forever.) using unibond anti mould bathroom adhesive. I have not yet grouted between the tiles.

What are the possible consequences of me having not primed the wall? None of the other tiles seem loose in any way - alas quite the opposite, they seem really well set and like theyre not going anywhere. However i dont want anyone to be sat in the bath and have a tile fall on their head or at worst the whole wall of tiles come crashing down.

I would be grateful for any advice or tips which anyone could provide me with. If it comes to it ill take them all down again - but obviously i also have no desire to repeat two days of tiling and if there is anything i can do to salvage what ive already done it would really set my mind at ease.

Rob

 

[Unused Account 1]

If theyve set and gone off ,you got away with ,also when you grout will bond it all together ,

 

[gamma38]

I would say you have answered your own question... You wouldn't want any to fall of with someone in the bath. If one has already come loose!!!! That said you may be lucky and the rest stay firmly stuck.

 

[Dave]

Is it just lippage or has a tile come loose ?

 

[Dave]

If theyve set and gone off ,you got away with ,also when you grout will bond it all together ,

...

Are you sure ?

 

[Dan]

Dont rely on the grout alone!

 

[Unused Account 1]

Prime all surfaces for how long it takes ,in the first place ,

 

[AliGage]

Grout will bond it? Lol, but not to the wall.
Have you actually a tile cone off?
If so did it bring adhesive with it or is it still on the wall?

 

[Mr Tiler]

If theyve set and gone off ,you got away with ,also when you grout will bond it all together ,

Read halfway through the o.p... Read this comment, get that tile back on the wall and grout up, if tiles pop off while your grouting replace them and ensure they are fixed before you continue, the ones that dont move are there for good lol

 

[bcd-87]

Hi All,

First time poster in need of assistance.

Its been a while since ive tiled anything, and today I have proudly finished tiling a bathroom in a project flat which I have purchased as a fixer upper.

I had finished my days labouring and returned to look at my handiwork beer in hand and noticed one of the tiles had 'popped out'.

I sought advice on some forums and to my horror realised I had forgotten to prime the wall.

I tiled straight on to plaster (there had been old, and i mean OLD! tiles on the wall before hand which looked like they had been there forever.) using unibond anti mould bathroom adhesive. I have not yet grouted between the tiles.

What are the possible consequences of me having not primed the wall? None of the other tiles seem loose in any way - alas quite the opposite, they seem really well set and like theyre not going anywhere. However i dont want anyone to be sat in the bath and have a tile fall on their head or at worst the whole wall of tiles come crashing down.

I would be grateful for any advice or tips which anyone could provide me with. If it comes to it ill take them all down again - but obviously i also have no desire to repeat two days of tiling and if there is anything i can do to salvage what ive already done it would really set my mind at ease.

Rob

Hi mate

Is the wall stud or block ?

I employed a handy-man a few years ago to tile a large bathroom wall he "forgot to prime "

a day later I shut the clients bedroom door and in doing so the bathroom next door begun to rain metro tiles !!! That was a stud wall.. The grout will help but as @Dan said don not rely on it...

 

[donwheelay]

Hi guys,

Thanks so much for all of your responses - but there seems to be a bit of a difference of oppinion on the matter! So i will add a bit more info.

I have tiled around a bath which is sat in the corner of the bathroom. Standard size bath and tiles go up to just shy of the ceiling.

Ive checked the tiles again this morning and no more have come loose that i can ascertain (ive checked at least 20 of them) also they are quite small porcelain tiles (10cm x 10cm). They do seem like theyre going nowhere.

The walls that i have tiled were both plastered and one side goes on to block work and one goes on to stud work neither of the walls which the bath is fitted onto has a door attatched. The door is on the opposite corner of the bathroom going off on a diagonal. I have not re-plastered the walls as they were quite smooth except for a few dings here and there. The plaster will likely have been there since at least the early 90's looking at the 'style' (if you can call it that!) Of the old bathroom suite.

When the tile came loose yesterday it did not fall out, one end of it just kind of 'popped out' by approx 1cm. The adhesive was still a little damp and quite gritty underneath as if it were semi dried.

I think thats about as much info as i can give but if you have any other questions, please do ask.

Thanks again for all your help.

Kind Regards

Rob

 

[bcd-87]

Hi guys,

Thanks so much for all of your responses - but there seems to be a bit of a difference of oppinion on the matter! So i will add a bit more info.

I have tiled around a bath which is sat in the corner of the bathroom. Standard size bath and tiles go up to just shy of the ceiling.

Ive checked the tiles again this morning and no more have come loose that i can ascertain (ive checked at least 20 of them) also they are quite small porcelain tiles (10cm x 10cm). They do seem like theyre going nowhere.

The walls that i have tiled were both plastered and one side goes on to block work and one goes on to stud work neither of the walls which the bath is fitted onto has a door attatched. The door is on the opposite corner of the bathroom going off on a diagonal. I have not re-plastered the walls as they were quite smooth except for a few dings here and there. The plaster will likely have been there since at least the early 90's looking at the 'style' (if you can call it that!) Of the old bathroom suite.

When the tile came loose yesterday it did not fall out, one end of it just kind of 'popped out' by approx 1cm. The adhesive was still a little damp and quite gritty underneath as if it were semi dried.

I think thats about as much info as i can give but if you have any other questions, please do ask.

Thanks again for all your help.

Kind Regards

Rob

What adhesive did you use rob ?

Thanks

 

[donwheelay]

What adhesive did you use rob ?

Thanks

Hi there,

I used unibond a tub of unibond wall tile adhesive and grout with anti mould which the guy at the store assured me would be perfect for a smallish job........

 

[On one]

Mmmm, a few things....
Tile adhesive is made for fixing tiles,
Grout is made for grouting tiles,
So you wouldn't fix tiles with grout would you? for all that certain Co's manufacture 2 in 1 Adh/grout combo's
it's not a great idea.
Fixing porcelain tiles with this type of adhesive?
not a great idea either,however small the tiles may be. The adhesive should have had better 'grab'
qualities.
Can't understand why the shop didn't sell you separate adh and grout,unless your advice came from
Homebase,Wickes,B&Q,etc,etc

 

[donwheelay]

Mmmm, a few things....
Tile adhesive is made for fixing tiles,
Grout is made for grouting tiles,
So you wouldn't fix tiles with grout would you? for all that certain Co's manufacture 2 in 1 Adh/grout combo's
it's not a great idea.
Fixing porcelain tiles with this type of adhesive?
not a great idea either,however small the tiles may be. The adhesive should have had better 'grab'
qualities.
Can't understand why the shop didn't sell you separate adh and grout,unless your advice came from
Homebase,Wickes,B&Q,etc,etc

Thanks for the thoughts.

Perhaps in my naievity i went to B&Q as ive bought many things from there over the years for various projects and theyve always turned out fine.

Ive tiled walls and floors in the past with stuff ive bought from B&Q, the walls i cant comment on the current status of as ive long since departed those properties, but i tiled the floor in my parents conservatory 8 years ago and thats still going strong.

I did make a mistake in my earlier post - the tiles are ceramic and not porcelain - does that make a difference?

Ive checked the tiles again just and they really do seem to be stuck firm. Im still in two minds about what to do but they do seem ok.

I have not yet grouted however, would you suggest i purchase an alternative product for this? And if so what?

Thanks again for your help.

Rob

 

[bcd-87]

Hi there,

I used unibond a tub of unibond wall tile adhesive and grout with anti mould which the guy at the store assured me would be perfect for a smallish job........

In your last post you said you had porcelain tiles ? Providing the adhesive has the correct aditives in to adhere to the none pourus tile

Thanks for the thoughts.

Perhaps in my naievity i went to B&Q as ive bought many things from there over the years for various projects and theyve always turned out fine.

Ive tiled walls and floors in the past with stuff ive bought from B&Q, the walls i cant comment on the current status of as ive long since departed those properties, but i tiled the floor in my parents conservatory 8 years ago and thats still going strong.

I did make a mistake in my earlier post - the tiles are ceramic and not porcelain - does that make a difference?

Ive checked the tiles again just and they really do seem to be stuck firm. Im still in two minds about what to do but they do seem ok.

I have not yet grouted however, would you suggest i purchase an alternative product for this? And if so what?

Thanks again for your help.

Rob

Hi Rob

Yes not being porcelain makes a big difference this is positive mate

BAL do a product called miroband, it's aWhite grout very good in my opinion

This may do the trick but bare in mine grout is a binding agent not an adhesive.

 

[Dan]

Your tiles will just fall off in a sheet if you use good grout.

If you try to pull one off what happens?

And if you tap them with a coin do they sound hollow?

 

[Mr Tiler]

Your tiles will just fall off in a sheet if you use good grout.

If you try to pull one off what happens?

And if you tap them with a coin do they sound hollow?

Dont tap tiles with coins use ur nuckle

 

[Dan]

Dont tap tiles with coins use ur nuckle

The test is literally called the coin test lol

 

[Mr Tiler]

The test is literally called the coin test lol

coins make tiles sound hollow sometimes when there actually solid mate ive witnessed it

 

[donwheelay]

Hi guys ive tapped the tiles, some sound hollow and some dont.

Ive tried to pull a few off with a reasonable amount of force and theyre not budging.

I havent yet grouted between the tiles.

 

[Dave]

If there not budging , then crack on..

 

[Ajax123]

Mmmm, a few things....
Tile adhesive is made for fixing tiles,
Grout is made for grouting tiles,
So you wouldn't fix tiles with grout would you? for all that certain Co's manufacture 2 in 1 Adh/grout combo's
it's not a great idea.
Fixing porcelain tiles with this type of adhesive?
not a great idea either,however small the tiles may be. The adhesive should have had better 'grab'
qualities.
Can't understand why the shop didn't sell you separate adh and grout,unless your advice came from
Homebase,Wickes,B&Q,etc,etc

Perfectly acceptàble for a diy job and does not require priming as it relies on moisture loss to set, I used similàr adhesive to stick my bathroom tiles onto skimmed unprimed plasterboàrd walls 17 years ago. They are still there and I honestly wouldn't want the task of getting them off. Future reference prime and use bagged Addy as its easier to use. Comnbi Addy ànd grout has been about for years. It's diy stuff rather than what the pros would choose. Still does the job though.

 

[On one]

How is bagged adhesive easier to use for a Diyer?
I would have thought premixed tubbed adhesive would be easier.

 

[bcd-87]

How is bagged adhesive easier to use for a Diyer?
I would have thought premixed tubbed adhesive would be easier.

Some of the bagged stuff I use is apparently self priming

 

[Ajax123]

How is bagged adhesive easier to use for a Diyer?
I would have thought premixed tubbed adhesive would be easier.

Tubbed tends to be sticky and stiff to work with whereas correctly mixed bagged gear is muçh "creamier" and easier to spread. That's based on my own experience anyway.

 

[White Room]

Some of the bagged stuff I use is apparently self priming

Never heard that one before...

 

[Qwerty]

Never heard that one before...

Me neither. Which adhesive is that @bcd-87 ?

 

[Mr Tiler]

Never heard that one before...

I have, and decent tubbed is definately easier to work with than any cement based, but cement based grabs a hell of a lot quicker so i agree with @Ajax123 it is worth using if your d.i.y but for another reason

 

[On one]

Tubbed tends to be sticky and stiff to work with whereas correctly mixed bagged gear is muçh "creamier" and easier to spread. That's based on my own experience anyway.

Your possibly using the wrong stuff,and been sitting on the shelf for far too long.
To give some Diyer's a bag of powder and a bucket of water sounds like a recipe for disaster(too runny,too stiff,dust all over the place,)