Tiling on plywood stud wall? - Tile Advice

[libra]

Hi I am just renovating my downstairs cloakroom, adding a steam shower quadrant full enclosure, shower is full unit and has its own walls from all sides. cloakroom has one external , two plastered walls, one plasterboard wall. to hide waste and plumbing pipes i have made stud wall on a plastered wall and topped it with external grade plywood. I thought as this will not getting the shower or water contact, plywood should be fine and didnt use to tile backer board etc. I havent tiled it yet, will be tiling real stone marble. also used plywood to enclose wall hung toilet frame.

is it ok to use plywood or i must use tile backer board or can i prime it with something?

Thanks in advance

 

[Time's Ran Out]

Welcome to the Tilers forum. It's the steam aspect that would concern me and the rrange of temperatures that will be experienced. The plywood will 'breathe' and you'll find it will expand and contract at the joins making a crack line through the surface of your marble! I'd consider over boarding with a 6mm tile backer board and use a cement based fast setting flexible white tile adhesive. Good luck and enjoy.

 

[libra]

Thanks, this enclosure does have fixed roof too but i guess steam will be out once the shower door are open.
do i need tile backer board for concrete floor and one plasterboarded wall? and solid plastered walls?

 

[Alan.P]

None of your listed walls will take the weight of marble tiles, you need to board / overboard with a backerboard.

 

[libra]

so even solid skimmed block walls? and concrete floor

 

[Alan.P]

so even solid skimmed block walls? and concrete floor

Skimmed walls are no good, no. And you didn't mention floors. If concrete then yes, as long as they're sound. There are several threads on this forum re weights of substrates, if you can't find them then shout up.

 

[libra]

thanks, what are good options for backer board? I have searched but the more i search the more i got confuse. dont know which one to use aqua panel, hardie or marmox, any suggestions?

i bought wickes cement based white rapid flexible adhesive suitable for marble and Porcelain tiles, is it any good?

 

[White Room]

Marmox are very light and easy to handle but depending on the stud work centres, 300mm centres 10mm/400mm centres 12.5mm/600mm centres 20mm....

Hardie maybe more available though.

 

[libra]

got the 6mm hardie backer board, now i got two rather three kind of surfaces to overboard! on plywood stuff walls i will use screws, HB site suggest for masonary walls with gap filling adhesive and screw, but not sure about the skimmed masonary walls ????
i have third type wall that is plasterboard wall any suggestion for that?

Hardie backer site also says its not suitable for concrete floors so shall i leave floor without boarding? its clean and solid!

 

[libra]

found the answer about masonary walls on the forum shall i use adhesive on the plywood walls for topping up with hardie board? or just screw it to studs ?

 

[libra]

anyone?