Using brick slips in shower? - Tile Advice

[Minmax89]

Hi guys and gals! Hope you're all keeping well.

The missus is begging me to do our bathroom. I'm always doing everyone else's and ours is ****, she says.
Our house is an old workers cottage from around 1906 and is build with slate and lime mortar mainly then with red brick accents around windows, doors etc. We have exposed (removed old lime render) a number of the brick areas around the house and it looks well.
She wants me to create a similar look in our bath/shower area. Bathroom walls will be T&G V-panelling half way up, plastered walls and she wants the brick wall look in the bath/shower area.
I said the only way that is gonna look good is if we use real brick slips with a 10mm lime mortar look between them.

Can this be done? Anyone done it?
The plan would be to use actual brick slips (made from clay?) and fix with normal tile adhesive (with 10mm tee spacers), seal them like stone tiles then grout, then seal again?

Anyone got any thoughts or advice?

What could I use as grout that might give a lime mortar look (small flecks from course sand kinda look!)?

I'm a small builder who builds a lot of bathrooms, kitchens, etc all the time. I occasionally do the tiling if its simple, straight, etc. and I can't get a tiler but mostly I get a tiler in to do it. I figure I can do this myself though.

Real brick slips are around 20mm thick right?

Thanks you lot
Adam

 

[WetSaw]

@hmtiling ....one for you I believe!

 

[Tile seller]

I think it would be better and easier to use a porcelain look alike brick slip

 

[hmtiling]

Hi guys and gals! Hope you're all keeping well.

The missus is begging me to do our bathroom. I'm always doing everyone else's and ours is ****, she says.
Our house is an old workers cottage from around 1906 and is build with slate and lime mortar mainly then with red brick accents around windows, doors etc. We have exposed (removed old lime render) a number of the brick areas around the house and it looks well.
She wants me to create a similar look in our bath/shower area. Bathroom walls will be T&G V-panelling half way up, plastered walls and she wants the brick wall look in the bath/shower area.
I said the only way that is gonna look good is if we use real brick slips with a 10mm lime mortar look between them.

Can this be done? Anyone done it?
The plan would be to use actual brick slips (made from clay?) and fix with normal tile adhesive (with 10mm tee spacers), seal them like stone tiles then grout, then seal again?

Anyone got any thoughts or advice?

What could I use as grout that might give a lime mortar look (small flecks from course sand kinda look!)?

I'm a small builder who builds a lot of bathrooms, kitchens, etc all the time. I occasionally do the tiling if its simple, straight, etc. and I can't get a tiler but mostly I get a tiler in to do it. I figure I can do this myself though.

Real brick slips are around 20mm thick right?

Thanks you lot
Adam

Hi Adam,
I've just done a terracotta wet room floor. I strongly advised against this and am guessing you're in the same position. Firstly , tanking is paramount here, i'd go for ardex wpc on walls. When you say plastered hopefully just rendered as skim coats reduce recommended hanging weight to 20kg per m2 and your grout will weigh a fair bit on its own. You're gonna want to seal these a lot! and be prepared for regular maintenance i.e. clean and re seal. You want 100% solid bed in a wet area, well any area really. This is easily achievable with small tiles. A 4x10mm ragni trowel on wall and back of tile would be my option. As for grouting , whenever I've done brick slips I've had them pointed by a brickie but never done them in a wet area. In this case , if I couldn't talk client out of it in the first place , i'd use a wide joint grout , probably bal. Universeal rapid all in one sealant worked well on the terracotta floor I did.

 

[Concrete guy]

Thinking laterally, you can fit whatever you like, it's the waterproofing that creates the issue, particularly with a clay type product.

Why not fit brick slips and point, then fit toughened glass panels over the slips. This gives you the appearance you want, with a complete waterproof barrier.

 

[Waluigi]

You would think there is some kind of resin you could use to make the bricks waterproof

A bit like those ‘penny’ floors you see. Covered in a resin.

Personally I’d put my foot down and say no. Not happening.

 

[hmtiling]

 

[hmtiling]

View attachment 100649

This was my clients response to terracotta not being suitable

 

[Waluigi]

You can see a customers view point.

I bet the Ardex WPC wasn’t available in the Roman times either

 

[Minmax89]

Thanks everyone.
I did a wetroom for a client couple of months back. They supplied concrete tiles from Bertandmay. They were 20mm thick. They needed sealing before grout, left for up to a week, then grouted, then sealed again, twice. Because of their weight I used a composite 12mm tile backer board on the walls that were mechanically fixed. The floor was made up of 18mm ply, 24mm tilebacker (foam core), then the whole unit was taped where needed and tanked before tiling.
I would plan for a similar substructure if I was going to do this brick slip thing.

So if I take the approach that I essentially make the whole area completely waterproof, seal the brick slips before and after grout and assume that I may have to reapply sealer every 12-18 months, what problems might I have with that set up?
how good is this sealer for concrete, stone, clay, etc.?

Personally I’d put my foot down and say no. Not happening.

I could try that but; a)its the missus and saying no to her is....dangerous and b)I actually like the idea too. but it really is only going to work if it looks like an original reclaimed wall.

I think it would be better and easier to use a porcelain look alike brick slip

Yes I looked at them last week. Problem is, they don't really look like brick because they were and odd size and the display in the tile shop had a 3mm grout line which further made them not look like a brick wall.

 

[hmtiling]

Thanks everyone.
I did a wetroom for a client couple of months back. They supplied concrete tiles from Bertandmay. They were 20mm thick. They needed sealing before grout, left for up to a week, then grouted, then sealed again, twice. Because of their weight I used a composite 12mm tile backer board on the walls that were mechanically fixed. The floor was made up of 18mm ply, 24mm tilebacker (foam core), then the whole unit was taped where needed and tanked before tiling.
I would plan for a similar substructure if I was going to do this brick slip thing.

So if I take the approach that I essentially make the whole area completely waterproof, seal the brick slips before and after grout and assume that I may have to reapply sealer every 12-18 months, what problems might I have with that set up?
how good is this sealer for concrete, stone, clay, etc.?


I could try that but; a)its the missus and saying no to her is....dangerous and b)I actually like the idea too. but it really is only going to work if it looks like an original reclaimed wall.



Yes I looked at them last week. Problem is, they don't really look like brick because they were and odd size and the display in the tile shop had a 3mm grout line which further made them not look like a brick wall.

The terracotta and wall tiles I used were from bert and may also. All tanked and sealed should work. They're not the ideal material as you know but you always get to tell the wife 'I told you so' if it ends badly

 

[hmtiling]

Thanks everyone.
I did a wetroom for a client couple of months back. They supplied concrete tiles from Bertandmay. They were 20mm thick. They needed sealing before grout, left for up to a week, then grouted, then sealed again, twice. Because of their weight I used a composite 12mm tile backer board on the walls that were mechanically fixed. The floor was made up of 18mm ply, 24mm tilebacker (foam core), then the whole unit was taped where needed and tanked before tiling.
I would plan for a similar substructure if I was going to do this brick slip thing.

So if I take the approach that I essentially make the whole area completely waterproof, seal the brick slips before and after grout and assume that I may have to reapply sealer every 12-18 months, what problems might I have with that set up?
how good is this sealer for concrete, stone, clay, etc.?


I could try that but; a)its the missus and saying no to her is....dangerous and b)I actually like the idea too. but it really is only going to work if it looks like an original reclaimed wall.



Yes I looked at them last week. Problem is, they don't really look like brick because they were and odd size and the display in the tile shop had a 3mm grout line which further made them not look like a brick wall.

Universeal rapid all in 1 is the best all round sealant I've used

 

[Minmax89]

So I just went on Universeal website to look at that all-in-1 stuff. Looks good. But I did find there something that may be further suitable. Its their water-based hydroseal for masonry.
https://universealsealants.co.uk/shop/indoors/hydroseal-stone-sealer/

Anyone used this in a wet area before?

 

[hmtiling]

So I just went on Universeal website to look at that all-in-1 stuff. Looks good. But I did find there something that may be further suitable. Its their water-based hydroseal for masonry.
https://We don't link directly to this website/shop/indoors/hydroseal-stone-sealer/

Anyone used this in a wet area before?

Never used the product myself but their tech department has been pretty good when I've spoken to them.