Plasterboard behind shower
Author
Discussion

wjwren

Original Poster:

4,484 posts

161 months

Friday 11th October 2019
quotequote all
Ive had issues before with water behind tiles. Im going to rip it all out and redo the shower cubicle. Is it recommended to use waterproof board and any other advice please!

Black_S3

2,797 posts

214 months

Friday 11th October 2019
quotequote all
Cement tile backer board is what you want.

Mr Pointy

13,097 posts

185 months

Jambo85

3,541 posts

114 months

Friday 11th October 2019
quotequote all
I believe the wall should be tanked behind the tiles too - with something like this:
https://www.toolstation.com/mapei-shower-waterproo...

C0ffin D0dger

3,440 posts

171 months

Friday 11th October 2019
quotequote all
Use shower panels instead of tiles. 100% waterproof so fine over plasterboard.

https://www.bushboard.co.uk/nuance

Evolved

4,077 posts

213 months

Friday 11th October 2019
quotequote all
C0ffin D0dger said:
Use shower panels instead of tiles. 100% waterproof so fine over plasterboard.

https://www.bushboard.co.uk/nuance
Not a fan of this look at all. Tiles and backer board are just as good. Prep is key with tiling to ensure the finish is water tight.

Pinoyuk

422 posts

82 months

Friday 11th October 2019
quotequote all
Just about all the preparation is about allowing water that has past the grout etc .Not to soak in and damage what’s behind. Correct prep including cement type boards and a tanking kit is a must . Also the correct amount of tile over the shower base etc .Dont just have 2-3 mm etc ! Also I would stay away from shower trays with feet .Build a proper base to support the tray on etc .I like light weight blocks cemented in place.Tray will never budge

sospan

2,755 posts

248 months

Friday 11th October 2019
quotequote all
We have had Respatex panels in both our last house and the current one. No issues whatsoever with dampness. Previous house was done 7 years when we moved. Easy to clean, simply wiping over and we use a window cleaning blade in the shower area.
The joints between the panels are very tight and hard to see on the patterns we have had. Current pattern is cement with white ceiling. and looks great. Whole bathroom is done in Respatex, walls and ceiling.

Little Lofty

3,857 posts

177 months

Friday 11th October 2019
quotequote all
I’m of the opinion that if you use good quality tiles ( preferably porcelain ) and good quality adhesive and grout you don’t need to use cement boards or tanking. Having said that I am a fan of this:
https://www.tileexperience.co.uk/schluter-kerdi-ki...
I would also recommend a shower tray with an upstand or use this:
https://www.cityplumbing.co.uk/Classi-Seal-2-5m-Se...

Black_S3

2,797 posts

214 months

Friday 11th October 2019
quotequote all
Little Lofty said:
I’m of the opinion that if you use good quality tiles ( preferably porcelain ) and good quality adhesive and grout you don’t need to use cement boards or tanking. Having said that I am a fan of this:
https://www.tileexperience.co.uk/schluter-kerdi-ki...
I would also recommend a shower tray with an upstand or use this:
https://www.cityplumbing.co.uk/Classi-Seal-2-5m-Se...
I tend to agree but for the sake of it while the tiles are off you might as well replace pb with cement board. Many bathrooms installed 20 years ago still have perfect standard pb behind tiles.... most the failures that fk the board behind are down to leaks in the wall from the shower/pipe work or moving baths/shower trays or visibly cracked grout/silicone, if these happen and you have cement board you can usually save smashing all the tiles off to fix.

anonymous-user

80 months

Friday 11th October 2019
quotequote all
I had the same issue as the OP, the grout cracks over time and the water ingress dissolves the plasterboard. In that shower I put in a sealed fibreglass cubicle which is easy to wipe clean and looks decent. Most importantly I know it’ll never leak! In our other shower we used cement board because it doesn’t change to mush when it gets wet. In fact it’s waterproof. Don’t use marine ply either as the tile adhesive has a hard time sticking to it. Over time your tiles will fall off! Make sure you chop out the old plasterboard first before using the cement board, you can then stick your tiles straight onto it.

guindilias

5,245 posts

146 months

Friday 11th October 2019
quotequote all
And marine ply is great if always wet or always dry, but debonds in a year or two if it shifts between them all the time - I did the front of my hunting cabin in it, 22mm stuff as the whole place is 100 year old stud wooden walls. Cost a fortune as you can imagine, the whole front gable wall was rotten and had to be replaced.
2 years later it looked worse then the (hardboard, with black emulsion!) cover that it replaced.
Now it is cement board with Tyvek behind it and 22m OSB as the structural bit (don't laugh, it works a treat!), we paint it with emulsion every couple of years, and it just lasts and lasts...
The back wall of the house was built with asbestos containing cement board and has never had any problem since it was put on as an extension 94 years ago - if it did, I would just re-sheet it in cement board sans asbestos and let it last another 100 years!

Spare tyre

12,338 posts

156 months

Friday 11th October 2019
quotequote all
I used the cement type board from b and q

It was ha day as they did slightly smaller sheets so a bit easier to work

Can be cut with a standard jigsaw. Nice to work with

Didn’t cost that much more than plasterboard and certainly give peace of mind

dingg

4,516 posts

245 months

Friday 11th October 2019
quotequote all
guindilias said:
And marine ply is great if always wet or always dry, but debonds in a year or two if it shifts between them all the time - I did the front of my hunting cabin in it, 22mm stuff as the whole place is 100 year old stud wooden walls. Cost a fortune as you can imagine, the whole front gable wall was rotten and had to be replaced.
2 years later it looked worse then the (hardboard, with black emulsion!) cover that it replaced.
Now it is cement board with Tyvek behind it and 22m OSB as the structural bit (don't laugh, it works a treat!), we paint it with emulsion every couple of years, and it just lasts and lasts...
The back wall of the house was built with asbestos containing cement board and has never had any problem since it was put on as an extension 94 years ago - if it did, I would just re-sheet it in cement board sans asbestos and let it last another 100 years!
It wasn't marine ply if that happened so quickly to it.

Had stuff on a 15 deg angle from horizontal that lasted 10 years before needing replacement and vertical 18mm marine ply still 100% with only creosote coating for protection.

Vanden Saab

17,591 posts

100 months

Friday 11th October 2019
quotequote all
You could use cement board but it is hard to work and does not allow any movement between the tiles and the battens. Far better is to use insulation board such as Deltaboard. it is light and can be cut with a stanley knife, it is also totally waterproof. It comes in widths from 6mm to 20mm. You can use normal plasterboard screws to fix it but you do also need special spreading washers. Seal the joints with silicone and there is no need to tank.

guindilias

5,245 posts

146 months

Friday 11th October 2019
quotequote all
dingg said:
It wasn't marine ply if that happened so quickly to it.

Had stuff on a 15 deg angle from horizontal that lasted 10 years before needing replacement and vertical 18mm marine ply still 100% with only creosote coating for protection.
This is the front wall of a cabin that is basically on the lake - it is on stilts, and you can bring the boat right up under the house. So it was getting wet with spray from the lake, then drying out and being boiled up by the sun (black paint), then being soaked again... trust me, I know wood and I know the guy at my timber yard (Cardy Timber, on Facebook).
It was marine ply, and when I brought him back a sheet of it he told me exactly why it had delaminated and why I should have used cement board instead, or WPB, or solid wood.
WBP would have lasted longer, but marine ply is basically rubbish as soon as you cut into a sheet - you can never get the edges sealed as well as they dip them at the factory, so damp gets into them.
You really need an epoxy or GRP resin to seal the edges - and that will crack eventually leaving you with basically a bare edge, and once the damp gets in a tiny bit - you're stuffed, the whole sheet will blow before long.

Risotto

3,933 posts

238 months

Saturday 12th October 2019
quotequote all
For the sake of a hundred quid in materials, cement board and tanking is a no brainer. Yes, it’s complete overkill but rather that than have to endure the ball ache of ripping out a shower, repairing the water damage and re-tiling.

guindilias

5,245 posts

146 months

Saturday 12th October 2019
quotequote all
I don't even tank it - thick plastic membrane all round, nailed into the studs and a wee blob of sealant over each nail. then hang the cement board properly - drill it before you put a screw through, then as before, a wee blob of sealant to cover the countersunk screw head.
Tile over that and you won't have things going mouldy or half the shower wall falling into the tray one day.

Wet plasterboard is also gruesome to deal with - no chance it's staying in a nice sheet form, it comes out by the handful instead.
I hate plasterboard in general, a "hazardous material" at my local dump, yet you can buy it next door at the builder's yard.
The stuff should be banned, there are much better and recyclable options out there than that trash.

anonymous-user

80 months

Saturday 12th October 2019
quotequote all
The cement board I used is called Aquapanel . Wickes sells it. It's like heavy Green plasterboard (it is cement board).

I built a walk in wet room shower with wet room floor etc. Tanked up to about waist level. Very heavy travertine tiles , so the plasterboard had to cope with the weight and the fact travertine is porous (it is sealed mind you).

Due to the nature of the building I can go under the shower (cellar) and all is bone dry.

Removing the old damp plasterboard was as described above!

wjwren

Original Poster:

4,484 posts

161 months

Saturday 26th October 2019
quotequote all
Im going to crack on tomorrow with this. With cement board do you actually remove the old plasterboard completely? with the other stuff - forgot the name, do you put it on top of the plasterboard?