Plaster/Cementboard in a bathroom?

[fb2]

Hi All,

Looking for some advice from the assembled wisdom. I'm redoing our bathroom and am planning to put cementboard behind the shower/bath area. Should I put it in other areas of the bathroom/the ceiling or can I use normal plaster board?

Thanks

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[B17NNS]

You shouldn't really need it anywhere if the tiling us up to scratch (ie good quality waterproof adhesive, grout and silicone) but it is worth using in areas that constantly get wet like showers. It is not necessary anywhere else though - regular plasterboard is fine.

[VX Foxy]

I think 'aquaboard' is what you're looking for.

[motco]

VX Foxy said:

I think 'aquaboard' is what you're looking for.

No, that's 'waterboarding', and it's an American product.

[Allanv]

We used this in our bathroom but it isnt cheap.

http://www.bdsurfaces.com/wetwall.html

http://www.wetwall.com/bathwall.htm

[fb2]

Thanks all. Planning to do the tiling myself so belt and braces probably best! Didn't much fancy trying to hold and fix the aquaboard to the ceiling though.....

[mgtony]

Cement board is good for around shower, bath etc. If you are going to plaster the ceiling and other areas, then regular plasterboard will do. if you intend to fill the joints and paint the plasterboard itself, then use moisture resistant plasterboard, a few more quid but worth it.

[Neil_Sc]

B17NNS said:

You shouldn't really need it anywhere if the tiling us up to scratch (ie good quality waterproof adhesive, grout and silicone) but it is worth using in areas that constantly get wet like showers. It is not necessary anywhere else though - regular plasterboard is fine.

Waterproof in terms of adhesive, grout etc usually means it won't decay itself under exposure to water.

What it tends to do is pass the water through to the underlying surface. Plasterboard will decay under prolonged contact with water, cement board won't, but it will pass water through itself too, so could impact whatever it is fixed too.

I'd suggest cement based board behind areas likely to get wet and then a tanking solution ontop which will create a waterproof barrier. You can get board which you don't need to tank, can't remember the name of it though.

When I did my bathroom a few years back I used Knauf Aquapanel and Bal Adhesives WP1 tanking solution on top prior to tiling.

[tony m]

there,s no need for cementboard or aqua panel ,its only more cost,plasterboard and skim it,as long as its well grouted you wont get a problem

[Neil_Sc]

tony m said:

there,s no need for cementboard or aqua panel ,its only more cost,plasterboard and skim it,as long as its well grouted you wont get a problem

From my experience of stripping out my bathroom two years back, the plasterboard was rotten behind the tiles in the bathroom from water exposure. Grout passes water through it as I said in my post above so "well grouted" means nothing.

The water damage was bad enough to rot the plasterboard on the other side of the wall from the bathroom as the water had penetrated that deep.

IIRC the Knauf Aquapanel was £11 where a plasterboard panel would have been about £4.

The tanking solution was about £80.

The bathroom cost over £4000 in the end so I was happy to pay the little extra knowing the job was done correctly and I wouldn't face any problems in future.

[andye30m3]

Ive always specified moisture resistant boards such as http://www.british-gypsum.com/products/plasterboar... for use in bathrooms just to be on the safe side.

I don't think there a great deal more expencive than normal plasterboard.

[Hereward]

Neil_Sc said:

...When I did my bathroom a few years back I used Knauf Aquapanel and Bal Adhesives WP1 tanking solution on top prior to tiling.

Indeed. If you're going to do it properly this is what needs to be done.