How to Mount Tiles on Ply or Hardboard?

[michaeld121]

My wife's just bought some ceramic letters that spell out our son's name that she'd like mounted for his bedroom.

The letters are approx 6 inches high, made from some kind of fired ceramic / clay. The front is glazed, but the back isn't. I'm planning to mount them (probably using tile cement) on plywood or hardboard & then make a small-ish frame & paint the whole thing. However I've got a couple of questions:

Would plywood or hardboard be better? Is tile cement a sensible thing to use (I thought of Gripfill as an alternative) Should I prime the ply or hardboard before sticking on the letters?

Thanks,

Michael

[Tim S]

I would say ply - it's less bendy (even for 1/4" thickness) and will paint better - hardboard sucks up paint like a b**tard. B&Q (and others) often have 1/4" and 1/2" ply (or whatever in metric) in handy smaller sizes.

Gripfill ("No more nails" etc) should do an excellent job with less chance of falling off - you probably have less surface area than a typical square tile so the extra adhesion would be worth it in my view. Probably more tolerant of slight flexing in the back board.

You could also hot glue them on (there might be a very small risk of the heat cracking the tile, but I think it's fairly unlikely - but best considered if the tiles are "irreplaceable", or use Araldite.

Good question... Yes, I would, but I've never tried what you are proposing so hang around and see if anyone else suggest differently.

HTH

Tim

[Stuart]

Would silicone not stick them .Less messy .??

[Bookworm]

You will probably find that with any thin boards, as the glue/cement/sealant dries the board will take on a curve

[Malcolm Race]

Working in a school, I have had to prepare boards containing tiles peoduced by pupils. I have stuck these onto 9mm ply, unprimed, using 'Fix and Grout' type adhesive and subsequently grouting between the tiles. One has been displayed on a wall for at least 3 years with no problems.

Malcolm

[davemo]

Sticks like sh*t by evo stik on 1/4 inch pl

-- davemo

[The Medway Handyman]

I'd use ply and Gripfill.