Waterproof membrane for bathroom

[building.works]

Hi everyone,

A friend is currently doing our bathroom and has advised using Impey Tilesafe waterproof membrane. Tilesafe sounds good but it's pretty expensive and seems to be overkill for a standard bathroom - it's not a wetroom, just a standard 'bath with shower screen' job.

Could anyone recommend a cheaper waterproof membrane to use in a bathroom (mahogany ply floor, aquapanel walls, everything to be tiled over) ?

Many thanks, Nick

[Stuart]

Why do you need this membrane .??..As far as the walls are concerned Aquapanel doesn't need any membrane as it is itself waterproof and I cannot see why you should need it for the floor either .Why is your friend suggesting this .What are his reasons ..? I could see the point if you had used plasterboard for the walls but not when you have used Aquapanel.

Stuart .

[Vaci]

Aquapanel is not waterproof. Although it won't disintegrate if it gets damp, it will still allow water to soak through it.

Vaci

[sm_jamieson]

Aquapanel is water resistant - it will not be affected by moisture. But it is not water impermeable. When sujected to a lot of wetness, it can soak up the water and it can soak through the board. I don't know at what rate this would occur. My new bathroom I will be tanking the walls with something like Bal WP1. All this may be overkill, but you only do it once (every 10 years ?).

I looked at the tilesafe membrane, Could be a little difficult to use since it is I believe a sticky sheet, I imagined it sticking when the corner was not quite pushed in, resulting in a rounded off corner that you could not tile properly. The product is sold on speed of use, which I'm sure is true once you have the knack. If you use the membrane, make sure you use the type of edging strip that goes under the tiles and onto the bath, and bring the membrane over the top of the strip, so there is no weak spot around the bath, which defeats the whole purpose.

Cheers. Simon.

[The Natural Philosopher]

Yes. Nothing At All. Comes extremely cheaply, and I have used it on all my bathrooms and it has kept the splashes where they should be for many years.

The reason to tile a bathroom is to provide a barrier to splashing. You van tile over raw plasterboard and have a decent waterproof barrier.

The only place you may need to be more circumspect is on the floor, where leaks and splashes may collect. I did have one area where an unspotted minor leak from a toilet flush mechanism finally penetrated the grout and cause the underlying chip board to swell and crack the tiles off. Removing and relaying the tiles after an interval to allow the wood to shrink again, and fixing the leak, has been entirely satisfactory.

[Stuart]

Maybe so but why should this membrane be needed for an overbath shower . If he uses the proper adhesive and grouts properly there should be no problem ...If things get to the stage that water gets to the Aquapanel then he really has problems ..

Stuart

[building.works]

Thanks for all your replies. I think the reason he suggested using the membrane was because the tiles are a bit OTT pricewise and he wants to minimise the consequences should the grout/adhesive manage to be penetrated.

I like the sound of Nothing At All, but I'll take a look at BAL WP1 :)

Cheers, Nick

[The Natural Philosopher]

Well add some PVA to the grout then.

Or use epoxy grout.

[Stuart]

snipped

I've not added pva to grout before .How much do you add..?

Stuart