Everyone is well aware that the process of laying tiles is always accompanied by large material and time costs. This is especially felt if you need to update the tiles in the bathroom . Not only will you have to remove the old cladding material, but then you still need to carefully align the walls. And since our houses, especially the old type, were built with minimal observance of the construction rules, sometimes in order to bring the walls in the bathroom to mind, you need more than a dozen bags of stucco mixture, which, by the way, if it is of high quality, is quite expensive . What to do in this case? There is an exit. You can consider as an alternative such type of work as laying tiles in a bathroom on drywall. What are the advantages of this method?
The advantages of laying drywall tiles
First of all, we win in time. After all, in order to put the tiles in the bathroom on the plastered walls, you need to wait for them to completely dry out after finishing. And the alignment process itself is not a quick affair. Most often it is necessary to carry out it in several stages, because, as mentioned above, it is very rare when the base surface requires minimal preparation for the laying process. While drywall walls can be done during the day. And on the next - already to start finishing works.
In addition, laying tiles on drywall in the bathroom can save a lot of money. Firstly, GKL can be easily installed with your own hands, the main thing is to be able to hold a drill in your hands. Secondly, drywall sheets are relatively inexpensive, and how many do they need for our small bathrooms? Thirdly, when tiles are laid on drywall in the bathroom, there is a much lower consumption of glue, since the base surface is almost perfectly flat.
GKL selection
If you have to carry out in the future such a procedure as laying tiles in a bathroom on drywall, then first of all you, of course, must install this GKL. That is, sheathe their walls. And here is the most important point. Only waterproof plasterboard is suitable for this. And only it should be purchased at the store. Of course, the seller will help with the choice. But in order not to be mistaken, especially if you are new to repair, you need to remember the following: sheets of moisture-proof drywall are always green.
Wireframe selection
Some home masters are firmly convinced that ordinary wooden bars are suitable as a frame for GKL. Perhaps if you decide to sheathe the inner wall in the room. But not in a room with high humidity! After all, a tree can be deformed, which ultimately leads to disastrous consequences. So keep in mind: the tiles are laid in the bathroom on drywall installed on a metal profile, not on a tree! And this is an important condition.
Choosing a ceramic tile
When purchasing a tile for a bathroom, you need to pay attention to its quality. Tiles of the second grade, of different lots, bought at all kinds of sales, are quite capable of nullifying all the advantages of laying on GKL. In other words: low-quality tile on gypsum board does not work accurately and quickly. Therefore, we do not save on the facing material, we choose the tile for which the angles (if possible, of course) are perfectly even.
Appearance also matters. We will not talk about design - this is a master's business. However, remember: the drawing you like should be bright, clear, without extraneous inclusions.
Look at the inside out. On a high-quality tile there is always a brand of the manufacturer. In addition, the pattern on it is convex, clear. By the way, the shiny surface of the inside most often indicates that mistakes were made in the manufacturing process. Before you is a heated tile, which will be distinguished by increased fragility.
As for the hardness of the tile, you can determine this by tapping on it (lightly, of course), with some object. High-quality tile does not ring, it makes a dull sound.
Glue
Laying tiles in the bathroom on drywall is carried out in two ways. This can be done using either liquid nails or tile glue.
The first option is quite “clean” in terms of work, the procedure is quick, and the quality of fixation does not cause any complaints. But there is one significant minus. Having a sufficiently large area of the working surface, we, having chosen liquid nails, can literally go broke. The material is very expensive, so the economical owner will not even consider such an option.
So we recommend staying on tile glue. It is easy to work with it, it is flexible, the quality is very, very good, and the fixation is not satisfactory. By the way, many tilers recommend paying attention to the Eunice glue. The material will please you at an affordable price, in addition, it will be quite simple for a beginner to work with him, since he is very obedient.
Primer
Before putting the tile on drywall, the latter must first be primed. Better even twice. But here, however, you need to read carefully the manufacturer's instructions. Some primers do not require repeated use, so before using the solution, be sure to first read what is written on the package.
As for the types of primer, experts recommend first of all to pay attention to the brands Mira 4120 and Tifengrund Knauf.
GKL installation
Before talking about how to lay tile on drywall, I need to say a few words about the installation of gypsum plasterboard. By and large, this procedure is similar to those carried out in other rooms. And this is not the topic of our review today. But some nuances still need to pay attention.
And first of all, it should be borne in mind that heavy ceramic tiles will be glued to your drywall wall, and not, say, wallpaper, as if it were happening in an ordinary room. For this reason, the base must be very strong, able to withstand the weight of the tile. And therefore, exposing the metal profile, try to make the distance between the slats at least 40 centimeters, which will provide additional strength to the frame.
Tile work
By and large, the tile on the drywall in the bathroom is laid exactly the same as on the plastered surface. There is no particular difference. Except, perhaps, that the work will be noticeably easier, since your base is almost perfectly flat.
You should start from the most prominent angle and from below. At the height of the second row, using a level (a prerequisite!) Level, plank is screwed to the drywall. As it is possible to use the remains of a metal profile. Laying starts from this support bar. Then glue is diluted. You do not need to do much of it. Count so that one portion is enough for two square meters, no more. Especially if you are new to this business. After all, you can hesitate or get stuck at some stage, as a result of which the solution simply dries. And this is an extra expense, since it can never be re-diluted with water in any case.
Glue should be applied with a sufficiently thin layer, and level it with a spatula with teeth specially designed for this purpose.
Try to apply the same amount of glue to each tile so that the tile lies flat on the drywall, just like the previous tiles. If you overdo it, gently squeeze out the excess and remove the glue with a damp cloth. Be sure to lay crosses between the seams so that the gaps are the same.
Be sure to check the level of how smooth your tile is during the work. Each, of course, is of no use to control, nevertheless try to do this as often as possible.
It is not recommended to stack more than five rows in one run. After that, you need to take a short break. You can’t immediately load the drywall base, you need to give it some time to adapt to the rather large weight created by the tile, coupled with tile glue.
As soon as the lined areas dry, remove the crosses, and clean the tile with a rag. Tile glue is very poorly removed from the surface of the facing material after complete drying. So then it will be difficult to deal with it, especially if your tile is not glossy smooth, but corrugated.
Grout
Jointing should be carried out no less than a day after the end of work. You need to wait a bit until the glue finally sets. Well, then, using a special rubber spatula, you need to carefully grout all the seams with grout. It is better to take the latter with antibacterial fillers so that mold does not accumulate on the fugue during the operation of the bathroom.
To summarize
And finally, we summarize all the information. Remember: drywall under the tiles in the bathroom must be moisture resistant (sheets of it are usually green). When installing the frame, wooden bars cannot be used, only metal guides should be used. Tile for the bathroom is not the material to save on. Get only quality tiles. Use in the process of work well-proven glue ("Eunice", for example). During lining after laying five rows, take a break. Let your hands rest, and drywall - “get used to” the load.
If you carefully follow all the recommendations, there is no doubt - repairs in the bathroom can be carried out quickly and efficiently.