What's underneath is just as important as what's on top!
A great tiling job can transform your bathroom, but before you begin, it's worth considering two key things that will make all the difference to the quality of the finished job.
1. Firstly, make sure you choose correct tile.
2. Secondly, make sure you use the correct underlay.
3. Thirdly - ‘Engage a good tiler'.
Tiling is an art – and not all tilers are artists! So, ask around. Word of mouth is still the most reliable way to find skilled tradesmen. If you don't know anyone who has had their bathroom tiled lately, ask at your local tile shop for a list of recommended tilers in your area. Tiling is definitely a job for an expert. Trying to do it yourself could be false economy!
What type of tiles, are suitable for bathrooms?
Bathrooms are one of the most demanding areas in the house for building materials. Whatever you use, it needs to withstand weight, constant heat, water and humidity etc. This makes unglazed, porous tiles unsuitable.
There are different grades of tiles for walls and floors. Floor tiles need to be non-slip and hard wearing. High gloss glazed tiles tend not to be suitable, not only because of potential slipperiness, but because they also grow dull with use. Wall tiles tend to be thinner and less strong because they take less wear. High gloss tiles are suitable for walls – and easy to clean.
Not only do the tiles need to be impervious to water (not all are), but the adhesive, grout, and substrate material all need to be able to withstand the extreme conditions encountered in wet areas. If the substrate fails, chances are the tiles will fail to.
James Hardie's Villaboard Lining provides a high performance tile substrate for the walls, and when used in conjunction with James Hardie Base Coat and James Hardie Top Coat, it provides the most suitable substrate – with no weak links.
Villaboard Lining is made from fibre-cement so it is stable substrate for wet areas. Villaboard Lining is coated with a surface primer which inhibits absorption of moisture into the sheet. This also provides better adhesion for tiles and wallpaper adhesives and less paint required when using Villaboard Lining as a surface for paint finishes outside wet areas.
Because Villaboard Lining can be painted or tiled over, it provides the perfect surface for bathroom walls that are tiled up to a certain height; above the shower base, and then painted.
For bathroom floors, James Hardie Tile and Slate Underlay provides a smooth and stable substrate for laying tile, slate, vinyl, timber strip, particle board or plywood sheet flooring.
The cement based composition of Tile and Slate Underlay means that it provides stability and will not rot, plus it's easy to install.
Read more about James Hardie Villaboard Lining
Read more about James Hardie Tile and Slate Underlay
