I’m on a job that has plaster walls. The customer is looking to do tile 5 feet up the walls in his bathroom. It’s the old lathe and plaster. One of the walls has to come out, so I’ll replace it with cement board? The other I was hoping to leave. It has many coats of high gloss paint, which I imagine has to come off? Or, I could replace the bottom 5 feet of the wall with durock, but then how do I transition from that to drywall above?
Does anyone do mastic application anymore? Maybe I can just greenboard the whole thing and do a mastic application? Water is not a factor.
Any thoughts?
Replies
no water ... great condition plaster ... after the demo ... mastic would work.
I'd be inclined to think about surgical demo and backerboad ... up to the middle of the top tile ... or bullnose.
Plastic everything off .... circular saw the cut line thru the plaster .. chip plaster ... circular saw the lath.
Nice straight line ... fur out the backer ... make it flush ... then CBU mesh tape and thinset the joint. That top tile will span the backer and plaster above.
Just reread .. works with the "drywall" above as well as plaster.
If any mesh or thiset happens to gow on you and show above ... that's a simple float job to fix with durobond.
Jeff
Buck Construction Pittsburgh,PA
Artistry in Carpentry
Jeff was, as usual, right on. If water is not an issue you can use mastic. I hate the stuff and would use thinset however.
Tiling on lathe and plaster is not fun. The stuff is not straight nor plumb. Put a long straight edge on it before you bid the job. That will tell you what you need to know.
Me? I'd rip it out, install drywall and use thinset.
Boris
"Sir, I may be drunk, but you're crazy, and I'll be sober tomorrow" -- WC Fields, "Its a Gift" 1934
So, I'm leaning towards replacing both walls with greenboard rather than the surgical approach. I always find it easier to go all the way down to the studs and start again. A little more money, maybe, but saves time in the long run.
You're saying that I can use either thinset or mastic? Either one will provide hold on the greenboard? This forum seems to like thinset better in all occasions than mastic, but I'm more familiar with mastic on wall surfaces. Can anyone tell me the benefits/drawbacks?
Mastic is c r a p . However, it has its place. Some would say that its place is in the garbage can.
The problem is that the stuff just won't cure very fast; and in the presence of moisture, it might take months to cure. If you set a tile with mastic, you can pull it off by hand two days later. There is no way that can occur with thinset. If the mastic is in the presence of moisture, like in a shower, there is a risk that it will re-emulsify, e.g., turn into mush, tiles start falling off, mold grows, your dog bites you and your wife divorces you.
That having been all said, if I was tiling a room without moisture I could live with mastic. I think I would pick up a bag of thinset instead, but if that is all they had at the corner store, I could live with it.
Regards,
Boris
"Sir, I may be drunk, but you're crazy, and I'll be sober tomorrow" -- WC Fields, "Its a Gift" 1934
Thanks for the responses. I just need an answer to the one question, though. Can I use thinset on greenboard? Or does it have to be on cement board?
You can use thinset on drywall or greenboard.Regards,
Boris
"Sir, I may be drunk, but you're crazy, and I'll be sober tomorrow" -- WC Fields, "Its a Gift" 1934
Thanks much for the response. I'm using those 3x6 subway tiles on the walls in a running bond pattern. Do you recommend using spacers for this application? I haven't seen the tiles, but assume they have lugs on them.
I'm looking at Michael Byrne's book and he's using spacers even though the tiles have lugs. Is it just that he wants a larger grout line than would be provided by butting the tiles up to each other?
I use spacers. The 3x6 DalTile White Subways look better with a sixteenth of an inch spacer.
Layout is a bear with a running bond. Probably easier to just start with a full course and risk skinnies at the other end, but I would certainly do the math. Rent a laser level to establish a grout line somewhere along the wall and measure up and down from there, and use chaulk lines to mark the other horizontal grout lines.
Regards,
Boris
"Sir, I may be drunk, but you're crazy, and I'll be sober tomorrow" -- WC Fields, "Its a Gift" 1934
Edited 2/11/2004 3:15:00 PM ET by Boris Yeltsin
Had the exact same scenario in our house in Little Rock. I did a surgical removal of the plaster 5' up. I then installed cement backer board and shimmed as required to parallel the existing remaining walls higher up. Now this is gonna soud weird, and I know it's not for everybody, but I set the depth of the backer board so the face of the tile came 'flush' with the face of the existing plaster. Like was mentioned, cutting the lath and plaster is UGLY & DUSTY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Just couldn't part with the original textured plaster, guess I'm a sucker for punishment.
Let's not confuse the issue with facts!