more wall tiling questions

[Battis]

I got the wet tile saw from HF, bought the tiles, ready to prep the wall above the backsplash, under the counters.
Question: does it make any sense to cover the area to be tiled with very thin paneling or some other type of material to give the wall an even, level, smooth surface? Right now, there's sheetrock pieced into old plaster, old sheetrock, even some pine boards.

[gpidaho]

Battis. I would remove all the uneven wall coverings down to the bare studs and use a product called Wonderboard. It's sheets of hard board made up of concrete and fiberglass reinforcement. Folks at Lowe's or HD will know what your asking for. Gp

[JWT]

Battis. I would remove all the uneven wall coverings down to the bare studs and use a product called Wonderboard. It's sheets of hard board made up of concrete and fiberglass reinforcement. Folks at Lowe's or HD will know what your asking for. Gp

+1

Good advice. Cut the Wonderboard by scoring and snapping just like drywall.

[Battis]

That would have been the best way to go if I had planned it out in advance, but now we have everything in place - countertop, cabinets, etc. To get to the studs I'd have to remove the top layer of sheetrock, then the old horsehair plaster, and the walls have the old blown in insulation. I was thinking that maybe a thin paneling over the area to give it uniformity before tiling.

[MyFlatline]

If the sheet rock is solid, you can lay over it. I prefer Acrylpro adhesive that I get at Home Depot. Yes , planning ahead, Wonderboard or DuraRock would have been the best option , even green board. Beings this is not a wet, continually damp area, you will be fine. May need to add more adhesive to get everything smooth but is no big deal...

And yes, I do this for a living..

[Battis]

I think I gotta bite the bullet and do it the right way. It shouldn't be too bad to rip the old stuff out and replace it with the Wonderboard- it's not a big area. If I do it Mickey Mouse, Minnie will not be happy. I keep telling her to find a boyfriend, maybe a general contractor or just a rich old guy.
Thanks for the replies.

[Grmps]

Just remove the drywall, if the plaster looks smooth/flat just go over it with 1/2 cement/wonderboard.
An Oscillating Multi-Tool https://www.harborfreight.com/power-tools/oscillating-tools.html
is great for cutting close to another surface. (**make sure to really protect the countertop first**)

[reddog81]

It really depends on much variations the current surfaces have. How experienced are you at tiling? A little bit of variation in the amounts of adhesive used can offset small differences. But this is assuming we're talking about variations of 1/8" or less.

Of course it's probably best in the long run to just do it the right way and get rid of all the old **** and put something down that is intended for tiling.

[BD]

Just remove the drywall, knock any really high spots off the old plaster and replace the dry wall with 1/2" wonder board or Durock and title over that. If you're not experienced tiling walls, buy a small bag of grout joint spacers which will help keep the tiles from sagging down if you don't have the thinset mixed "just right"

[Battis]

The intent all along was to use tin but that's all changed. Tin would probably cover the wall as it is but tiling makes more sense. I've only tiled a partial floor, so I don't have any tiling skills.
I'll cut out the old wall and replace it.

[Handloader109]

Not hard. Backsplash is good practice. Hope she likes it....

[Battis]

Above (and behind) the sink soapstone backsplash, under the window, I put one long pine board, about 5' long. Can you tile over wood?

[jsizemore]

Above (and behind) the sink soapstone backsplash, under the window, I put one long pine board, about 5' long. Can you tile over wood?

No!!!

[Battis]

Can wood be prepped to take tile?

[bosterr]

Wood expands and contracts with the seasons (and humidity). I wouldn't take a chance. Personally, I would take the wall down to the studs and use cement board. I don't think you'll be sorry to take a little extra time and very little extra cost to know you have a first rate foundation for the tile.

[jsizemore]

The prep for wood is cement board/wonderboard or use a mastic adhesive for the tile over drywall.

[Battis]

I never thought about the expansion and contraction. I'll just take the wood out.

[Battis]

We removed the top layer of sheetrock, and we're down to the old plaster. There are a few spots where the underneath plaster is gone and the studs are exposed. Can Wonderboard be installed over studs with shims, or does it have to be installed completely over sheetrock?

[CastingFool]

When I tiled both my daughter's and our mb shower, I stripped the walls down to the studs and used 1/2" cement backer board. Then I taped the joints and used thinset to cover the joints. After the thinset set up, I put 3 coats of Redguard over everything. It is a waterproofing paint, and thinset sticks to it very well. Home Depot carries the Redguard.

[jsizemore]

You can shim your wall as long as it's solid. The flatter you make the Wonderboard the easier it is to set your tile. That's less time troweling, back buttering and taking tile on and off the wall to make the tile edges flush while bent over the counter and under the upper cabinets. You'll need some outlet box extenders and maybe some longer screws for the outlets and switches where your done tiling and grouting.

After your done, Momma should make you a cake and clean your deer.

[Battis]

I had back surgery two weeks ago so I'm more useless than before. But Da Momma has taken it upon herself to get the job done. She did most of the ripping out of the top layer of sheetrock and she's willing to do the Wonderboard and the tiling. How long can you milk back surgery? It's supposed to be a snowy winter.
Her nephew is an electrician and he said he'd do the boxes and switches.

[Sweetpea]

I'll second on coating whatever you use with paint, be it redguard,red guard, which waterproofing is pretty pointless in this application, or just any paint or primer you have laying around the house.

Wonder board or other cement backer boards suck, literally. They are so dry and porous that they will suck the moisture out of the thinset very quickly. This leads to reduced working times, and higher probability of the tiles failing in the future.

Personally, I'd replace the old sheetrock with new sheetrock, and paint it, then tile away.

Yes, I do this for a living, and no, pros generally don't use cement backers, and not just because of the cost. Using a good BRAND thinset, of mid range cost, you will pull the backer off the wall with the tile, no matter what backer you use.

[NyFirefighter357]

Sheetrock is enough backer for wall tile. Use a good mastic and a 1/4" V-notch trowel. I wouldn't use cement board on a wall anyway. A much better and easier to use product is DensShield Glass Mat Tile Backer which is sheetrock based and denser than cement board but cuts easily. https://www.homedepot.com/p/ToughRock-DensShield-1-2-in-x-2-7-ft-x-5-ft-Glass-Mat-Tile-Backer-008590/100322694

[Battis]

I passed all the info on to the new project manager, which she added to her own research. I feel like June Cleaver, or any housewife from the 50s.
Thanks for all of the replies.

[jsizemore]

I hear that a supervisory role is very demanding. I'd ensure you have an adequate supply of coffee and donuts at the ready. Maybe a light pointer so you don't have to get to close when noting errors.