Getting tiling installed correctly can make a better bathroom renovation
Applying bathroom tiling adhesive the correct way is essential for a quality bathroom renovation in a house, unit or apartment. This is one of the things that most home owners won’t understand or see getting done. Some renovation contractors might cut their costs by applying less adhesive to save money but this can lead to potential issues later on. See how we do it for our bathroom renovations in Sydney.
Like many industries there is always debate about the right or wrong way to do things like how to apply bathroom tile adhesive. It is human nature to have an opinion and that is why there is so much information on every topic you can imagine. The method we use as been tried and tested over many years, it is the reason why we are so confident offering a warranty on all our renovations in Sydney.
We’ve never had a client call us to say ‘our tiling has come loose’.
From our perspective we could cut corners and save a few dollars in materials or time, but it will come back and bite us by needing to go back and repair things later on. So we make sure the job is done correctly the first time.
It is the small things like how to apply bathroom tile adhesive that often gets forgotten about during small bathroom renovations in Sydney. It can be a way that bathroom renovation companies save money on materials or labour payments by only applying small amounts of tile adhesive to each tile.
It doesn’t sound like a big thing, but on large bathroom renovation jobs (then multiplied by hundreds of projects) the savings can be quite large for a renovation company through neglecting to provide a high quality renovation service.
So for all the Nu-Trend bathroom renovations we make sure that the tiling gets the maximum coverage of tile adhesive for all floor and wall tiles. Ideally everything above 450 x 450 should be back buttered and notched to ensure maximum adhesion and to prevent tiles cracking or moving later on.
This sounds like a rhetorical question. Obviously the main benefit is that your tiling stays on the walls. Although other benefits can be that it makes completing small bathroom jobs easier to complete. For example, if you need to drill through the tile to install a new shower screen or to install new plumbing fixtures, the correct application of tile adhesive can prevent the tiles from splitting.
The most obvious benefit of course is that it creates a long lasting durable bathroom that can be used for many years without needing to carry out maintenance or repairs to the tiling. In the photos above, we are using Mapei ULTRALITE which is a one component, high-performance, highly-deformable, lightweight cementitious adhesive. We like using it because of the extended open time, very high yield, its ease to trowel and good buttering capacity. It is an ideal adhesive for ceramic tiles, stone and even thin porcelain tiles.
Not really, doing any type of renovation project will have hundreds of variables to consider and that is where choosing an experienced renovator comes into play. Just imagine there are hundreds of surface types, materials, adhesives and techniques that can all be combined.
So of course simply things like ‘How thick should the adhesive be?’ that leads to questions like;
– What is the context of how it is being applied?
– What tile is it?
– What is the substrate?
So you can put an adhesive on tiles and what or how you do this will vary based on the type of adhesive you are using, the environment, temperature etc. So generally a 15mm notch trowel covers 3-4 square metres but different adhesives spread differently.
Then of course there is the topic of mixing adhesives where people might mix the wrong elements together with combinations of adhesives and cement.
This highlights the type of detail we go to when planning and preparing our bathroom renovations. It is an example of the detail we apply to anything from a simple shower renovations or a master bathroom renovation. It is one very small example as to why bathroom renovation quotes can differ greatly between renovation companies.
Some will try and complete a renovation project as quickly and simply as possible, therefore reduce their efforts for things like using bathroom tile adhesive – so if they are taking short cuts on things like that, what else is happening that you can’t visibly see.
That is why Nu-Trend is chosen by a lot of residential and commercial bathroom renovations in Sydney as we make sure every little detail is covered to deliver a high quality project that will last.
Here are some of our recent bathroom renovations in Sydney that Nu-Trend has completed. The majority of the projects we are contracted for are complete bathroom renovations where the room is completely stripped so that the flooring, walls, tiling and waterproofing is installed brand new.
Local, licensed & insured
Plumber | Renovator | Drainer | Gas fitter
Nu-Trend is a company in Sydney that has provided plumber and bathroom renovation services since 2009. The Directors Rob and Rick are hands-on, providing a personal service.
Sydney Water
PLUMBER
We work closely with Sydney Water for all plumbing requirements.
STANDARDS AUSTRALIA AS/NZS3500:2018 Compliant
A renovation business that builds new bathrooms to meet Australian Standards.
Experience & a written commitment.
Rick and Rob are the hands-on directors for Nu-Trend. Rather than hire sub-contractors and manage their business from a distant office, they are on the tools, at your site & working towards delivering your bathroom renovation or plumbing service. It means you are talking directly to the owners of the business, the guys who are accountable and responsible rather than via email or through customer service teams.
It is why they are able to provide a written guarantee that demonstrates their confidence in standing by the quality of their workmanship and the service they deliver to every single client.
They have a very single minded commitment to deliver a high level of professionalism and quality, they’ve been doing renovation contracting in Sydney since 2009.
