Thread: Villaboard in Shower Area

Standard villa board is ok, but it has to be waterproofed in the 'wet' areas prior to tiling, eg, waterproof above the height of your shower (around 2m), the standard width of a shower is 900mm so waterproof that area to around 1100mm, then you waterproof your whole floor and up the walls about 300mm. Im no expert in this area but have seen many bathrooms prior to tiling and this is how they've all looked. There is sure to be a waterproofer somewhere on the forum that can either confirm this or shoot me down in flames!!!!!!!!

Originally Posted by bazman

I'm what you would call a novice DIY-er but am willing to give it a go! It's my first time at attempting to re-tile the walls of a shower area.

My question is regarding Villaboard - I have read conflicting reports as to whether this needs to be treated for moisture before applying tiles to - can some one confirm whether this is the case.

I have also heard that there is a 'green' cement sheet which is already treated so I assume that I can tile directly on to this - again has anyone heard of this?

Any recommendations for a good tile adhesive in a wet area?

Thanks in advance!

villaboard is a wonderful product ,in my bathroom installations ,i sheet ,i seal the corners with base coat and tape ,wait for it to dry then apply a coating of waterproofing membrane to all corners and joints ,and any edges that i thing will be affected by moisture ,coating the whole area is an overkill as the manufacturer of the tiling adhesive is looking for someone else to blame if their product fails

One of the great things about things about the Internet (apart from forums like these) is that a lot of manufacturers offer their product technical information online. Fortunately, James Hardie is one of them, so do yourself a favour and download and read these:

Villaboard Installation Manual
Wet Area Construction Design Manual

Originally Posted by silentC

One of the great things about things about the Internet (apart from forums like these) is that a lot of manufacturers offer their product technical information online. Fortunately, James Hardie is one of them, so do yourself a favour and download and read these:

Villaboard Installation Manual
Wet Area Construction Design Manual

yeah ,and i have read them all back to front and the manufacturers go to great lengths to cover their behind if their product fails ,btw if all contractors took notice of the recommended installation instructions for all things that make a house or a reno, would you pay at least a 50 percent premium over and above the cost of the reno/house i think not !!!!!!!!!!!!!,

So your advice is to listen to a guy who makes flat pack kitchens and ignore the manufacturer's instructions?

I think not.

Originally Posted by silentC

So your advice is to listen to a guy who makes flat pack kitchens and ignore the manufacturer's instructions?

I think not.

no my advice is to read the manufacturers RECOMMENDATIONS and if you feel comfortable with them then go ahead and follow them ,what i am saying is that people in the trade KNOW what to do ,thats why we are tradies for goodness sake ,tradies (me included) know our business and KNOW what to do both legally and morally to get the job first accepted and then do it , i feel sorry for the weekend warrior sometimes because they treat all brochures with gospel and follow them to the letter then wonder why it cost more to do in time and money then the tradie quoted them .
as for the assumption that i am simply a flat pack kitchen manufacturer ,I have been wy own business for 26 years now and throughout that time i have done kitchens ,bathrooms,shopfits,and i believe that i have the experience to recommend to the proponents of this forum free advice,if they take me up on it then well and good ,if they dont then thats well and good still ,
an older person once told me that experience is a learned thing and the best thing you can recieve for free is someones experience and knowledge

think about it

arms,

Not talking kitchens specifically, but if more subbies installed in accordance with manufacturer's instructions, there'd be a lot less spent on repairs and early replacement.

To talk specifically about villaboard, install STRICTLY in accordance with the manufacturer's recommendations.

Having once instructed a builder to pull out over 200 fully tiled bathrooms with walls that developed a lovely wave effect after a few months use, I can assure you that not all subbies know better than the manufacturer!

cheers,

P

Originally Posted by bitingmidge

arms,

Not talking kitchens specifically, but if more subbies installed in accordance with manufacturer's instructions, there'd be a lot less spent on repairs and early replacement.

To talk specifically about villaboard, install STRICTLY in accordance with the manufacturer's recommendations.

Having once instructed a builder to pull out over 200 fully tiled bathrooms with walls that developed a lovely wave effect after a few months use, I can assure you that not all subbies know better than the manufacturer!

cheers,

and i agree with you but was the problem with the bathrooms you mention to do with the application of the menbrane coating or did the builder skimp on the structure that the villa board had to go on ,there is a big difference !
P

The specific question was this:

My question is regarding Villaboard - I have read conflicting reports as to whether this needs to be treated for moisture before applying tiles to - can some one confirm whether this is the case.

I replied with two links to James Hardie documentation stating how the product was to be installed and a general guide to wet areas. The answer to that question is addressed therein and I hoped it would carry more weight than an anonymous answer on a public forum would. However, you came along with:

i have read them all back to front and the manufacturers go to great lengths to cover their behind if their product fails

You imply that bazman can safely ignore the manufacturer's instructions because they're only covering their behinds. Then you go on to imply that most contractors take no notice of recommended installation instructions anyway. As far as I'm concerned, that's the definition of cowboy and the main reason that the building industry has a bad reputation.

what i am saying is that people in the trade KNOW what to do ,thats why we are tradies for goodness sake

I'm sorry but that sums up my point to a T. So many 'tradies' believe they know better. Now I'm not saying you're one of them, I've never seen your work. However, the insistence that they know better than the manufacturer of a product is what gets so many people into trouble.

i feel sorry for the weekend warrior sometimes because they treat all brochures with gospel and follow them to the letter then wonder why it cost more to do in time and money then the tradie quoted them

Yes I would wonder about that too. How can the tradie do it cheaper than me? Could it be because his attitude is that doing it the way the manufacturer recommends it is overkill?

I'm not saying you don't know what you are doing, but I think that implying to a new forum member that the manufacturer's instructions are overkill and can be ignored is a bit irresponsible to my way of thinking.

You have to watch out for those brochures..... they'll tell you anything.

Originally Posted by arms

and i agree with you but was the problem with the bathrooms you mention to do with the application of the menbrane coating or did the builder skimp on the structure that the villa board had to go on ,there is a big difference !

In that particular case, the specialist wall installation subcontractor installed the sheeting using glue and about a third of the screw fixings specified by the manufacturer.

The board absorbed a certain amount of moisture, as it was designed to do, the adhesive failed, and the board bowed under the load of the tiles, becauase it had inadequate fixing.

I can't think of how many millions of bathrooms have been built without problem, and the subbie "got away with it". In that particular case, the builder was a large public company and stood by their work, the subcontractor wasn't, and was bankrupted as a result. The builder was fortunate that no owner sued for damages due to lost income in their rental apartment, I suspect there was a bit of the Aussie "do the right thing" happening, but doubt that they'd get away with it now!

Cheers,

P

Originally Posted by silentC

The specific question was this:



I replied with two links to James Hardie documentation stating how the product was to be installed and a general guide to wet areas. The answer to that question is addressed therein and I hoped it would carry more weight than an anonymous answer on a public forum would. However, you came along with:


You imply that bazman can safely ignore the manufacturer's instructions because they're only covering their behinds. Then you go on to imply that most contractors take no notice of recommended installation instructions anyway. As far as I'm concerned, that's the definition of cowboy and the main reason that the building industry has a bad reputation.


I'm sorry but that sums up my point to a T. So many 'tradies' believe they know better. Now I'm not saying you're one of them, I've never seen your work. However, the insistence that they know better than the manufacturer of a product is what gets so many people into trouble.


Yes I would wonder about that too. How can the tradie do it cheaper than me? Could it be because his attitude is that doing it the way the manufacturer recommends it is overkill?

I'm not saying you don't know what you are doing, but I think that implying to a new forum member that the manufacturer's instructions are overkill and can be ignored is a bit irresponsible to my way of thinking.

Bless me lord for i have sinned

So do you provide instructions with your flat pack kitchens?

'The Code' says, & I quote....

6.2.1. Instruction manuals. Under no circumstances should a bloke ever completely read the instructions to anything. Ideally they shouldn't be read at all, but if absolutely necessary a casual flick through should be more than enough for any bloke to assemble and operate anything. A bloke with a new tool should regard its instruction manual in much the same light as he regards a road map when driving his car.