Tiling substrate next to a shower tray Advice and information on tiling and fixing tiles to a variety of surfaces

[nllsmith]

Hi - I would like a little advice if possible from someone who's come across this before.
I'm creating a shower cubicle with a shower tray, but the cubicle is to be about 600mm longer than the tray (gives you an area to 'soap up' away from the shower spray, and it fills the space available in the room). I want to tile this area to match the rest of the bathroom floor (slate), but what do I use for the sub floor for this 'non-tray' area ?
I've got aquapanel remnants from the rest of the cubicle, 18mm wbp ply remnants from the rest of the bathroom floor but from what I've read, neither of these is waterproof, and the tile grout won't be either.
I will make sure that this area can run-off (very slightly) into the tray, but I don't want to fall through in in 5 years time because it's rotted!
I'm willing to put the effort in to make it a proper job, so any suggestions will be appreciated.

Thanks, Nigel

[kbrownie]

hi nllsmith, it could give you some ideas if you look at the doctors projects under"WET ROOMS"
good luck
KB

[bobplum]

if you tile / slate the floor why wont the grout be water tight?
i would tank the floor will either a brush on system or go to the DIY projects section (there is a whole project devoted to wet rooms and walk in showers) and contact the advertisers in there to ask about their membranes designed for wet rooms

[nllsmith]

Thanks for the replies.
The Wet Room projects seem to refer to proprietry tanking systems - I was looking for something a little simpler as the area is only 800 x 600 !
The basic problem is that I'd like the final level of the tiled area to be flush with the top face of the shower tray, so it has to be the surface that's waterproof not something underneath it - I could just glue some visqueen down and gripfill a piece of aquapanel on to that, then tile on to that, but everything above the visqueen will hold water
I've read somewhere about grout being porous - surely if you can wash is off then it must soak up water ? In the past I've installed a shower in a difficult spot above a stairwell, and I grouted with silicone - this was an absolute pig of a job to do but guaranteed no leaks ! Perhaps I'll do this again
I've got some roof deck sealer in the shed (bitumastic paint I think), so I might test it out on some wbp ply and see if tile adhesive will stick to it.

I'll post a reply when I've found a solution....

Update----> it's now been about 18 months and the solution I used hasn't leaked yet. I used a piece of aquapanel, then tiled on top of that. I grouted with good quality silicone (difficult but worth it ) and soaked the tiles in travertine sealer - at least 10 applications. It's damned expensive stuff (about 28 quid a litre) but it's worked.