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How do I prepare a brick wall for tiling?

Dear all,

I removed old tiles in my bathroom, and i think i removed them a little bit too much (please see photo attached). Later I am also gonna remove the rest of the tiles and the basin.

What should I do to make it ready for tiling ?
Many thanks!!!
Jundi

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MitchellMc

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community Jundi (@wonderiz). Many thanks for your question, I'd be happy to assist.

It's great to have you join us and fantastic to hear you've embarked on renovating your bathroom. If the whole bathroom is brick, then I would advise continuing as you have been and remove the tiles and backing board down to the bricks. You will need to then thoroughly clean the bricks and brush on a coat of Bondcrete. You can then glue Villaboard to the bricks with construction adhesive and mechanically fix it in place with Tapcon screws. This will provide a flat surface to begin your tiling and appears to be the same method in which the tiles were first applied.

Please let me know if you need further assistance or had questions.

Mitchell

wonderiz

Wow wow! Thank you very much for your reply, Mitchell. I am very glad to find out the Bunnings Workshop, and so excited to receive advices like yours!
I shall do what you have taught me and come back to share updates.
Thank you again. 🙂

Warm regards

Jundi

bobybuck

Hello! Can you help link me to the screws you are recommending? The tapcon link you provided doesn’t seem to be working? And what’s the number of screws to villaboard size ratio you would recommend?

JacobZ

Hi @bobybuck,

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community, it's great to have you with us.

As @MitchellMc responded to this post a while back, I believe the product he linked to may no longer be available. They would however be similar to these Ramset Black Countersunk Masonry Screws which are suitable for the application described in this post.

The recommended number of screws depends on the surface and application it is being applied to. In new construction where Villaboard is tiled over, James Hardie advises screws at a maximum of 200mm vertical spacings around all edges and 300mm vertical spacings on each stud.

If you could advise the application you were looking to use Villaboard in, I would be happy to provide more specific advice.

Jacob

bobybuck

Hi Jacob thank you very much for the quick response!

I am using it for the application as you described, which is tiles over the vilaboard for a bathroom. by the way I noticed that the screws you linked is about 32mm, will that length be sufficiently long for this application into a brick wall? Thank you!

JacobZ

Hi @bobybuck,

The example in this thread is not James Hardie's preferred method of installation over brick. It is the only real way to match the example in this thread, however if you are installing new Villaboard over brick, the preferred method of installation is to batten out the wall with timber or furring channel and to fix the Villaboard to that as opposed to directly to the wall.

If you are trying to match what is already there, in a similar fashion to this post, the screws I have linked to are adequate when used with construction adhesive and installed correctly. Please note that the screws I have linked to require predrilling into the brick to create a pilot hole before installation.

Let me know if you need further assistance.

Jacob

bobybuck

Thank you Jacob. For the predrilling into brick, what drill bit size would you recommend? I noticed the screws you linked have a width of 4.88mm.

JacobZ

Hi @bobybuck,

The drill bit size recommended by Ramset is 5/32", however Bunnings do not carry imperial masonry bits. It mentions that a 4mm drill bit masonry bit such as Kango 4mm x 90mm Masonry Drill Bit would be suitable where imperial drill bits are not available.

Please feel free to reach out if you have further questions.

Jacob

Beffy98

Hi, in regards to the villaboard, I’m a total novice and just wondering if you can give me a bit more guidance as there are a few different types and thicknesses, eg villaboard lining, villaboard flex, Hardie flex, 6mm? Does it matter which I use?

MitchellMc

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community @Beffy98. It's wonderful to have you join us, and many thanks for your question about Villaboard lining.

You’ll want to stick with the standard 6mm Villaboard lining. That’s the correct choice for walls and ceilings in wet areas like bathrooms, and it’s designed to be fixed directly to timber or metal framing.

The 6mm thickness is standard for lining applications; it’s thin enough to work easily in tight spaces but still strong and suitable for tiling or painting. In your case, using something like the James Hardie 2400 x 1200 x 6mm Villaboard Lining is ideal. Just make sure you fix it properly with the correct screws and use waterproofing where required, and you’ll be set.

Here's a helpful guide: How to install Villaboard in bathrooms.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Mitchell

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