Hello I’ve recently hired a plumber to completely re do my shower room, I’m not sure the tanking has been completed properly. He claims that the shower area is completely waterproofed, I’m not so convinced. Any opinions on the work would be greatly appreciated. Thanks
Presumably the green areas on the walls are waterproof board, with the blue areas the tanking which seals the corners/joins. In an ideal world the board would go higher but there is no water likely to reach those areas.
Yes the boards below are green moisture board. I’ve been informed that these are no longer suitable for wet areas and cement board should have been used. According to the British standards the tanking should cover the whole shower area.
I think British standards recommend it, but there's no regulation. It would've made sense that the tanking extended over the whole board, especially as the extra cost and time would be negligible. However, if the grout and sealant are completed to a good standard there's no reason why it won't last a lifetime.
But if the guidelines are not been followed it can invalidate my home insurance if there is any damage caused by it not being tanked properly.
Numerous newish houses have been tiled straight onto normal plasterboard, including ours which is still fine after 20 years. If the sealant or grout does become compromised then you might see a water stain on the ceiling below or eventually tiles may come loose. Insurance is only likely be involved unless there is a catastrophic failure such as a burst pipe etc, anything else is likely to be classed as wear and tear.
My issue is I’ve paid a lot of money to a plumber I thought was a professional with 20 years of experience. I would have thought at the very least a professional job would include following British standards guidelines.
You're right that backer board is in theory better, but in the real world green plasterboard should still last a lifetime.
I do quite a lot of bathrooms and have never tanked the shower area and have never had an issue with water getting through.
I’m not sure cutting corners is something to be proud of. If you’re not following the British standards while installing a bathroom you have to tell the customer otherwise it’s dishonest. I’m guessing the bathrooms you’ve installed without tanking are someone else’s? What are the odds that you’ve tanked and waterproofed your own bathroom.
Tbh I didn’t tank my bathroom in my last house, it was tiled, grouted and siliconed properly with good quality materials and was fine years later. if water is getting behind your tiles Im dubious about whether tanking is gonna do much anyway. 99% of leaks on showers are from the silicone seal anyway.
True though mate. Some of the work u see is horrendous. That’s not to say that some of them don’t do fantastic work. Same as every trade I suppose
I’ve done my own bathroom in exactly the same way. My reputation means everything to me, so I certainly don’t think I’m cutting corners, just not necessary if the tiling, enclosure/tray fitting and finishing is done right.
Do you inform the customer that’s paying for the job that you’re not following British standards guidelines when installing a bathroom? The only reason you wouldn’t tank a bathroom is to save time and money, the definition of cutting corners. If you’re upfront with the customer with what you’re doing then fair enough. If any tradesperson said to me before they started a job that they weren’t going to follow standard guidelines they would be asked to leave.
You’ve asked people’s opinions because apparently you didn’t know and they have give them to you. All of a sudden though u are an expert, very strange. I’m thinking u are a troll
From what I can see from the photos, it looks like a decent job. Once it is finished, I would just enjoy it as it will be fine.