Hi My mains water pipe runs down the corner of my kitchen so you can still see it between the wall cupboard and work surface. I would like to box this in as neatly as possible and tile over it without losing work surface space. My idea was to get a sheet of ply and attach some pipe clips to them, then I can just attach the ply to the pipe. Is there any reason why I shouldnt do it like this? my main concern would be that I wont be able to screw all the way through the ply as i dont want screws sticking out where I need to tile.
No good just using a few pipe clips to hold on ply, won’t be secure, any movement will cause tile/grout failure ...... it’s a simple but bad idea Tried and tested method is to batten walls, fix with plugs and screws. Screw through ply into battens. Batten internally where ply joins at 90degrees It all needs to be solid and no movement / flex If using ply,MDF, etc, need to seal timber first before tiling using a specific tile primer or thinned out SBR - don’t use PVA Could also use plaster board then no need to prime 1st, ready to tile BQ, Wickes, etc sell damaged sheets of PB very cheap. Sometimes 8x4 sheet with smashed corner for a fiver Just take a wood saw with you and cut to rough size or ‘car size’ in car park. Spare PB for another job
You could use button-fix connectors to attach the ply 'box' to the battens if you ever need to remove to access a stop-cock etc. https://www.ironmongerydirect.co.uk/brands/buttonfix
Ok, will continue with Ply as thats what I have lying about the place. Will use the standard batten as suggested but the ply wont 90 degrees to the batton because im just blocking off the corner so will be more like 45 degrees, will I still be able to screw into the batton without an issue?
Will it look awful if you use trunking? I wouldn't use it by choice in my own property but it does have its place. It depends what you can put in front of it to distract one's eye.......
No, it needs to be tiled as its in the corner of the surface so the walls either side of it will be tiled.
So how do I screw ply to battens at 45 degree angle? do I put the screws in at an angle so the go straight into the batten? or do I screw then in straigt so the go in at an angle to the batten? will this not split the batten if I screw into it at an angle?
Can you use glue (Stixall etc, etc) and just fix the ply to the battens temporarily with screws (at 90 degrees to the batten) which you subsequently remove once the adhesive has cured? That will resolve the problem of screw heads sticking out at an angle.
As uv said, after fixing battens, screw through ply into battens at roughly 45 degree angle. You want to place screw where ply is touching batten Would also pump some ‘no nails’ type adhesive between ply and battens/wall, to make the whole thing rock solid. Zero movement is best prep for tiling What thickness ply you using ? Screw heads don’t need to be totally countersunk as can loose them in tile adhesive bed - just depends on ply thickness Other option, if you have a track saw / table saw / circ saw, type thing is to use 18mm MDF (or ply) and cut panel with 45 degree edges to fit snug onto wall (if corner is actually 90 degrees) Again, good dollop of adhesive gunk and can screw through into wall Don’t forget to seal timber, acrylic primer not PVA and use a flexible tile adhesive and grout If your using ready mixed adhesive, some have the primer added in the mix so ‘may’ be able to tile direct over wood ...... But check tub instructions (if using ready mixed) Good luck