Hi Roger. Is dot and dab approved for wall tiling? I think it all depends on who done the dry lining/prep work. Im a fixer with 35 years behind me and if you were to ask me do i dot and dab you would get a firm 'no'. With regards to plasterboard, if that in itself has been fixed to blockwork with dot and dab, it should be flat, plumb and level. If it has, a decent trowel, back buttered tiles with a quality single part flexi adhesive, you will be fine. If the plasterboard has been fixed to CLS studwork, thats different! As many of you know, CLS can be very twisted and if the plasterboard gets screwed onto it, you're going to get uneven walls. I also think that when people hear dot and dab they hear alarm bells, but it all depends how its done. If im using a large format wall tile, say 60x60, i will still trowel the wall with a heavy notch trowel, back butter the tile, and if necessary put extra 'blobs' of sticky where its needed to properley bed the tile. Would i put 4 blobs on each corner and push straight onto the wall. NO way! All the firms i work for know exactly what prep i want and they will do it. As a footnote, i recently ripped out a shower room in my own house which i built and tiled in 2003. Needed a change! I built that using plasterboard, no tanking, just a SBR primer coat, decent sticky, decent notched trowel, back buttered tiles and a decent grout, and there is no water damage anywhere, not in the shower, above the bath, none. Solid work. Sorry to go on!

Both of the two tiling firms I've used (couldn't get the first one back, he was too busy, so had to go with one recommended by the tile seller) and both firms applied adhesive to the wall with a notched trowel and back buttered the tiles. Superb job on floors and walls from both firms and happy to pay the premium price for a professional specialist.

Very interesting video Roger. Planning on refurbing my kitchen next year so thanks for the info.

Roger, could you please detail how and what is needed to put up the tile backer boards and if they are to be primed, also how do you seal one edge of the board to another?

Great advice . That abucus board is marvellous.

As I've done a bit of ground work we don't even dot and dab paving stones. Just lay them butt upto each other and fill with brushing in sand. That backing board will become the norm in a few years👍. Thanks again rodge good video

I installed tile backer board and being a rookie I just eyeballed it thinking it’s gone on straight,bought a big spirit level and realised from the cement ledge lip I thought I was building out the backer board upwards it’s graduating to 10-12 mm out at the top,it’s dried on now with drywall adhesive so at least I can dot and dab the tiles going to top and will keep my spirit level by my side.. angry at myself but thanks roger for putting my mine at ease a bit with this clip 👌🏾

Really well explained. Well done!

Hi - Do you know what the limit is for porcelain on a block wall + hardwall + skim finish?

"Interestingly even though we have used the approve method of applying a tile..." You havent, the tile should be back buttered and you are meant to move the tile perpendicular to the ridges, this collapses the ridges and you'll get better coverage.

Hi roger, dont dot and dab, we spread the wall and also spread the tile if walls are out, on my current job we are using 3 different sizes of notched trowel as the dips and bows are so varied, joys of pre fab internal wall, on another note keep up the good work , ive been watching your channel now for quite some time and after a hard days work on site theres nothing more relaxing than watching someone else work haha

Another great video, what is your technique for attaching the tile backer to a masonry wall. I couldn't find any videos on this.

Thanks for this. I am about to start a bathroom and have STS tiling board. This looks very similar to the elements board you are showing. Can I ask what the best method is to adhere the elements board to a solid substrate such as breeze block party wall? Have been recommended BAL single part flexible adhesive for both backer board and tiles.

Can you tile over ply that has had a waterproof liquid membrane applied to it ?

I love your videos Roger!! 👍🏻

Hi Trevor,could you use a “mechanical fixing” ?

Their is No longer any standards in the building and construction industry ,just look at the state of new houses being built and the standard of work being carried out by some tradesman even building inspectors are passing work that should be condemned !

How would you take care of raising dampness?

What would you use to stick elements board to a new block wall and also allowing for pipes behind and cables so 1/2 inch board 1/2 inch adhesive would dry wall adhesive work

Hello Roger where do you get those long shower length boards from?

Is the elements board competitively prices against other brands of backer board ?

Aqua board tanked! But!!! I tanked a floor in a wet room on marine ply and some idiot broke a tile,when the tiler pulled up the broken tile the tanking hadn’t adhered to the ply. Did what I was told.So in effect the tile was floating on the tanking.

I'm a carpenter/joiner by trade but I have had some tiling experience. The flatness of one's walls is everything. On new jobs I use concrete board as my substrate. I wet the back of the tile, back butter it and then comb out the adhesive and then set the tile with twist.

My 20yr old house has been tiled on plasterboard (wimpey homes). The original tiles are still there and good. As long as you use the right tile cement and grout and you look after your silicone it will go on and on. When I redo it, I will probably use a better board though. I’ve been using those cement boards at work with a joint sealer, seems a good solution; they are also great for fixing things to when you’re boarding over studwork.

I did my bathroom 20 years ago using 1/2 inch AquaPanel cement board. Cutting needed scoring with a grinder so there’s more carrying in/out to keep dust outside. But I liked the stuff.

I feel this is quite a promotional video for the elements board, we get to see how the tile is wrongly layed onto the plasterboard, but we dont see how its put into the cement on the elements board. I do agree with the fact that it is a superior tiling substrate, but i would go for a 100% coverage nevertheless. The tile may hold up in strength but is compromised on collision strength. If you drop something on such a void, it will crack every time.

Very interesting . Just did our final inspection on our new build and our en-suite is a disaster 🤬🥺🧱👍🏽

I thought that it was 20kg/m2 onto a plaster skim and a paper faced plasterboard could handle up to 32kg/m2?

Coverage comparison between two tiles on a flat surface has to be down to your technique, pressure applied etc. There can’t have been time for the plasterboard to have sucked any significant amount of moisture out and cause hardening.

Good video. A few questions maybe someone could answer. Does this tile backer board need priming prior to fixing tiles and also how about fixing the tile backer board to say a masonary wall such as blockwork or bricks, is dot and dabbing a suitable way to fix the board to the wall or with mechanical fixings also? As surely the tiles are only fixed as good as the board is fixed to the actual wall, be it tile board or plasterboard? Thanks.

Cheers Roger for this one - you must be psycic !!! I'm about to start remodelling 3 bathrooms and a kitchen in parents house in one of our self-catering holiday apartments!!! I've never project managed anything before ... I thought I'd start small lol !! Any tips?? BTW - I didn't think the B.S in the title was short for British Standards hahaha!! Keep the videos coming - they're a great resource and such a help. Cheers from Snowdonia!

Roger, what liquid waterproofing membranes are available there?

Hello Roger, Thank you for this video. My parents are in the midst of redoing their ensuite. The plumber they had appointed has now been asked to leave the job after making threats to my mother. She questioned him regarding something he had done and he came abusive. That's another story, but the upshot is there are numerous mistakes with what he has done so far, so I am in the process of finding someone to complete a lot of remedial work. Our concern is he hasn't done the shower enclosure correctly, or indeed safely. He used standard plasterboard to create the shower enclosure. My mother had asked he would PVA the board before tiling. He said he would do. I caught him tiling and could see he had not PVAd. I questioned him about it and he threatened to leave the job. He asked if I was a plumber? I am not. And he put me in a very difficult situation. He claimed to know what he was talking about so he continued. I hadn't noticed at the time, but my mum has since confirmed this, but when he was tiling he only dot and dabbed the tiles. He did not put a bed of adhesive onto the plasterboard. My mother said she could see down the back of the tiles and a void between the plasterboard and the tile. The second time we questioned him about something, he threatened to leave again and became abusive. So I said OK, go. We are now left with a toilet and hand basin still to be fitted, a radiator, and the shower enclosure to be finished, which may involve all the tiles (£500 of them) being ripped off and starting again. In boxing-in areas he has used ply which has been tiled. We are without tradesmen and knowledge. In your opinion, and in short of this lengthly message, would you advise removing the tiles if they have only been dot and dabbed onto plasterboard without PVA. They are large format (500mm x 250mm x 8mm) tiles. Thank you for your time. Lizzie

The Dot & Dab technique is preferred in BS5385 over the Splash & Dash technique

Strange how you show the tiles being moved the length of the ridges when showing plasterboard and cut out which way you done it on the foam board

Elements and Abacus do get pushed a fair bit on here, but hey doesnt mean it's not good content. Love skill builder.. want more Capel job though!!

Very clear and concise - [Unlike most official guidelines] Cheers Roger :-)

Had a bathroom done in August 2022. Tiles are now coming away from the wall as our bathroom fitter used dot and dab. Might have to get the whole bathroom retiled thanks to him. Now off to see if I can get any money back from him. Doubt it though

I personally would Never dot & dab! Cover both tile & wall with adhesive. 🙏🏾

The glue manufacturer Mapei says to fill any voids your notched trowel makes with a dot of glue and I asked the representative then why not dot fix the whole wall and he said it really makes no difference

4:15 You rocked the tile back and forth the wrong way. You did it in the same direction as the notches. You should have done it the other way. That would have gotten you 100% coverage.

Roger - is the foam on the elements board waterproof? I put Kerdi board in water and it acted like a sponge, obviously in theory the board edges are not subject to moisture, just wondering. It's not nice having to justify somebody else's suspect work, I've been put in that situation, and threw him under the bus, as I couldn't lie to the customer, and refused to work with the guy again. I'll always back butter large format tiles, it takes seconds. The tiler in question is way better than most I've seen.

not quite getting the 20 kg load thing. I mean the tiles are generally tiled off a surface, floor, bath, shower tray, worktop etc and the load is being transferred down. Unless you are tiling a ceiling of course.....

I have to say, having just watched this video, my mothers bathroom which has just been totally gutted and refitted all in tile worries me a bit. Her bathroom has just been professionally fitted in the way you’ve just mentioned that is now obsolete. Ply board was used on all walls and floor then ordinary plasterboard fitted to all walls then ceramic tile was applied to the bare plasterboard. The floor was fitted with a type of Lino that curves up at the edges of the room to about 5 inches up. The end result looks really good but after your video I hope the bathroom stands the test of time.

Nice hair cut

I love how dupes in offices come with "standards", its all just theory. What you encounter in reality is that no matter how flat your walls are, tiles (modern large format elongated) are seldom perfect, to be precise they are bowed in the middle. If you go with the trowel and notch it all should be good and dandy, but when you go an put the tile on and take it off again you see the adhesive takes on low spots but is absent in the bowed middle spots. In practice the dot and dab method has more surface adherence because you can compensate for warped or bowed tiles.

kzfaq.info/get/bejne/aLOZabGdlZillWQ.html why you dont move left right instead up down?

I HATE cutting backer board. Especially smaller cuts. Its so tough and if you dont get it perfect it cracks everywhere

I tile for a living and will strongly advise to never dot and dap unless it's just decorative. Unless you wanna safe on quality and durability u get the 90% coverage that should be building standard. Never save on adhesive. Better to need to clean more cause of filled joints then save a few bucks. Coverage and bonding is what makes a tile job durable.

There's still some quality guys out there ... And no this isn't an acceptable method .. never has been

You moved it up and down on the verticals adhesive lines Move it side to side to collapse

i think you have misinterpreted the british standard minimum requirements, the british standard was, Previously in internal dry wall areas it was recommended that tile adhesive should cover a minimum of 50% coverage spread evenly over the back of the tile, note the use of the word "EVENLY", this bassicly indicates they previously except a caulk/tubed adhesive to be used speed evenly, no dot and dab, the revised standard is to fully bed ie use a cementious adhesive back buttered with ridges fully collapsed

If you need to spot fix, you need like 100 small dobs so it’s still spreading to 90 percent coverage

Would have been nice to say this is in response to the bathroom video that got slatted when we showed dot and dab ! But if I remember the floor was dot and dab and this only talks about vertical walls not floors

In the real world most tiling is done on plasterboard notwithstanding. With large tiles dot and dab is the only way to go - especially when there are undulations in the wall. My method is to dot and dab on a say 450mm tile with half a dozen THEN go in between with lines of expanding foam. That way you can remove spacers after half an hour and the wall is ready to grout. Trying to remove the tiles will destroy backer board or plasterboard in very short order and the grout takes weight in it's own respect. I have NEVER had a job fail.

Hi Roger, love the stuff you and Robin put on, Hate to pull you on something but in this video you say plasterboard (unskimmed?) can take a weight of 20kg per sqm but this is not correct. The TTA states that unskimmed board can take 32kg per sqm while plaster skim can take 20kg per sqm www.tiles.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/TTA-Tiling-Guide-Brief-guidance-on-the-use-of-adhesives.pdf certain other backer boards when mechanically fixed can take loads of 40 to 50kg per sqm

My bathroom floor failed after about 6 months. One tile very loose and it had been bloody dotted and dabbed (in 2019)! I’m not a tiler but even I know that was wrong. Grrr cowboys!

👏🏆

I think you'll find the maximum weight on unplastered board is 32kg/m2. 20kg is on plastered board.

I always dot and dab. Try tiling a out of plum uneven wall in brick pattern going to be lips everywhere. Unless it’s been re boarded then I use a notch trowel. I don’t work on new build sites so my walls are never flat or level. Also I’d advise anyone to just use ‘ no more ply ‘ rather than tile onto wood...

Just a promotional video. You show the plasterboard tile being laid and pulled off. But not the full process on the backer board.

You moved the tile the wrong way on the plasterboard, you have to push the tile the opposite way to the ridges to make them collapse!

Just playing a vid and the subtitles are crap... it said hi I'm Roger PISS BEE. OMG.

This is daft!!! So many different variables to it, skim the plasterboard?? Gives better suction, and prevents wrecking the boards in future when removing tiles

I come and work with you

... wat standar ? Do you have a standard ? Not from wat I see around the Kingdom , probably you and Robin, but I am not familiar with you work, the rest of the Skill Builders don't understand the standard word. You will say that I put everyone in the same basket , well I don't know different and when I tried to do the best possible a rough Skill Builder is around and asked for poor quality.

If you use Floor adhesive instead of the sloppy wall stuff then they won’t come off whatever method u use…

no mention of cement rendered walls

I wouldnt dot and bad tiles full stop, I was taught to do the job properly as a youngster and always have, if the grouting fails water will get behind and then its game over

Wasn’t a fair visual experiment , as you edited out the part of pressing the tile down on the elements board and dot n dab board , and only showed the plasterboard one .

This just shows how far behind the UK is on construction standards. This shouldn't even be a question that has to be asked.

Please read the British Standards again. Your recommending dot and dab which is not allowed, also if tiles are installed in wet area you are suppose to achieve 100% coverage. Dry I can accept.

Plasterboard is 32 kg per square metre skimmed plaster is 20

Has a professional tiler for over twenty years I have used for and dab for the last fifteen. If you are not tiling onto flat walls trying to get anything level using an adhesive spreader is impossible......oh and then try laying brick style onto a curved background! Have fun with your spreader!!!!! Get some self mix Flexi adhesive. And use concrete board or a tile backer board.

I do love these SB vids and Roger you are ace! But come on Roger, the techniques that favoured the elements board was clear to see by anyone on the trade. The plasterboard tile clearly was pushed down the combed adhesive, and not across it. Thus giving an illusion of poorer bedding than what it should have been Love the vids, and can't argue for the inferior plasterboard. Don't let your credibility down with poor salesmanship skills. 😉

We live in a nanny state!!!

Well I’ve done over 300 bathrooms over the last 15 years and I’ve only ever used plasterboards. Never had any problems,tile the room properly using the best adhesive and grout then you’ll never have a worry. Strip the walls back to brick and line the walls. It’s not rocket science

skill builder team, i enjoy watching your videos but i believe this video should be removed. the information provided during this video is misleading and completely incorrect. it would be acceptable for skill builder to quote the skill builder team and abacus bathrooms permit the use of dot and dab fixing of tiles during there installations and over there elements backer board using there tiles and adhesive. its completely incorrect to in any way suggest other tile/tile backer or fixing manufactures permit the use of dot and dab fixing, ardex+schluter+wedi + every other in the industry insist on full bed of adhesive, in-fact everyone in the trade knows you have to use a full bed of adhesive, no decent tile installer or bathroom remodeller would except anything less than 90% coverage using suitable size notched trowel, likewise no tile or adhesive manufacture would ever recommend coverage as low as 50%, this a vain attempt to justify the practise of a certain grade of bathroom installers and a skill builder bathroom remodel in a previous video were the skill builder team along with an abacus bathrooms tile installer incorrectly installed tile backer then proceeded to dot and dab tiles during the final installation because the tile backer was so badly installed, the video also showed some appalling final finishing with an access water mixed with grout and zero effort to push the grout into the joints. the video had to be removed and edited to remove all footage of the rouge tile installation, a previous video still shows the questionable installation of tile backer the british standard is basically redundant were tilling is concerned, its recently been updated to prevent new builds tiling straight over chipboard, and the 50% coverage is a joke, the reason you shouldn’t dot and dab tiles has nothing to do with the weight of the tiles anyway, you need to prepare your walls flat before tiling and use suitable sized notched trowl to get even coverage so the tiles and grout don’t crack, likewise the thin-set adhesive is actually developed to be flexible at a specified thickness as stated on the packaging, ardex and others now produce “pourable” thinnest adhesive that can accommodate levelling and build-up of tiles, but this still relies on a full bed of adhesive etc its also worth remembering that our customers will spend between 3k for a relatively standard bathroom suite and tiles alone and 15K plus for a half decent bathroom suite and tiles, when we add the labour and building materials on top it makes sense to install the tiles properly giving at least a half hearted effort with the finishing details, its the final finish the customer sees for the next 15 years, a sloppy tile install ruins an expensive bathroom and a couple of extra days on a bathroom instillation fixing the tiles correctly as all manufactures dictate, (excluding abacus) makes economical sense in the long run, a dot and dab instillation will fail to some degree and the sloppy workmanship is actually costing your customers

Non of the big house builders tank showers.

When I tile on tile or tile on plaster or even timber just use silicon , it’s clean to use ; no mixing up just straight from a tube . Just squeeze four corners then four more dabs on the tile and always works , try one next to what you do , it’s cheaper , stronger and ten times faster

Beige and black tiles do not match :(

I'm sure everyone will follow this standard the same as they follow BS EN 13724 😐

I’d never approve dot and dab for tiling

Back of tile should of been buttered 👍

is this how your trying to justify your cookie monster Dot and dabber tiler in your "complete bathroom renovation" series. Talk to hudstiling services and see if he agrees with what your saying..

Spot bonding is totally Incorrect and wrong, secondly you did not burn, key in or hit the back of that tile with the flat side of the trowel which should have been done. Plus you did not key in the substrate which is taking the flat side of the trowel and doing the same thing you did to the back of the tile to the substrate. Directional trowling good. Spot bonding no good

yet another elements board advert

Looked at a new build bathroom that failed and i know it lacks all standards. British standards pfffft...

Too many people getting involved and gaining heavy pockets

What a load of shit plasterboard in its raw state is 32 kg/m² and once it's plastered it is 20 kg/m²

Get a grip

This video annoys me. I've been tiling for over 10years always dobbed my walls and literally never had a problem. I've had to replace a couple of wall tiles and they are a pain to get off. Always notch the floor but never the wall waste of time

Never in my life have I listened to so much rubbish 😂😂😂

Spot bonding is for amateurs. Do it right or don't do it at all...