I'm going to tile a bench that will hold the gas fridge in the cabin. There will be a cabinet underneath, so the bench will effectively be the cabinet's top. The cabin is unheated. How should I prepare the substrate for the tiles to prevent them from coming loose due to movement in the wood? The old bench was made of wooden planks nailed next to each other with a plastic mat on top, and now I want to replace the plastic mat with tiles. Maybe a drywall sheet instead of the plastic mat and then tiles on that? Or floor chipboard + drywall or perhaps something completely different?
If the substrate is wood and it doesn't give, it's fine to use just gypsum before the tiles. It might be a good idea to moisture-protect the gypsum board with a moisture barrier or at least primer if water will be splashed on the bench.
Ok, thanks, I'll apply plaster to the wooden studs and then tile. There is no water supply, so I'll skip the moisture barrier. The sink is in another room.
Should I screw the board to the studs in the usual way, or should it be floating in some way? (screwed at just one end or something?) The board will be about 80x120cm, and the wooden studs cover the entire area, approximately 35x100mm.
Should I screw the board to the studs in the usual way, or should it be floating in some way? (screwed at just one end or something?) The board will be about 80x120cm, and the wooden studs cover the entire area, approximately 35x100mm.
It is fine to screw into the boards with regular drywall screws, and it's best if you have a maximum of one screw in the center of each board. For example, if you have eight boards in width, each crossing screw line consists of eight screws. This way, the boards can move without damaging the drywall. The movements mainly occur in the wood's width direction; lengthwise, it moves very little.
If the underlying surface is very uneven, it might be a good idea to place a plywood or chipboard sheet between the drywall and the wood.
If the underlying surface is very uneven, it might be a good idea to place a plywood or chipboard sheet between the drywall and the wood.
