Fixings for ceramic tile on plasterboard

Refitting the bathroom ATM and wondering how best to attach towel warmer, shower, etc. I usually use plasterboard anchors elsewhere in the house, but the teeth on the front plate could crack the tiles. Not convinced rawlplugs will be secure enough?

Is there a fixing designed specifically for this purpose?

I just drill through the tile and use a rawlplug. It’s not like you’re going to be swinging off the shower etc (or maybe you are?)

Fischer Universal Plugs From Screwfix.

Been using them for years in bathrooms on various different types of wall construction and never had any problems.

By far the best plugs you can buy I reckon. They work in any type of situation.

Get the ones with a lip on the outside edge, far better than the flush ones.

+1 fpr fischer fixings, however, you shouldn’t be using plasterboard in a shower enclosure, use tile backing board instead (hardibacker board). its a cement based board impervious to water. no matter how well you grout and seal etc, eventually water gets to the plasterboard and it just drops to bits.

These ones?

Guess the shower isn’t such a big deal, but the towel rail is in front of the lav and I have visions of parents with dodgy knees pulling themselves up off the pan with it!

@spchandler I know, but it only has to last until we move house!

Can’t you use brolly anchor’s in the wall in the right place before you tile for the towel rail? That’s what I do on my fits. For the shower just use Rawlplugs BUT make sure they are pushed behind the face of the tile before tightening otherwise it can crack the tile as it expands, don’t drill tile joints either if you have the choice.

Eventually being approximately how long?

Eventually being approximately how long?

some time….depends dunnit? you can buy stuff for sealing wet rooms, like a latex paint stuff, can’t remember what its called, i’ve used that in the past, i just hate it when people have paid to get work done and corners are cut, i’d rather do it right in the first place, peace of mind and repeat business etc

@spchandler I know, but it only has to last until we move house!

Future STW post: Some **** bodged our bathroom how do I fix it!

A fair while to doesn’t happen in normal circumstances, however if a shower valve is badly placed, silicone is not done right etc and leaks occur then quite rapidly.

I prefer to use Hardie backer in wet areas by choice but tbh most customers say no to the extra costings which is madness usually as it adds maybe £100-£200 in costs but compared to the whole bathroom price it might not be much at all.

Their are several “tanking’ systems available but none are that cheap, I use PCI Lastogum for wetroom and waterproofing shower enclosures, it’s about £50 a tub however.

Brolly anchors before tiling would require high confidence in exact location/height of the panel. I’ll discuss with the plumber to see if he can accommodate that option. Seems like a faff getting the tiles cut/drilled accurately though, at least for a man of my skill…

Yep, it does! I dry fit all my towel rads, accessories etc. and put fixings in the right place before I tile then drill small neat holes in the right place as I’m going to pick up the anchors later.

@spchandler I know, but it only has to last until we move house!

what happens if you don’t sell it? maybe they read the forum?

The plasterboard I just ripped out had been in years and was in pretty decent nick.

You say bodged, I say pragmatic 😉
The house isn’t on the market, but were not going to be staying here forever…

Tiles on plasterboard has been OK in this house so far – that’s why I was wondering what “eventually” meant. From my experience, eventually = somewhere in excess of 40 years. I’d say the OP is fairly safe unless his real name is Lazurus Long.

Why dont you cut a section of plasterboard off and fit timber dwangs where the screws will be if it isn’t tiled yet? Then replace plasterboard ready for tiling. When doing a bathroom fits i always do this.

Edit; for towel rail, shower screen basin etc. smaller lighter stuff gets rawlplugged and screwed.

I’ve seen so many shower enclosure fiascos with tiles stuck straight onto plasterboard (not helped by barely supported shower trays); there’s a real issue with flex in plasterboard particularly if ordinary porcelain grout is used.
Tile backer board is the business; I simply have no idea why the building industry persists in practices that are almost guaranteed to fail within a 3-10 year framework!
Druidh: yours is going to fail a week on Tuesday! 🙂

I simply have no idea why the building industry persists in practices that are almost guaranteed to fail within a 3-10 year framework!

it aint the building industry, its cowboys, plain and simple, cos its cheap! don’t forget, all this stuff is relatively new, ie showers, bathrooms, not having an outside sh!tter…

Hey Blazing- saddles, where are you getting your lastogum from? My mate is a rep for them. 😉

A bit of a Hijak, but whilst we’re in the ball park topic: our loft converters fitted plasterboard in our shower/bath, I’ve tanked it with a Mapai kit and will tile with their adhesive. We have a shower screen to fit to the plaster board (no wooden frame work nearby) (which can be tiled over), but what fixings to use for that? Ta.

Fischer plugs as above, stainless screws and plenty of silicone or sticks like etc on the channel

Mapei gum is great stuff, my favorite tanking

but what fixings to use for that? Ta.

For that, and pretty much everything else you need to fix to a wall.

Fischer Universal Plugs.

Tile backer board is the business; I simply have no idea why the building industry persists in practices that are almost guaranteed to fail within a 3-10 year framework

Cost. MR Plasterboard is fine however the stud centres need to be reduced. I’ve lost count the amount of times I’ve pointed this out.

Put some timber pattressing in the wall for the grab rail.

Editted to Mositure Resistant plasterboard (The green faced board)