Tiling over boxed in pipes

jdpl28

Hey, I'm putting in some boxing over some pipes in the kitchen and was wondering:

1) what type of wood should I box it in with? I was going to go with just ply held in place with some 2*1's screwed onto the wall. (brick wall). What thickness ply should I go for? I don't want any movement cause it'll crack the grout between the tiles.

2) Do I need special grout/tile cement?

3) There'll probably be some movement no matter what I do, should I use silicone sealant instead of grout?

thanks,
J

Bluefoam

You will need to use marine ply to tile onto.

northdublin

half inch marine ply should do the job, you can get adhesive designed to be used on wood which allows movement. this is usually a dark colour and if your grout is goin to be dark ie grey, you could use the adhesive as grout also. if not and its to be white just look for suitable grout for use on wooden surfaces.

tribesman

You don't need marine ply. WBP plywood (Weather and Boil Proof) is cheaper and will do the job.

ircoha

the tiles are unlightly to move on the actual ply, the cracks will appear along the wall and floor as well as the outside corner. so u can use the silocone along there, however it does tend to get grubby more easily if horizontal.