How many coats of pva do i need to apply before tiling will one do or will i need more than one coat?

Question

I have been told to apply a seal of pva onto the wall so the tiles can grip instead of having the wall plastered how many coats wil i need to apply, the builder old me thats what they done in spain and saves you money.

Anyone have any ideas??

Answer 1

Just give it a coat to be on the safe side.

I have just done a customers bathroom and kitchen...The plaster was rough in places so I used PVA and its worked a treat..

Answer 2

I've never heard of using PVA under tile.  PVA is used to seal drywall before painting, so I suppose it can be used as a tile primer.  Where is this tile going?  If it's in a wet location, such as a bathroom, I would remove the drywall and replace with cement board.  It provides a much better base for tile, plus it's waterproof.  If the tile is in any room other than a bathroom, I don't see that you need the PVA.  Paint does an excellent job of sealing a wall.  If the paint that is on there is glossy, you may want to wash the wall with TSP to dull it and give the tile better adhesion.  Hope this helps..

EDIT:  No, one coat will be sufficient.  All you want to do is seal the wall, so one coat will be fine.  Good luck.