do tiling courses deal with substrate design

[Ajax123]

I am just lately coming across an awful lot of tile cracking and delamination events particularly on heated floor screeds. I assume that tiling courses generally have a section on jointing tiles.......or do they? but I am fairly certain judging by what I see just lately that they do not deal with the requirements for joints in screeds and concretes. Are new (an experienced) tilers made aware of the general requirements and what to look for with regard to joints in the substrates. Additionally are tilers made aware of the importance of ensuring that underfloor heating is switched on and run before tiling should commence.

I think that tilers could save themselves, their clients and incidentally me a lot of hassle if they know what to look for and when to say "this is not right so should not be tiled untill it is put right"

Or am I being oversensitive.

 

[grumpygrouter]

My training covered all the questions you have asked.

 

[doug boardley]

ahemm, mine didn't, as all those years ago we never had ufh to worry about, it was all mainly ardurit and quarry tiles. We learned on the hoof, so to speak

 

[White Room]

If your talking major works then it should have been done in the design stage , smaller works, then the fixer takes tends to take some responsibility. If the floors when laid have no control joints, the tiler then has to guess where the cracking may accure, experiance comes into it's own then

 

[Ajax123]

If your talking major works then it should have been done in the design stage , smaller works, then the fixer takes tends to take some responsibility. If the floors when laid have no control joints, the tiler then has to guess where the cracking may accure, experiance comes into it's own then

Trouble is on major works it often is not covered and in fact does not appear to be thought about in many cases particularly with anhydrites cos it says on the tin you can lay great big bays without joints. This is true but only if the right conditions are met e.g. aspect ratios, changes of direction, underfloor heating, thermal influences under glass roofs etc.
I know when I am training screed installers it is covered. I just thought I would ask the question on here cos I come across a large number of tile failures on large and small projects where the tiles have failed cos the screed has cracked, and yes you guessed it the screed has cracked cos it should have had a joint in it. In my case it is usually the screed which gets the blame for all the woes on site.

 

[White Room]

QUOTE; In my case it is usually the screed which gets the blame for all the woes on site.
Thats true, pass the buck I think it's called

 

[Ajax123]

QUOTE; In my case it is usually the screed which gets the blame for all the woes on site.
Thats true, pass the buck I think it's called

Sadly that is so true. If I had a buck for every buck I had had passed to me I would be retired in the Bahamas by now. :mad2: I have to say though in fairness it is occsionally the screed but even in many of these cases it is in respect of the tiler not knowing what it should look like or what he should be doing with it prior to tiling. I am doing my best to get the info out there though. :hurray:

 

[Time's Ran Out]

Its been 3 weeks and still no input to Ajax 123 Question from the training courses!

Timeless John.