Help please - tiles falling off wall!!

[shellshock]

Hello, I would be really grateful for your views and advice please.

We had en-suite and bathroom tiled during a major renovation job at the end of last year. We recently noticed that the tiles in both rooms appear to be loose so removed a couple from the bathroom wall. Well I say 'removed' in that once we had cut through the grout the tile came away in our hands.

I have attached some photos so that you can see. The adhesive is firmly fixed to the tile and there is none on the wall. The tiler used Larsen flexible adhesive which i supplied, simply because that's what our tile stockist carried. The builder is saying that the walls were primed and the tiler says he had never used Larsen before and has subsequently found out it is "cheap rubbish" - his words not mine.




Does anyone have any view on what might have gone wrong?

Thanks for reading.
Shellshock

 

[Gazzer]

primed with what and its a case of dot and dab again...big dots this time.

 

[The D]

looks like It could be cement based adhesive and no primer but it is not a good installation

 

[shellshock]

Thanks for your replies. I don't know what primer was used but the builder has insisted the wall was 'primed'. The adhesive was Larsen Flexible Fast set.

 

[Sean SML Tiling]

Did the walls have paint on before tiling?

 

[Diamond Pool Finishers]

Yes looks like tile over painted wall !

 

[Sean SML Tiling]

Tut tut tut. Imagine they fell off a landed on your head. He would be serving a lengthy jail sentence

 

[Mr T]

was it a tiler or a builder?

 

[shellshock]

Hi all, thanks very much for replies. I'm pretty sure the wall where we removed the tile was newly plastered (definitely not more than 2 weeks before, and most probably less) - not sure about the other walls. I don't know what primer was used, only that the builder is blaming the adhesive which was Larsen Flexible Fast Set. I saw on the packet that dot and dab isn't recommended, but does this method often cause problems? Yes, very glad that my 2 year old daughter didn't have a tile land on her head...

Thx all.

ps sorry about photos, are they really BIG?! i'm a newbie and a techno-phobe!

 

[Gazzer]

Tiling too soon after plastering !!!

 

[Del W]

Sorry to see that.Dot & dab,plaster not dryed before tiling? possibly no primer ? the tiles look way off the wall ! Wet your finger,press it onto the wall where there was no addy,if the moisture goes into the plaster quickly it proberbly wasnt primed correctly. Id be worried about the rest of the tiles aswell.

 

[Concrete guy]

I bet the builder primed with PVA.

 

[Mr T]

it was either primed with something or worst not at all and there is I coat of dust on the plaster I cant tell what it is tho.

 

[CJ]

Definatly no primer. Dusty surface, tiled too soon after plastering.

 

[steve187]

Sorry to see that.Dot & dab,plaster not dryed before tiling? possibly no primer ? the tiles look way off the wall ! Wet your finger,press it onto the wall where there was no addy,if the moisture goes into the plaster quickly it proberbly wasnt primed correctly. Id be worried about the rest of the tiles aswell.

i second that post

 

[John Benton]

How dangerous is this? It could any of the things listed above or a combination. Either way I would be getting back the builder who did this and get him to do it properly at his own expense, alternatively he should pay for a professional tiler to do the job on his behalf. He clearly hasn't prepped the wall correctly whichever way you look at it.

Was the floor tiled as well, as I would be looking for cracks in the grout already if not movement of tiles. Check very closely if thats the case, as that will more than likely need redoing.

 

[shellshock]

I did the fingerprint test and the fingerprint soaked into the plaster in about a minute.

Any ideas on what do we do now? The builder won't accept responsibilty as he says it is the adhesive...

thx again all

 

[Spud]

I did the fingerprint test and the fingerprint soaked into the plaster in about a minute.

Any ideas on what do we do now? The builder won't accept responsibilty as he says it is the adhesive...

thx again all

its not the adhesive and give Larsens a call they are a good company and their products are okay

 

[shellshock]

thanks for the heads up on the floor - yes, that was tiled too. I'll have a look at the grout to see if it is cracked. We've got the same thing in the en-suite shower too - you can see (and hear) the wall tiles move when pressed.

Is it possible to save the tiles? not that I particularly want to spend hours chopping off adhesive. Plus we used some quite expensive glass mosiacs as a border and in the shower...

 

[White Room]

I'd give the adhesive company a call, supply them with photos as you have already posted and get their opinion which I anticipate would be similar to the views above.

 

[CJ]

Soak a tile in a bucket of warm water......I bet the addy will scrape off no problem.

 

[DHTiling]

For me is it one of 2 options... primed with pva and also the plaster has not cured... you can see pigment on the back of that tile which indicates plaster drying out and lack of primer...

Also i would be worried about the bed depth of the adhesive... if you want my opinion it is fixer error..

 

[The D]

If the plaster is going dark when you wet it there is no primer on the wall and if there is no primer the cement based adhesive will not stick to the gypsum plaster so it is the builders problem ask him to provide a method statement detailing every step of the installation. The adhesive company's do not lay down for people like this they will probably want to test the adhesive and they will know if there is a primer present. I think the builder will have to take this one on the chin as the fixing method is wrong and the thickness of the bed looks like it exeads the recommended thickness.

 

[shellshock]

thanks everyone for your advice. I'll contact Larsen and the builder again. I'll let you know how I get on.

 

[ian158]

As soon as I saw the big dollops...and him dishing the adhesive tells me he's not a tiler! Builder primed with Pva I bet....it get em back to do a proper job..if not small claims court if I was you