Help with awkward-shaped bathroom

[Minnie]

Hello

Hoping to get some good advice here. I'm attempting to do my first ever tiling job, and now that I'm unemployed, on a tight budget so can't afford plasterers etc.

It's a council house just over 100 years old and it looks like the current tiles have been placed onto a concrete wall. There were three courses (not sure if that's the correct word for a layer!) of 15-15cm tiles. The top two I've got off with no problem and have managed to get the adhesive off easy enough, but it looks like the bottom layer of tiles have been laid onto something more concrete based. I'm not sure why and I'm not sure whether to hack this off or if it's covering up something bad.

That's the first problem. The second problem is there's a few funny angles. Some people have said I'm better of sticking with small tiles, whereas others have said to get big ones for the horizontal parts and cut them (obviously more wastage if I go wrong)

I've plenty of pictures if anyone's interested.

 

[Minnie]

bleach ain't gonna cure it Minnie (managed to open pics:hurray council have a "duty of care" and a "decent home" mandate to adhere to. Insist on a home visit with an Environmental Health Inspector, that black stuff aint gonna go away with bleach

Yes, everyone was supposed to be getting new kitchens and bathrooms before 2010. That ain't gonna happen apparently. Lambeth didn't get the funding and it's not going to happen until 2011.

Thing is, I want to get it done before Christmas as a sort of Christmas present for b/f. I had already told Lambeth that b/f had already had pneumonia and respiratory failure, but as far as they were concerned, I should open the window and clean the area with bleach.

Won't that primer stop the problem if I repaint and start ensuring the fan is used?

 

[White Room]

Primer primes minnie it dos'nt stop mould

 

[Minnie]

Primer primes minnie it dos'nt stop mould

Right.

Would it be easier to wipe away if the paint that was on there wasn't vinyl matt?

 

[doug boardley]

council have a duty of care, Minnie, I'm assuming that you're still funding the council with rent! they have an obligation to maintain the property Minnie, wether they say they can afford it or not!

 

[Minnie]

council have a duty of care, Minnie, I'm assuming that you're still funding the council with rent! they have an obligation to maintain the property Minnie, wether they say they can afford it or not!

Fair enough doug, but the problem is, this is Lambeth Council, and even if they did agree to it, it would take them months to come round to look at it, and then months to fix the problem.

If I did the tiling etc. could the problem be sorted after?

 

[White Room]

You need a circulation of air and to open windows to remove the moisture in the bathroom, expelair would be a good choice

 

[doug boardley]

You need a circulation of air and to open windows to remove the moisture in the bathroom, expelair would be a good choice

and that requires a sparky, a part p pat test, certification.....rrr:

 

[Minnie]

You need a circulation of air and to open windows to remove the moisture in the bathroom, expelair would be a good choice

Doug said it couldn't be removed? Actually, he didn't, he said the mould couldn't, not the moisture. Sorry Doug :smilewinkgrin:

We did have a big fan that broke and b/f bought another one that was tiny and not up to the job. The cord was also too short for me to reach (I'm 5ft 1in) so could never be a**d to reach to switch it on. Didn't want it coming on every time we switched light on in the winter as it was too cold so probably our own fault really.

Funnily enough, I decided to do a search and found this blog where someone with a similar problem rang Lambeth in March. It seems the problem was still not rectified in September. She did seem to want a lot done in one day though. There'd be workmen tripping over each other

Unravelled: Bathroom refurb, (in)courtesy of Lambeth Council

 

[doug boardley]

Doug said it couldn't be removed? Actually, he didn't, he said the mould couldn't, not the moisture. Sorry Doug :smilewinkgrin:

We did have a big fan that broke and b/f bought another one that was tiny and not up to the job. The cord was also too short for me to reach (I'm 5ft 1in) so could never be a**d to reach to switch it on. Didn't want it coming on every time we switched light on in the winter as it was too cold so probably our own fault really.

Funnily enough, I decided to do a search and found this blog where someone with a similar problem rang Lambeth in March. It seems the problem was still not rectified in September. She did seem to want a lot done in one day though. There'd be workmen tripping over each other

Unravelled: Bathroom refurb, (in)courtesy of Lambeth Council

the spores are the health hazard Minnie, apart from that, if you tried tiling over where there appears to be an obvious water/moisture ingress, your tiling is doomed to failure, a cement based or dispersion adhesive will not adhere to a damp substrate, call the council, and point them to this thread!!

 

[Minnie]

the spores are the health hazard Minnie, apart from that, if you tried tiling over where there appears to be an obvious water/moisture ingress, your tiling is doomed to failure, a cement based or dispersion adhesive will not adhere to a damp substrate, call the council, and point them to this thread!!

The condensation is at the top and around the windows though, not lower down where I plan on tiling, although I do realise thata spores are floating about in the air.

I've got a feeling you don't know much about Lambeth Council. They're not one of the better councils. :smilewinkgrin:

I'm more likely to suffer a nervous breakdown dealing with them before I get anything off them.

 

[Minnie]

Thanks for help tonight guys. Going bed but I will be back.

 

[White Room]

The Terminator:yikes:

 

[Deleted member 9966]

The condensation is at the top and around the windows though, not lower down where I plan on tiling, although I do realise thata spores are floating about in the air.

I've got a feeling you don't know much about Lambeth Council. They're not one of the better councils. :smilewinkgrin:

I'm more likely to suffer a nervous breakdown dealing with them before I get anything off them.

To be honest Minnie, I've not come across any decent councils in my local area. They're all pretty appalling at something or other. I'm surprised Lambeth haven't sold out their housing stock to a housing association though.

If you're not getting any action out of the council, call them and tell them you will shop them to BBC Watchdog programme unless they come round and sort it. And if they still don't, don't be afraid to do it. You shouldn't have to live like that, and particularly as your boyfriend is unwell with respiratory problems, having mould spores floating around and having a damp bathroom will not help him.

 

[Minnie]

To be honest Minnie, I've not come across any decent councils in my local area. They're all pretty appalling at something or other. I'm surprised Lambeth haven't sold out their housing stock to a housing association though.

If you're not getting any action out of the council, call them and tell them you will shop them to BBC Watchdog programme unless they come round and sort it. And if they still don't, don't be afraid to do it. You shouldn't have to live like that, and particularly as your boyfriend is unwell with respiratory problems, having mould spores floating around and having a damp bathroom will not help him.

Is mildew/condensation the same as mould?

Lambeth have sold off loads of their housing to housing associations. They also have properties which they've had to give to squatters who had been living there so long (you may have seen reports on the news). They're utterly useless. I can't handle dealing with them as have had to do it so many times over the years and it's too stressful. I'm going to try to keep on top of the problem by putting in a towel rail so b/f doesn't keep covering radiator up and getting a new, bigger, more effective fan.

I know that mildew remover did keep it at bay for a while but I never kept on top of it.

 

[Minnie]

Been busy scraping paint, filling in cracks etc.

Still trying to decide what size tiles to use and it's doing my head in. I know you all say using smaller ones would be easier, but it would mean cutting every single one to get to the height of the vertical bit above the sink where I'd planned on putting a border all the way around.

My idea was to use a 25x33cm tile upended, so the 25cm would come up to the vertical bit above the sink where I could put a border, and then another tile on top of the border. That would however still only bring me up to 56cm (and a bit, taking into account grouting etc).

I would then be left with the gap between 56cm and 72cm which would be too small for 25cm tile. I could put another border on top, maybe 5 or 6cms but that still leaves me with 10cm gap. I'd either have to get that bit of wall beneath the window sill in very good condition and just paint it or cut tiles.

:mad2: