How quick is your tiling

[Aston]

hi j2 tiler, you speed is decent and if the quality matches your output, then you'll definately do well mate ;0)

i look at it this way...if you get a room full of professional experienced tilers, then there wont be much in it speed wise.

no matter what anybody says, if you do a job to a professional standard, then you can only cut a tile so quick, you can only spread tile adhesive so quick, and you can only fix the tile , so quick.... theres no myth to it, just experience, efficient working practice and concentration!!

The obsession with speed has come in from the building sites and low end commercial contracts. its about making the most money you can in the quickest time and that unfortuantely leads to sub standard work and questionable fixing techniques???

i dont care what anybody says, quality takes time...always has, always will.

 

[andy8758]

Brilliant post. Love watching everyone scratching around for their best times. Frankly, if you want quantity, a very large floor is a piece of piece to tile 140 sq m per hour......

On the other hand, it takes me a week to overboard and tile a 20 sq m bathroom - but I love to take the time to give the customer the "wow" factor, and cutting around everything (shaped ceilings, pipework, toilets, baths, etc..) can be so much more satisfying than tiling the concourse floor of Terminal 7 at Heathrow.

 

[White Room]

I must have heard this from every trade over 40 years and found the ones who did the most in a day were the ones that trickled along, very few tea and lunch breaks and working a good 8 hours a day.

TJ that sounds fast but every job is different, so it's your round:8:

 

[nybor62]

i understand what your saying andy , but it can be quite satisfying tiling a 2000m2 floor when its all done grouted and polished

 

[hillhead]

I spent best part of a day last saturday tiling a 4m2 floor. lol.
1. Had to lift the amtico flooring that was stuck to chipboard.
2.Cut and stick down ditra and screw for peace of mind.(wait for this to dry).
3.went for breakfast.
4.Got back and started laying out and ready for action.
5.Tile it inc cutting around toilet.(polished porc 60x30 brick bond)
6.Wait for adhesive to set then grout.
7.First class job as customer agreed and a real nice days pay in my pocket.
Now this is far from quick but well paid and job finished to top spec and everyone happy.
This is what counts.
Also i think i have 2 full bathrooms and a kitchen floor on the strength of this small job.

 

[Diamond Pool Finishers]

it no good being really fast ,if you not getting a good rate!! because you are working for less than the man that is getting a good rate, so he can afford to come to the job later or go home earlier or take weekends off!!

 

[The D]

hi j2 tiler, you speed is decent and if the quality matches your output, then you'll definately do well mate ;0)
i look at it this way...if you get a room full of professional experienced tilers, then there wont be much in it speed wise.
no matter what anybody says, if you do a job to a professional standard, then you can only cut a tile so quick, you can only spread tile adhesive so quick, and you can only fix the tile , so quick.... theres no myth to it, just experience, efficient working practice and concentration!!
The obsession with speed has come in from the building sites and low end commercial contracts. its about making the most money you can in the quickest time and that unfortuantely leads to sub standard work and questionable fixing techniques???
i dont care what anybody says, quality takes time...always has, always will.

i sort of agree with you but just because a tiler is fast does not necessarily make him a money grabbing speed merchant OK some are but not all. some times the need to get a sweat on comes from the build program. if you are told you have 700m2 of 600x600 polished porcelain and you have 7 days to fix them in, after that the lads in the cherry pickers are in to do the lighting, then you pick a team of lads that can move.
as for sub standard work and questionable fixing techniques if you can drive a cherry picker over your tiling and non break then there is nothing wrong with you fixing techniques and ok the work is not the same standard as you may find in a 4mil privet new build but it is far from sub standard, in fact i see more
sub standard work and questionable fixing techniques from slow tilers that do nothing but domestic work as they only have the unsuspecting home owner to satisfy.

 

[The Legend; Phil Hobson RIP]

I was once thought to be a speed merchant, (by other tilers) I can still turn it on when required. I agree with previous comments. Speed should come second to quality. I recall one job in particular, a tiler I had never heard of or worked with before, was in the next bathroom to me on a site. He was telling me how good/fast he was. I have heard it all before, tilers are like fishermen (the one that got away etc.) some talk a good job. I prefare the real deal. If you can show me a good job done well, in a good time, then I will be impressed .

Anyway this guy was popping his head into my bathroom every few minutes to see how I was doing, I just plodded on. At the end of the day, he came in to my bathroom announcing "I've finished, I had maybe 10 mins tiling left to do. He then insisted I came to look at his work, so I did. My first thought was OK, this work looks alright, then I saw the mistakes, I asked him when he intended putting his borders the right way up. He had put internal/external mitres on his borders, mostly the wrong way up. He was not very happy.

My take on speed is, do not make mistakes, just do it right the first time. Measure twice cut once

 

[doug boardley]

i sort of agree with you but just because a tiler is fast does not necessarily make him a money grabbing speed merchant OK some are but not all. some times the need to get a sweat on comes from the build program. if you are told you have 700m2 of 600x600 polished porcelain and you have 7 days to fix them in, after that the lads in the cherry pickers are in to do the lighting, then you pick a team of lads that can move.
as for sub standard work and questionable fixing techniques if you can drive a cherry picker over your tiling and non break then there is nothing wrong with you fixing techniques and ok the work is not the same standard as you may find in a 4mil privet new build but it is far from sub standard, in fact i see more
sub standard work and questionable fixing techniques from slow tilers that do nothing but domestic work as they only have the unsuspecting home owner to satisfy.

seen it all to often myself Dean, more often than not by tilers that have bitten off more than they can chew.

 

[Spud]

The speed of work comes from cutting down your wasted time,its why some tilers look like they are plodding but end up doing far more m2 than the tiler running round like a looney,loading out the night before helps,keeping you work area tidy helps ,bringing down your waste when you have a tea break or a loo break helps and cleaning your tools and work thoroughly every night all helps as this all saves valuble time that can be used for sticking tiles or grouting I believe you cant beat an early start

 

[doug boardley]

totally agree Gary it's very rare that I'll move away from me work place without transporting some waste or finished with tools.

 

[tommyzooom]

I normally wouldn't match those speeds OP,
I can turn on the speed if required, but quality is the key, and for that I can charge a premium. I know lots of "fast" tilers who are sitting twiddling their thumbs atm

today for example I did a 3.5m splashback,
although they were hand made crackle glazed 130 x 65, skirting tile, dado and quadrant finishing strips..
And I left with a €20 tip

 

[Aston]

deano
what i was trying to say was, you can only go so fast mate. as i said, if you got a room full of experienced pros, then there wouldnt be much difference between them?

i am certainly no way calling anybody money grabbing or whatever, there your words not mine but i stand by what i wrote as fair and the general concensus but there are always exceptions to the rule.

if you want quality on a site or on domestic, then once you over step you speed limit/capabilities, you are in danger of errors..

 

[hillhead]

Spot on Gary, i never let my helper leave me without taking either waste, tools, water bucket etc with him.
No point in wasting a journey IMO.

 

[doug boardley]

at the end of the day, you look back on your days work and either say "Wow, that looks the biz" or you stand back and say "Wow, got loads of tiles on today", given a choice in an ideal world I'd like to be able to say both, but realistically I'll take the first option thank you very much:smilewinkgrin: