Important Changes to Tiling Standards

[Rich]

Broken Link Removed * *

in my humble opinion it is better to have a belt and braces than have your pants puled down. *

:lol: I like that.

 

[kopthis]

does the british standard allow tolerances in regard to tile lippage I have laid tiles on the wall, customer was shown tiles were of poor quality and had a bow in them but insisted that I proceed to lay them with 2mm spacers now is crying foul thanks

 

[kopthis]

no just on top of each other would not normally lay them but customer insisted as she wanted the job doing asap

 

[Alan.P]

What size tile ?

 

[DHTiling]

So did the bowing of the tiles not all go same direction.?

 

[kopthis]

tile size 600 x 400, you would think they would bow in the same direction but did not want say were theywere bought from but is 2 letters the second being q so is there any allowance in the standards just so i can throw it at the woman and send her on her way

 

[Time's Ran Out]

Difficult one this!
I've got photos of a job we did with handmade Fired Earth tiles last year and they were all shapes and sizes. Having used similar over the years I could see the effect they were going to have and the style that the customer was looking for.
However if a tile is not meant to be 'aesthetic' and you feel they lack the quality to complete an acceptable job than the onus is on you to make a decision prior to fixing the material - as that is when the manufacturer passes the responsibility to the fixer.
I'am sure that lippage (often highlighted by downlighters) has a standard of acceptance, but if the customer is bringing this to your attention then, unless there is a hidden agenda, you will need to rectify the problem tiles - at your own expense.

 

[One Day]

Answer from BS5385 Pt1 2009:

"7.1.9.2 Across joints
There should be no appreciable difference in level across joints
(commonly called “lipping”) and the maximum deviation between
tile surfaces either side of a joint, including movement joints, should
be as follows.
a) Joints less than 6 mm wide, 1 mm.
b) Joints 6 mm or more wide, 2 mm."

Remember though, BS is a guide, not a target.
No good getting nicked driving dangerously past a school at 8:55am and arguing the speed limit is 30mph!

 

[One Day]

This too:

"7.1.9.1 Finished tile surfaces
The surface should be true such that, when checked with a 2 m
straightedge with 3 mm thick feet at each end, the straightedge
should not be obstructed by the tiles and no gap should be greater
than 6 mm."

"There are permissible manufacturing tolerances for ceramic tiles
defined in BS EN 14411; certain types of tiles, e.g. extruded or large
format, might have permissible surface flatness irregularities that
cannot satisfactorily be accommodated within the surface flatness
tolerance permitted to the tile installer; this should be taken into
account when evaluating the achievable flatness of a wall floor tiling
installation."

 

[One Day]

I know where you're coming from kopthis, I've been there before. But I think you're wrong to say "does BS allow tollerances for lippage".

Ultimately, if you knew the tiles were so poor as to make a decent finish impossible, then you shouldn't really have agreed to brick bond.
Third bond perhaps.
As I say, I've been there and it's a tough call. Do you lose the job by sticking to your standards, knowing that someone else will do it and be paid?

If I were you, show the customer the first part of the BS extract and ask them to put themselves in your shoes.
You explained the problems with the tiles so they MUST bear some of the blame for the result.
You can only polish a turd so much before it all breaks up in your hands!