Is this acceptable?

[Gazzer]

Its hard to comment on the layout from just the one or two pics, can you post up some photos of the entire area instead, as doug said, if the cuts were moved then it could look terrible at the other end of the room.

Did DOUG really say that ? :lol:

 

[brinkley]

how many square meters is this job and how long has it taken 3 tilers ? and as phil said not the best but not the worst laziness in setting out sprigs tomind

 

[Olz]

Hi, that is the whole area of the hallway. You can see the edge of the concrete step from kitchen towards the lounge entrance.

As in the whole of the hallway including all the edges, we cant see, like i said, without seeing all the walls / edges of the room if the tiles had been moved over, perhaps say a ful tile centered in the doorways, the cuts at each edge could be terrible.

Also did they do the kitchen or hallway first, if they had changed the layout in one room they would have had to change it in the other, unless you would have accepted the lines not flowing through from room to room.

So if they had changed the hallway layout, the kitchen would have been different aswell so without seeing the kitchen layout as well its hard to say if it was the best layout available or not.

 

[Olz]

Did DOUG really say that ? :lol:

Erm... Yes dave :lol:

 

[mikethetile]

the setting out length ways on the hall could have been better, but the narrow cuts do tie in with narrow cuts visible either side, how do they intend to finish the step as there could be a solution there

need more pics really to give an honest appraisal

you still havent said why you needed to buy more tiles

you need to contact your insurers re the w/ machine and get the liability insurance ddetails from your contractors

 

[smurfitt]

This a view from a position of standing on the kitchen step looking down at the trim they fitted. As you can see it did not sit flush on the edge of the tile. It has since been removed along with the tiles which were not level, and, in the process a big chunk of the step got knocked out.
The first pic I put up shows the whole hallway stood from the step in the kitchen. The pic in this post is a view from the kitchen step. The middle line of both rooms more or less line up.
However, what I was referring to is having a whole tile at the kitchen end of a hallway (which is only 6ft in length) and a 3 inch tile at the lounge end and the same small piece on a corner. I've been advised that had they planned it before laying it would have resulted in approx half tile either end giving the hallway an effect of equal balance. Hope that makes sense.
To Brinkley: The total area they are tiling amounts to of 18.5 sqm. Three of them started last Monday evening, with only one laying the floor, others cutting/labouring. They did 4 hrs per evening. Two came back on Friday for 8hrs but say it will take another two evenings to finish.
With cuts, it took 21sqm to cover the floor and for upstands. Each box covers a square metre. Due to having to rip off the upstands because they hadn't left a gap between upstand and floor tile and the other disastrous overcut/cracked/broken tiles they had to replace, in total they have used 27 boxes and an additional bag of adhesive.
To: Mikethetile: They intend doing an upstand for the step but if you have another solution I'd be interested to know. The step's height is only 3 inches.
Thanks again everyone.

 

[chille]

Some of the pictures seem to show bad tiling yet others seem to show poor quality tile (i.e. not well made and thus size differences) it would be much better to see an overall photo of the job rather than highlighted problems.
I hope this makes sense and doesn't come across as looking for a way to justify a wrongly aligned tile.

 

[smurfitt]

Thanks for your reply,
I don't quite understand why you think the tiles are different sizes or poor quality. If you're referring to the pic in my last post I think you'll find it is the badly fitted trim that makes the tiles look so. We've checked the tiles and none are defective in dimension.

 

[Daz]

I'm not comfortable commenting on the job from a few photos so will just provide general advise.

It's clear that you are disappointed with the quality of workmanship that you have received to date. My advise would be to enlist an independent professional tiler (there is bound to be someone on this forum close to you) who will charge you a nominal fee to assess the work and provide a written report. As well as the obvious aesthetic issues that you have, the tiler will assess the technical issues such as possible voids under the tiles. You will be able to use the report to enable your existing contractors to put right any highlighted issues at their cost, or if they are unwilling you can use it to claim against their insurance.

For the record, in theory, an 18sqm floor (as per your pics) would take an experienced lone tiler a couple of days. Allowing for some "fiddly" areas it may take a little longer but not days longer.

 

[smurfitt]

Hi, thanks very much for the advice.
This may be more complicated than that. The guy who is doing the tiling job has his own plastering business and as he had carried out some work for me on two previous occasions and did a pretty decent job I contacted him to see if he could recommend a good tiler. He told me he did tiling. I've since found out that he is not qualified in any trade.
I have no written contract and very much doubt he is insured.
Suffice to say I have contacted Consumer Direct and they advise the same as you: ask him to put it right at his expense. As I've explained, I am female and these 3 men have tried every which way to get out of rectifying shoddy workmanship. As an example they try to convince me that:
To leave a chipped tile here and there is ok; they can hide it with grout
Upstand tiles can rest on floor tiles and don't need an expansion gap
Knocking holes out of my perfectly screeded floor won't matter once the tiles are down
It won't matter if the tile trim is raised above the tile even though I caught my slipper on it more than once
Etc, etc
It is only when I came on this site and got advice by the plumber who provided me with an extract from the BS5385 document that they would rectify anything! This had some effect because they immediately starting ripping off the upstands. When I mentioned getting an independent report one of them disappeared a few minutes later and has not returned since. I appreciate you don't need to be qualified to tile but think I was misled into believing this guy was. I don't think he really knows enough to have taken on this work and make a decent job nor should expect the same payment for such a half-hearted attempt.
He and his workmate are coming back tomorrow so it doesn't give me much time to arrange a survey with a qualified tiler. I am also going abroad in 2 weeks and can hardly leave my house sitter with the disarray it has created with appliances, units and worktops piled up in other rooms. I hasten to add that delivery of new furniture and appliances has already been delayed by 2 weeks so won't get started until I get back. So, all in all delayed at least 7 weeks.
I am just so relieved that I didn't spend out on yellow marble as was first planned because that would have been an even bigger catastrophe both cosmetically and financially.
Thanks again for all the comments/advice and time to read my posts and respond.
Regards,
Sue

 

[Daz]

Hi Sue,

It sounds to me as though you need to halt the work (I know it is easier said than done). Reading between the lines you are only going to get a "bodged" fix as this guy is losing money every day that he is there now. Don't pay him and don't agree to any form of payment until you have had the work inspected and any faults rectified.

If there is no written contract (this could be as simple as a written quotation from him) then he has no recourse to claim any money against an unsatisfactory job.

I hasten to add that I am a tiler and not a lawyer and that you may wish to seek some proper legal advise for your own piece of mind.

 

[smurfitt]

Thanks,
seems I might have to leave it as it is until I get back from hols.
Is there any qualified tiler you know of on here who is in Southampton and could check the work and give me written report? If so, could they PM me with what it would cost.
Thankyou

 

[smurfitt]

Well here we are on day 5 and no sign of them. Due at 4:30 so raced home leaving work early and having skipped my lunch to do so.
Upstands leaning against walls, some tiles still not cut ready for laying.
:0(

 

[mikethetile]

I would advise caution before refusing tp pay, its clear your relationship has broken down

the hall is poorly set out but as long as that doesnt affect the performance of the tiles it doesnt contravine bs, I can see no lippage or misaligned grout lines in your pic

you complained about the step which he has lifted in order to relay

you complained about the kitchen floor but no pics so cant comment

ive asked twice why you needed to purchase two boxes of tiles, no answer so I assume he ran short by not allowing over for cutting waste

your washing machine top needs to go through yout insurance or you can purchase and use the invoice to set off against his bill as you have incured the cost

he doesnt need a written contract with you nor does he need to be quailified

you are entitled to postpone payment while you have a third party check his work but at your expense not his

the fact that your a lone female and they are male is no reason to stop payment

im sorry to be so blunt but im not taking sides in this and im still waiting to see some evidence for refusing to pay

 

[Gazzer]

Can i ask why they are working what I would call out of hours ?