Is this tiling acceptable? Advice...

[MattRudge]

So after years of saving I finally managed to get enough for a deposit on a property in London!

It needs lots of work. The plumber who has totally re plumbed the house and done the central heating said he would continue on the bathroom by tiling it if we wanted. We'd been happy with the plumbing work, he showed us other tiling/bathrooms he'd done and so agreed.

Its an old Victorian property and the walls he was working on do have uneven bits - especially around the window in the bathroom where there seemed to be a bulge. However, I presumed a tiler could get around most of these issues (ducks for cover in case I'm totally wrong) :sofahide:

so he started today, and I've got home to find he's tiled over the bulge and its gone a bit scew-whiff. I've been in some old properties and never seen tiles this out of kilter. He says it will look fine once its grouted but clearly i want to rectify it as soon as possible if it can be. I suppose I'm asking, has he done as good a job as he could, or should I ask for him to rectify it somehow. If so, what could/should he have done? Maybe I should tell him to stop and get someone else in? I don't want to be a premadonna but if I'm making the bathroom from scratch I want it as good as possible and if its fixable I want it fixed.

He's coming back in 4 days to finish the rest of the room and add grouting so can sort it then.

Ive attached a few photos:

1) see where the tile leans out and he's filled in behind it

2) these two tiles are not level, and even when he adds the grout, it will stand out by nearly 8mm in one jump!

3) a picture of both these in situ


Thanks so much


:smilewinkgrin:

 

[White Room]

Hi and welcome...I would not be happy with that or the gap between the bath and the tiles.....

 

[kilty55]

dear me the tiling is not good at all,he should stick to what hes good at plumbing

 

[peteablard]

Don't let him carry on! Tiles that size will not go over a bump without kicking out like it has, the wall needed sorting out first

 

[MattRudge]

Thanks - bath is yet to be sealed as its a cast iron and he's had to get behind it but its the sloping tiles that irritates me.

Any advice on what he should have done, can now do, would be appreciated - or whether I should just get someone else in?

Matt

 

[White Room]

As has already been said big tiles will not bend, wall needed sorting out before tiling.....get a tiler in.....

 

[peteablard]

Depending how bad the bumps are they could have been knocked out or re-board the wall

 

[cam_low]

Plenty of pros on here in and around the capital !!!

 

[pete f]

Stop him first thing before anymore fixing is done the walls need to be like glass with those tiles get a tiler in matt its all in the prep

 

[pete f]

is that tubbed gear hes using?

 

[Jeff the tiler]

Okay agree the lippage of the cut tile awful and generally the tiling from the limited photo's looks pretty terrible. Having spent to many years in London tiling i feel one of the main issues here could be the walls themselves. It's an old property and unless you are going to strip back the room to get a flat surface to work to then, with the size of tiles, you could be all over the place very quickly.

Get the tiles off so you do not waste anymore, get the walls flat and start again. More money i know but if you plan to stay there then do it right first time or it will cost you more long term. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news but it is the truth.

 

[MattRudge]

Sorry don't know what that means. Out of a tub adhesive? :helpsmilie:

Ok... Big question... If a tiler comes in will he have to rip all the tiles out. Or just the surrounding offenders?

 

[White Room]

Somethink like this

 

[peteablard]

Sorry don't know what that means. Out of a tub adhesive? :helpsmilie:

Ok... Big question... If a tiler comes in will he have to rip all the tiles out. Or just the surrounding offenders?

Difficult to say mate without seeing the job, if the rest of the wall isn't too bad you might get away with stripping a few off

 

[MattRudge]

No it's bags of flexible rapid setting tile adhesive

 

[Jeff the tiler]

Only you can decide as we can see the whole room and what has and has not been done. What you have to consider if the tiles way off the wall in areas how much coverage do the tiles have sticking them to the wall. I know not this is not what you want to hear, and may be the tiler is a good tile,r you need to have the discussion and decide. All I can say is the preparation is one of the most important parts to tiling without it you are fighting from the moment you start tiling.

 

[Alan.P]

No good at all, the walls need rectifying first, he's used rapid set so your probably going to take a hiding getting them off the wall without a) damage to the wall, and b) smashing some of the tiles. As has been said, stop him now, get a Pro in for a quote.

 

[Pebbs]

It's totally not acceptable, totally amatuerish, because of one thing, trades should really stick to their own trade. I am becoming more and more dismayed, by the appalling standards of other trades, attempting to 'tile' and I use that phrase lightly. I have a victorian house myself, so I know all to well the problems faced when the walls are not flat and the windows can be at a slight angle. I don't know what your relationship is like with 'Jack' (of all trades) but I strongly suggest that you have to talk through with him how he is going to rectify this shambolic effort of tiling. Take one word of advice, get him to put this proposal in writing. Remember at the end of the day you are the client, and to be honest I think he is out of his depth on this one. He may do the decent thing and hold his hands up, and suggest that a tiler is engaged to undertake the works. I am hoping he will do so, if not then you need the proposal in writing, agreeing things verbally means that it could come back to bite you. The other word of advice is this, do not hand over any money until you are satisfied with the workmanship.

Good luck, chin up and sock it to him.

Pebbs

 

[MattRudge]

Thanks. I guess be didn't properly check the room before thinking he could do it and turns out that wall was too much for someone who just dips his toe in with tiling.

I just hope his actions don't cost me more money....

 

[MattRudge]

I've actually just taken the step to tell him to stop and I'm getting a pro in. Having looked at the rest of the wall, Whether he likes it or not its best someone else does it.

 

[aytiling]

This is all too a common thing. Trouble is tiling looks easy to someone watching it being done, then everyone thinks they can do it.

 

[CJ]

Another Plumber aving a go.

 

[charlie1]

Yes, I'm seeing (as previously mentioned in another thread) jobs being completely bodged. What's that saying, its so right for these situations, "fail to prepare then prepare to fail". The problem with people like plumbers tiling is, they think most of the hard work is done in the roughing out stage, when they are tiling,, they think they are simply applying a wall covering (WRONG) without totally understanding what they are doing. There head is half thinking about the finishing plumbing, the tiling is just a formality, its just tiles after all "wrong". When it comes to tiling, amateurs think in 2D, pros think in 3D, a pro can read a wall or floor and set the plane so that the installation will be flat, without lippage (as it should be). Its REMOVED time that these boneheads where named and shamed, they should not be taking on work that is clearly out there depth!! Public... Just because a guy has a sign written van and a pair of snickers trousers does not mean to say in any way that he is a competent pro. Educate yourself before hiring anyone!!! Rant over