Last Checklist before I start work tomorrow. Is it ok?

[TiredGill]

Looks like I may have been worrying needlessly with regards to the slc. I've phoned Mapei technical (again!...very patient, helpful, peeps there) and chap reckons it will be fine and that if it was going to slump in the deeper places, it would have done so whilst drying.

As the floor seems fine 12 hours later with no hollows or dips, I think it's ok.

On to the matting now..........

 

[Bolter]

Looks like I may have been worrying needlessly with regards to the slc. I've phoned Mapei technical (again!...very patient, helpful, peeps there) and chap reckons it will be fine and that if it was going to slump in the deeper places, it would have done so whilst drying.

As the floor seems fine 12 hours later with no hollows or dips, I think it's ok.

On to the matting now..........

you mean Ditra matting? Get a small notch trowel, and use flexible floor adhesive to stick it down (once its cut to fit of course). The neater the notches, the better. Make sure after fixing you roll over the matting to make sure it fixes properly. You can see the matting turn darker where it sticks. You could even weigh it down with the boxes of tiles

 

[TiredGill]

Just done one bit of it and I'm worried. There are darker bits but also loads of light bits. How do I know if it's going to stick ok...I'm contemplating taking it up and scraping the floor and not bothering with it. If it's not stuck down properly, that's a real problem isn't it? It would have to be stuck 100% all over?

Done with Keraquick and a 4mm notched trowel btw.

 

[Bolter]

Just done one bit of it and I'm worried. There are darker bits but also loads of light bits. How do I know if it's going to stick ok...I'm contemplating taking it up and scraping the floor and not bothering with it. If it's not stuck down properly, that's a real problem isn't it? It would have to be stuck 100% all over?

Done with Keraquick and a 4mm notched trowel btw.

Do you have a grout float? You could go over it with the float, and try to push the matting into the adhesive. If not, the flat side of the trowel, carefully. Shouldnt be a problem.

How much % wise is darker and stuck?

 

[TiredGill]

Half and half maybe. I think the darker bits are where the Keraquick was a little thicker so I dont know if the light bits are already dry or if they're not stuck at all. I'm thinking it might not be worth the risk to leave it?

I rubbed over it with a bit of 3" x 2".

 

[Bolter]

Half and half maybe. I think the darker bits are where the Keraquick was a little thicker so I dont know if the light bits are already dry or if they're not stuck at all. I'm thinking it might not be worth the risk to leave it?

I rubbed over it with a bit of 3" x 2".

You should be fine. If you have been walking on it aswell, then even better really. As long as the adhesive went right to the walls, and you weigh it all down at the seams, Im sure you'll be ok.

Let it dry overnight, and test it. Like find an edge and give it a tug :yikes:

About time we had an update pic though dont you think?

 

[TiredGill]

Think I have another problem.

After my run in with the Ditra and the Keraquick adhesive, I got worried about my ability to do a good enough job so I reverted to plan 'whatever' (just pick a letter, there were so many at one point) and got the plumber who was putting in my bathroom to do the tiling. My bottle went, simple as.

Anyway, he's done an acceptable job, bits here and there that a professional tiler probably wouldn't have done, but on the whole, okay.

However I'm just cleaning the bathroom today for the first time since it's been tiled and the grout (Mapei Ultra Colour Plus) on the floor seems to be rubbing off on the cloth. The floor has been tiled for a week, it was the first thing to be done. When he did it, the grout seem to sag back and sink between the tiles when it dried. After he'd done all the wall tiling he added more grout to the floor tiles to bring it back up to the usual level and it seemed fine until today when I went to clean the tiles.

The bathroom hasn't been used at all since the work was done as we'd moved out during it all. I was going to put Seal Guard on the grout tonight, ready for us coming back tomorrow and starting to use the bathroom but I don't know what to do now.

Will the Seal Guard help harden the grout up and stop it from rubbing out or have I got a bigger problem?

 

[Bolter]

Think I have another problem.

After my run in with the Ditra and the Keraquick adhesive, I got worried about my ability to do a good enough job so I reverted to plan 'whatever' (just pick a letter, there were so many at one point) and got the plumber who was putting in my bathroom to do the tiling. My bottle went, simple as.

Anyway, he's done an acceptable job, bits here and there that a professional tiler probably wouldn't have done, but on the whole, okay.

However I'm just cleaning the bathroom today for the first time since it's been tiled and the grout (Mapei Ultra Colour Plus) on the floor seems to be rubbing off on the cloth. The floor has been tiled for a week, it was the first thing to be done. When he did it, the grout seem to sag back and sink between the tiles when it dried. After he'd done all the wall tiling he added more grout to the floor tiles to bring it back up to the usual level and it seemed fine until today when I went to clean the tiles.

The bathroom hasn't been used at all since the work was done as we'd moved out during it all. I was going to put Seal Guard on the grout tonight, ready for us coming back tomorrow and starting to use the bathroom but I don't know what to do now.

Will the Seal Guard help harden the grout up and stop it from rubbing out or have I got a bigger problem?

If the grout sinks, its usually because it is too wet/runny when its applied. There are instructions on every bag of grout/adhesive in how to mix it. Doing it wrong, is .....well ....wrong.

Also Im fairly sure if you asked, one of the tilers on here would have tried to match or beat his quote. Far be it for me to say that you could have done an "acceptable" job yourself

 

[TiredGill]

Also Im fairly sure if you asked, one of the tilers on here would have tried to match or beat his quote. Far be it for me to say that you could have done an "acceptable" job yourself

My problem was time though. We'd moved out as the bathroom suite had been ripped out and there had been various problems and hold ups along the line that meant that we had no working bathroom for longer than was able to be put up with. My eldest is disabled and wasn't able to wash in the tiny downstairs cloakroom basin so it had got to a point where I needed it done 'now' iyswim. We couldn't stay away from home for too long and most if not all, good tilers are usually booked up and wouldn't be able to just do a job at the drop of a hat so I felt a bit stuck tbh. It wasn't about money, once I had thrown in the towel, I just needed it done asap.

One thing I have learned through all this is to be much, much more prepared. I didn't appreciate how time consuming this can all be when you basically dont know what you're doing. I also didn't account for things going wrong. Next time, materials and goods will be had to hand and pros will be approached before one thing is removed from this house. That way, I'll not be in the position where I feel as though I have no choice and go along with things.

What's done is done I guess, we're moving back in tomorrow so I suppose I'll find out soon enough if the grout is going to just come out.

I do appreciate everyone's help and advice. Part of me regrets not giving it a go but I was getting pretty stressed about it all and had lost the confidence I originally started out with.

 

[DHTiling]

Thanks for the update...

 

[Dan]

Just bumping some of the older popular (sometimes not so popular) threads. Probably wont be current discussion these days but I just need to do it. So just ignore the thread if it's not current for you.