limestone bathroom

[williams]

I am finally getting round to doing my bathroom and en suite, i am considering doing the work myself as i am struggling to find someone decent to do the job- i either get people quoting £400 a day or sensible rates but a lack of trust, i am a paver and have done lots of stone work over the years so maybe i find it hard to trust people as i know i,m fussy...

Anyway one guy who i may use i am still a little unsure on though, i,d like to know whats the correct procedures for limestone tiles 600x400 - not sure on exact stone as yet but i want something very plain and white.

so....

floor: is currently chipboard= is a 12mm layer of hardibacker ok? does it need to be screwed and stuck? if so what adhesive? (no ufh)

walls: aquapanel on bath wall and shower wall, hardibacker the rest? do the joints need taping and jointing?

12mm notched trowel?

backbutter the tiles? why do people recomend this?

tiles will be honed tiles- how are the cut edges made into the same finish? what machine to use?

r.e sealing the stone: i guess i would seal first and seal after grout, but what sealer to retain the natural finish and do the backs need sealing, sure i saw that mentioned somewhere.

what adhesive?

One of the walls is concrete block- whats the best way to address this? i thought maybe dot and dab hardibacker board to get the wall flat and then plug and screw.

which grout? i want the joints flush with no recess if that makes a difference.

Oh and if anyone is in essex and can recomend please pm me. each room is about 20m2 and imo quite straightforward. I am very happy to pay a generous sensible tradesmans rate! but dont want to hear that is £400 a day or £150 a day and it will take 10 days.

am i right in thinking this would be 3-5 days work for a pro?

sorry for the huge post and thanks in advance

 

[Spud]

here's a pic of moleanos White Moleanos Limestone Tiles - Limestone Tiles - Limestone tiles,Travertine tiles, Travertine flooring, Mosaics, Natural stone, Slate floorsand here is a pic of apple stone broken link removed

 

[DHTiling]

Not the best pic of Applestone gaz..

I like to describe the markings of ... like an applecore..

This is a good example..

 

[williams]

Ok that applestone above looks lovely

i have been talking to a guy called peter from here
Google Image Result for http://www.stonetilesales.co.uk/Images/gallery/bianco_bathroom.jpg
about the creme clair in 600x400.

he sounds decent enough on the phone and he knows i know the crack about crap stone so if it turns up and its crap theres problems.

for £50 a meter or so i fully appreciate its never going to be pure white with not a single mark, i just want an off white (but not dirty iykwim) with as few markings as possible

he sent me a few pics, he told me its very clean but does have a few random markings, much cleaner than the pietra bianca which i have seen myself, its very speckly.

 

[doug boardley]

Oh i appreciate its not the same, i just want to get the rooms done and if it comes to it i,ll have to do it myself, take my time and do my best.

My problem is getting someone to do it and do it right. the guy who was going to do it has stopped answering my calls, he came round gave me a price which i accepted then he dissapeared? he was recomended but i am still not 100% sure if he would use the correct sealer etc etc. i have no doubt he can lay and cut in well as i have seen his work, its whats underneath i was worried about hence me asking here so if he ever does call me back i can specifically ask for sealer 'X' and grout 'X' etc etc.

I have been straight honest saying i can't pay £400 a day thats just crazy and if thats what tilers earn then i,m in the wrong game :lol:

the guy who quoted £400 a day also seemed un knoweledgeable and showed me about 6 pictures of jobs which looked like they were from 1986 :lol:

another really nice guy came round, quite an old boy and sort of talked himself out of the job, kept saying he wasnt geared up for natural stone and that he was a ceramic tiler, he did give me a very reasonable price but he didnt inspire confidence- however i appreciate his honesty, something a lot of tradesmen just don't have unfortunately which worries me as i know what the paving game is like, lots of people talk the talk but can't deliver aq properly pro job.

this analogy can be applied to all trades, are you actually looking for a good pro. or a cheap price??

 

[Pebbs]

Strange, that company you rang are slap bang next door to marmi e granito, if they are part of them the quality of the stone should be good.

Pebbs

 

[williams]

I want a pro job for a fair price

 

[mikethetile]

£400 a day is a fair price for a top class stone fixer

 

[williams]

£400 a day is a fair price for a top class stone fixer

And do you get a lot of work charging £400 a day. Maybe in 2007 but nowadays in Essex at least i don't think ANY tradesman is earning that.

 

[Bolter]

And do you get a lot of work charging £400 a day. Maybe in 2007 but nowadays in Essex at least i don't think ANY tradesman is earning that.

Some Pro's work is priceless mate. £400 per day is a snip for the likes of Phil Hobson or Timeless John imho. You would be getting a perfect job and long lasting job. Say it costs 2k per room, over 30 years (it should last alot longer mind) is £66 per year, or 20p per day for a room that you are proud to walk into.

It costs what it costs. You know this yourself

 

[Time's Ran Out]

Some Pro's work is priceless mate. £400 per day is a snip for the likes of Phil Hobson or Timeless John imho. You would be getting a perfect job and long lasting job. Say it costs 2k per room, over 30 years (it should last alot longer mind) is £66 per year, or 20p per day for a room that you are proud to walk into.

It costs what it costs. You know this yourself

Thank you Bolter, but I couldn't possibly come down to those prices:lol:
Seriously I understand where Williams is coming from as you have to have confidence with your contractor on a project as described and I'am sure he is doing his homework prior to making a decision. I don't think the thread has gone the way it was initially posted and its not just about the price as it now sounds. Like all of us he wants a top quality job for price that will guarantee that. Some quotes may be high as they are not interested or low as they are not experienced in pricing this material but the forum is well represented in his area so he should get some good feedback.
For us its not just a daily rate, its coffee, lodgings, coffee, travelling time, coffee.........:smilewinkgrin:

 

[faithhealer]

who ever you chose Mr Willams, you sound like the sort of bloke to suss out his portfolio and refs. Nobody on this forum likes to see anybody do a shoddy job. best of luck and keep us informed.

nice work on your website by the way, I bet your drive ways don't collaspse after a year or two

 

[williams]

From Daves recomendation i have been speaking to daz aka captain slow from here and hopefully we can get something sorted :8:

 

[DHTiling]

Thanks for the update Jasper.. please do let us know how it goes and maybe a few pics of the finished job would be great.

 

[Bolter]

From Daves recomendation i have been speaking to daz aka captain slow from here and hopefully we can get something sorted :8:

You are in very good hands!

 

[williams]

I was in the area of a stone supplier today so i stopped in and had a look at what they had.

The guy showed me a couple of grades of limestone.

antalya:
Limestone Tiles, Tile Flooring, Kitchen, Bathroom, Wall, Floor

It was very clean with very few inclusions, the markings it did have were imo quite nice, no 'dirty' looking marks iykwim.
I would be VERY happy to have this stone, its pretty much exactly what i,m after.

BUT......

It is very soft, i poke to daz about this and he was a bit wary as i am as well, maybe thats why its so cheap....£22+vat per m2 (trade price, luckily for me i had my company shirt on which features the words 'natural stone' ), the guy
He says he supplies a lot of other companies, i know in my game this goes on a lot, i.e one bloke imports stone, sells it to another, this bloke renames it and sells it for double.

says he is a wholesaler and to be fair had a warehouse FULL of various stone.

Now i know limestone is soft but how do i determine what is too soft?

If i scratch the top with a finger nail it doesnt scratch, if i used a 4" nail it would, if i pick at the edges (albeit quite hard) i can cause very minor damage.
The guy happily showed me some completly random tiles in their packs and there were a few chipped edges on some making them only good for cuts.at that price though it doesnt matter if i need another 15% extra.

So apart from when daz comes round here and looks himself is there any way i can determine if they are too soft?

BTW the cheap price is nothing but a bonus, i am not looking for something as cheap as that but if its good then thats nice- i just want something which looks like what i saw today.

 

[diamondtiling]

I use this company for specialist stone, very good grades and excellent service.


Limestone Tiles - INTERIOR STONE TILES