New DIY member with complicated starting job!!

[Newtiler723]

Hi,

New here and long time lurker. After needing a load of tiling jobs done and phoning up various tilers out the paper and either getting stitched up on quotes - not bothering to turn up or turning up and then not sending quote I thought I would do a bit of research and have a go myself.

I am kinda pleased with the results, taken a lot of time measuring and comitting to anything being stuck down!!

I now have a real dilema on a floor. It is long, narrow and lots of cut outs and odd shapes and going off into rooms with different floor coverings - carpets and tiles of different sizes.

Initially I was going to get it laminated which suited my budget - not a lot - but the fitter wasn't that good - fitted half the floor and realised that it wasn't level - surely the first thing you do?

Anyway needed it levelled got verbal quotes that were supposed to turn physical but yet again no one turned up!! LOL I was being quoted £8.50 - 10m2 for levelling.

I thought sod the lot of you - I can get some nice tiles in Wickes? Can I? for £7m2 on offer at moment and take my time and do the job myself.

Any help or advice will be greatly received - it is a bit complicated but I am banking on the fact that if I get the first line level and straight then there is a possibility that I will pull this off?

Cheers

 

[Rad2474]

Why don't you let us know where you are? I sure there'll be someone reliable on here who can call round to assist you.

 

[Newtiler723]

I am in Poole Dorset. I tried ringing people out the paper and Yellow pages - about 10 people. 2 turned up eventually and 1 quoted. Basically £30m2 which I guess is standard.

The other 1 who turned up after wasting my time and putting me off measured the job up, gave me a very expensive looking business card - think American Psycho with bling!! and never sent anything.

That's why I started looking into doing the jobs myself after doing a LOT of reading up. I think one of the main principles of a good job is doing your maths right - which wasn't a speciality at school even though I scraped a C - and having a decent level.

Please correct me if I am wrong - and any help will be greatly received - although from experience of my local tilers I am not sure too many of them lurk on here.

Cheers

 

[DHTiling]

Hello and welcome to tilers forums.......tiling isn't quite that straight forward...if you are going to have a go, we can help with any sticky situations you have...or put a post in the tiler wanted forum and we can arrange a tiler for you...

 

[medlar]

Welcome mate,as Dave said it aint that easy/straight forward,but correct preparation is half the battle,get your floor as level as possible and get your marking out bang on,make sure you using the correct adhesive,grout,primer etc.
if you get stuck,put a post on here and i am sure some of the lads will reply with excellent advice for you

Jimmy

 

[Newtiler723]

Thanks for the replies guys. I wasn't meaning to denigrate a skilled tilers skills at all. Probably just saying it from a DIY common sense kinda view and after seeing bad tiling jobs - including my bathroom that I paid a lot of money for and the shoddy job they did.

If they had thought about it - but perhaps they didn't have the foresight or intelligence - then there wouldn't be 10cm pieces of tiles here, not lining up there etc.

I guess I am not truly competent at a lot of things - just good at noticing them and am a perfectionist and think "well if you had just moved that 10cm then there wouldn't have been joins there and it would have looked a lot better"!

Where I live, Poole is an expensive part of the country, but even in a lot of expensive bars and clubs I go in and think - jeez did you pay someone on community service to do this?!!

IMHO if it's worth doing then it's worth doing properly. If you can recommend a decent tiler in my area please let me know

Cheers

 

[medlar]

well i certainly didnt feel denigrated mate,keep asking questions until you feel you have enough advice/knowledge to undertake the job,maybe Dan,Dave or Oli can suggest a fixer in your area or close to you
Jimmy

 

[DHTiling]

If you do require a fixer then..click this link I'm Looking for a Wall and Floor Tiler - tilersforums.com | Tile Forums | Tiling Forum and then this

 

[graham31]

:wave:Hi and welcome to the Tilers forums :wave: good luck with your project

 

[White Room]

Hello and welcome:santa_cheesy:

 

[doug boardley]

welcome mate:conehead:

 

[david campbell]

please dont knock community service it stop over crowding in our jails(where most tilers learn there trade) lol

 

[Olz]

Hi, Welcome to the forum

 

[garretridge]

welcome mate! :santa_cheesy:

 

[LM Ceramics]

welcome to the forums pal