C
cam_low
Take a Stanley knife or a grout rake (bnq,topps tiles) to the grout and post some pictures up of the back of the tile.
B
bugs183
Sounds like classic dot and dab if you can see blobs. If your tiles sound hollow it could also be that the leveling compound is loose, you said the builders did it, and they never do it right i always tell any customer to let me do the leveling not the builder.
To be honest this job isn't sounding too promising.
I wouldn't use ply wood again either i'd be tempted to overlay the concrete and wooden floor in cement board such as Marmox. This is much more stable than plywood, is a much better surface to tile too and it's insulated so the underfloor heating will perform much better.
To be honest this job isn't sounding too promising.
I wouldn't use ply wood again either i'd be tempted to overlay the concrete and wooden floor in cement board such as Marmox. This is much more stable than plywood, is a much better surface to tile too and it's insulated so the underfloor heating will perform much better.
B
bugs183
When you say self leveling concrete do you mean leveling compound or have you had a self leveling concrete floor poured and then the tiler went straight onto it????
These are two very different things.
These are two very different things.
K
kaide
Thanks Dave,
My husband is now googling BS5385. As we have two different substrate levels, does that mean we cannot have a porcelain floor and keep on having problems?
My husband is now googling BS5385. As we have two different substrate levels, does that mean we cannot have a porcelain floor and keep on having problems?
M
Mr T
I think and expantion strip would more or less look like a door strip running straight along where the 2 substrates meet
B
bugs183
The best thing to do is explain exactly what you have, what each floor is, and what the height difference is between them etc, the more facts we have the better help everyone can give, otherwise we are guessing, pictures would be helpful.
K
kaide
I don't know whether it's a compound or concrete to level the floor. What is the difference? Our builder got his work man to level the floor and the next day, the tiler laid the floor tiles.
I really appreciate all your advice, so that my husband and I will know they should be doing tomorrow.
I really appreciate all your advice, so that my husband and I will know they should be doing tomorrow.
K
kaide
Hi Bugs183,
I have posted a picture of the kitchen floor but it won't show anything until they take the floor up.
Sorry I down loaded the picture twice. The concrete floor is nearly beyond the kitchen units on the left hand side. The plywood bit is the nearest in the photo. With the threshold, you can slide a screw driver underneath the tile.
As to height levels, we won't know until they take the floor up. Incidentally, the original floor had small ceramic tiles and they didn't move or creak.
I have posted a picture of the kitchen floor but it won't show anything until they take the floor up.
Sorry I down loaded the picture twice. The concrete floor is nearly beyond the kitchen units on the left hand side. The plywood bit is the nearest in the photo. With the threshold, you can slide a screw driver underneath the tile.
As to height levels, we won't know until they take the floor up. Incidentally, the original floor had small ceramic tiles and they didn't move or creak.
Martyn Leeds
TF
The builders are coming back tomorrow?
What does the builder say is causing the movement?
Obviously he thinks that changing the plywood is going to solve whatever the problem is,
but as you've seen already, there's a few other things to consider.
I think you should do a bit of detective work tomorrow, take some pics of the removed tiles and get a few on here.
Once the floor is removed, then describe the situation and assess best preperation methods on here, and with the info you've already got you can tell the builder to hang fire with the tiling untl its all prepped correctly..
Also, Usually you'd have to beg and argue for the builder to fix things - but by the sound of it he's happy to re-do it, maybe he know's something that we don't?
What does the builder say is causing the movement?
Obviously he thinks that changing the plywood is going to solve whatever the problem is,
but as you've seen already, there's a few other things to consider.
I think you should do a bit of detective work tomorrow, take some pics of the removed tiles and get a few on here.
Once the floor is removed, then describe the situation and assess best preperation methods on here, and with the info you've already got you can tell the builder to hang fire with the tiling untl its all prepped correctly..
Also, Usually you'd have to beg and argue for the builder to fix things - but by the sound of it he's happy to re-do it, maybe he know's something that we don't?
B
bugs183
As you say hard to tell, until it comes up, shame it looks nice and flat looking at the reflections 🙁
You'll have to dig a tile up and find out if it's dot n dab, if it is, no matter what the tiler says it's been fixed incorrectly.
Also i take the underfloor heating electric, if so did the tiler lay this out then level over this with leveling compound, if he tried to tile directly over the mat (dot n dab or with a trowel) it is prone to failure and also there can be hot spots in the matting where no adhesive has covered the mat.
You'll have to dig a tile up and find out if it's dot n dab, if it is, no matter what the tiler says it's been fixed incorrectly.
Also i take the underfloor heating electric, if so did the tiler lay this out then level over this with leveling compound, if he tried to tile directly over the mat (dot n dab or with a trowel) it is prone to failure and also there can be hot spots in the matting where no adhesive has covered the mat.
