preparation

[-=HaZ=-]

I was just wondering what aversge time other people spend on prepping walls for tiling on normal jobs

A job such as 20m² removal of tiles and then removal of the adhesive on walls to get the walls smooth again......
What time on average would you spend on this????

I'm a bathroom fitter and have been set up a while but lately some of the jobs iv had have required more prep time so have lasted longer.... I am in the middle of changing my structure of jobs and the times I give customers etc

Thanks

 

[peterwhayward]

Bit of a difficult one really. I'm in the middle of a bathroom (total strip out bath/basin/towel rail/loo/lights/ fully tiled). I allowed 1 day to strip out and 1 day prep (make walls good enough to retile). Absolute nightmare, the tiles came off easy enough but they brought most of bonding (if you can call it that, more like a real soft render 90% sand).So my 1 day for prep turned in to 1 day for me and 1 day for the plasterer, plus then I couldn't tile straight on to new wet plaster. So bang goes all my careful time management.!

 

[-=HaZ=-]

Yeah its a tough one.... I always said 1 and half days to strip and prep then I can level the wall etc to go back on day 3 to crack on with tiles

Lately though iv come across jobs that have so much more the strip off or are needing new plasterboard up....

Iv just had a fee jobs in the past few months where iv ended up working extra hours so I can get done before the new job..... This is why I'm in the middle of a new set routine for installing

 

[Stef]

Bit of a difficult one really. I'm in the middle of a bathroom (total strip out bath/basin/towel rail/loo/lights/ fully tiled). I allowed 1 day to strip out and 1 day prep (make walls good enough to retile). Absolute nightmare, the tiles came off easy enough but they brought most of bonding (if you can call it that, more like a real soft render 90% sand).So my 1 day for prep turned in to 1 day for me and 1 day for the plasterer, plus then I couldn't tile straight on to new wet plaster. So bang goes all my careful time management.!

If I'm stripping out & go back to bonding then it goes back to brick & get a dryliner in, tile next day, don't have to wait on plaster drying, walls almost always perfect.
Saves a lot of time, hassle & money..

 

[peterwhayward]

Would have done that Stef normally speaking but....long story short, had promised the plasterer more than just a ceiling, expecting it to be a bit of making good for him. So it was a days work for him to make it all good. Same story though, its just not always easy to guesstimate how long for prep.!

 

[judge]

I charge day rate for prep

 

[CJ]

Always tell customers that it is an unknown part of the job. Could take a day, could take a week. So day rate everytime.

 

[Stef]

Would have done that Stef normally speaking but....long story short, had promised the plasterer more than just a ceiling, expecting it to be a bit of making good for him. So it was a days work for him to make it all good. Same story though, its just not always easy to guesstimate how long for prep.!

But if you get a plasterer in then you have to wait till plaster dries out.
It's a no brainer for me, tile next day after the plasterboard has been dot n dabbed.

 

[Anto Holland]

Hi,

I do it this way -

1 day ripping out then first fix if poss
Day 2 prep walls. Smooth them off with a big scraper. I have a spray bottle (water) keep spraying the old adhesive it comes off much easier. Then patch plaster it or if not oo bad fill holes and smooth off. Then double PVA it.
Day 3 and 4 tile
day 5 grout and second fix. 5 day job, at a push I will work a saturday to box things off.

That's my way

 

[Anto Holland]

One very simple bit of advice. If the walls are that bad then simply dot and dab new plasterboard all round. I don't like that term "dot n dab" but if they are that bad, advice the customer of your plans and reboard the whole room, it's cheap to do and it will take a day or 2 off your job FACT. Just prime walls before installing new boards very well and it will stick like **** to a blanket.

 

[Anto Holland]

I do this one every job now. Takes me half a day to dryline walls and tiles sit perfect on every job.

 

[Stef]

Hi,

I do it this way -

1 day ripping out then first fix if poss
Day 2 prep walls. Smooth them off with a big scraper. I have a spray bottle (water) keep spraying the old adhesive it comes off much easier. Then patch plaster it or if not oo bad fill holes and smooth off. Then double PVA it.
Day 3 and 4 tile
day 5 grout and second fix. 5 day job, at a push I will work a saturday to box things off.

That's my way

PVA the walls before you tile???

 

[Anto Holland]

Prime it I meant (glue)

 

[Stef]

Prime it I meant (glue) í*½í±

The way I read it you were priming the walls with PVA then tiling..

 

[Anto Holland]

I just use the term PVA so everyone understands. I use BAL stuff which is the correct stuff to use with the adhsive which I use. I'm not stupid enough to use PVA as of a matter of fact when I first started out I did use PVA on one whole wall and learned why you shouldn't a couple of months after.