Take your eye of the ball...

[Pebbs]

There comes a time, when you have to hold your hands up for god almighty shockingly bad workmanship, which has just happened to me. Because of a recent avalanche of contracts that all seemed to kick of at the same time, I was short of a good stone man, for a nice contract. One of my lads said ohh a friend of a friend is looking for work...and handed over the number. So we rang him and met him on site, gave him the drawings, half bond 20mm stone floor, piecing new stone in. It should not have been difficult to this guy who has been (reportedly) doing it for 15 years.

I have committed the worst mistake, I didn't go in and check his work for 4 days. I was working 18 hours a day running around. And my contracts director was working the night shift. So I popped in on my way home from another job. I was met with what can only be described as a ski slope effect on the floor. There was so much lippage Dan could have skied down them. The joints..if you can call them that were running between 3-8mm. For once in my life I was speechless, when I eventually found the 'stone man' who I think was hiding, I said I need a word with you now. He really believed the stone was 'satisfactory' and the lips could be spun out. Another one sacked on the spot, and an expensive lesson learnt.

Don't ever take your eye of the ball, or its game over.

Lynn

 

[Dan]

No way I hope he was slow too so the 4 days of tiles tiled don't cost tooooo much.

Not sure I want to ski again I think I lost the bottle when I broke my ankle and realised I'm getting old and can't take it anymore. :lol:

I want to ask a question about the costs side of things in situations like this but don't want to chat about said situation so I'll wait and see if the answer just ends up being written later in the thread I think lol - just rewrote a paragraph about 4 times and think if you need write it that many times, it's only worth deleting. lol

 

[White Room]

Why do people go above there limitation, don't get it.

 

[Dan]

I'd be scared of doing a stone job myself now to be honest and I've done a few. Just not for years.

The new tiles and new problems that come with them scare me enough alone. And then to think I could risk actually screwing it all up with lippage and the likes too would just make me worry about the costs involved if I did screw it up.

I tell you what though, I'd like to think if I did screw it up enough to get sacked that I'd try my best to pay for it and not expect any wage (perhaps a given).

 

[nybor62]

so many bad tilers out there
sorry to here of your dilema lynn

 

[Rizzle from the Portizzle]

the lesson here is always work with the tiler first to see how good they are before sending them out on there own

 

[Pebbs]

Yep Ray your right, I would normally put them straight in with the gang, but couldn't do that, due to being booked out solid. Lots of lessons to be learnt from this one.

Upwards and onwards...he rang me this morning for his wages. I've got to give him the chance to correct this, but the truth is the stone had to be slaughtered, so far beyond being put right. Im at a bit of a loss what to do now.

Lynn

 

[Dan]

I feel for you.

If it's a write off there's nothing to put right surely. And if the costs of putting it right outweigh his wage (which I'm sure they do) then surely there's just nothing in the job for him now. He shouldn't have said he was competent.

 

[garybadger]

I had one, where i was sub contracting the guy. Had him in to do a 15m2 kitchen floor. Showed him how to set it out, and off I went to my next job. Came back the next day after getting a call from the site agent.
For some reason the whole floor was on a twist and running about 30-40mm off the square. Frightening.
He had just went with the door frame and not squared anything off. Had to rip up the whole floor, pay for new tiles and then re-tile it. When it came to him getting paid, he asked for his wages but I told him how much it had cost me, and it would get left at that.
Never gave him another drop off work and now he's toiling for work.

 

[MARBLE_TONY]

Few more details may be able to help you out have dealt with lippage up to 9mm. Got any pics?

 

[tommyzooom]

I'm gutted for you Lynne,
And staggered at the cheek of him to ask for wages:yikes:

 

[Dan]

I'd be rubbish in situations like that I don't like confrontation like that. I've been stung a few times and ended up still paying. Typical of me.

 

[Pebbs]

Few more details may be able to help you out have dealt with lippage up to 9mm. Got any pics?

Thanks Tony, but I would be ashamed to post any photos of the offending stone. I personally took the sledgehammer to the first piece (and then had to go for a lie down..its a mans world and I chipped my nail!) :lol:

Plus it was pietra serena....to my mind one of the worst stones to work with for any remedials. Hate the stone, hated the floor.

Lynn

 

[Pebbs]

I'm gutted for you Lynne,
And staggered at the cheek of him to ask for wages:yikes:

Aye Tommy, and I did the decent thing and paid him half what he was owed, I just said to him, you should have held your hands up if you couldnt cope with it...then I got the usual excuses...Do me a favour, admit you were punching above your weight, and then we sort it out. Still should have checked and flagged it up. I'll learn...someday.

Lynn

 

[Dan]

If you're busy, you're busy. End of. I'd rather be too busy and have the odd issue than very slack and have no issues because no work is on.

And from what I can tell you'd rather be busy.

You need an assistant or two.

 

[Pebbs]

I have Dan they are known as the Mitchell brothers for their remarkable similarities in looks, hard drinking, womanising and generally indulging in a tear up now and again. However on this occasion they were both tucked up in bed during the day to get their beauty sleep, before cracking on with the night shifts.

I will be hiding all sharp objects tomorrow when I tell them I half paid the stone numpty.

Lynn

 

[MARBLE_TONY]

No problem just thought could of saved you ripping it up! On the other hand it was generous of you to give him any money at all!

 

[cam_low]

Lynn I will be moving to Woodford Green very soon from the north east where I have ran my buisness, Alnwick Ceramics.com - Home, for the past 4 years.

I am OCD with my tiling and I have a good name. Any work you could pass towards me would be greatly appreciated, leaving you with no worry as to the finished result.

Excuse the pooey website, I did it myself !