Tile cement burns on finger tips

[macten]

Just layed a bathroom floor today and by the end of it most of my fingers and both thumbs have opened up with cracks and holes. Been working everyday for 40 days now so my hands have had no time to recover. Worse thing is I've got a shed load of grouting to do tomorrow and grout's worse than rapid set!
Is there any truth in peeing on your fingers?
Not sure if the bloke that told me was winding me up!
Kind of makes sense as urine is mildly acidic and cement is very alkaline.
Don't want to wear gloves as last time I did that all my wash bucket water went down my wrists and I didn't notice - marinated my hands in cement water for 8 hours and they were wrecked.

 

[Dan]

Dude, wear gloves. Also checkout that barrier cream stuff! Not worth working in uncomfortable environments these days.

 

[macten]

Never found a barrier cream that stays on during work and then your hands go all slippy. Latex gloves are worse, trying to grip on to a 60x60 porc tile with wet gloved fingers is a struggle.
May be I need to man up.
Gonna **** on my fingers anyway!:lol:

 

[bugs183]

You have to wear gloves mate. I don't wear them normally if fixing, but always when grouting.
Get the blue Nitrile ones as they are stronger, don't gert powdered as i'm sure them knacker your hands more.
When i get home i wash my hands thoroughly in shampoo and hot water, this removes the cement and then use Vaseline intensive care lotion or lately i've been using 'Cetroben Dermitologically Emolient Cream'.

Cetraben Emollient Cream 500g | eBay

This stuff has saved my hands.

 

[widler]

Ive been using addy/plaster/lime/cement for over 25 years, my hands are still as soft as a babys bum, my secret....................................
I have never had a dishwasher and always use fairy

 

[Bubblecraft]

My labourer used to burn himself when we were using bagged addy. It's never bothered me

 

[Tony73]

Ive been using addy/plaster/lime/cement for over 25 years, my hands are still as soft as a babys bum, my secret....................................
I have never had a dishwasher and always use fairy

i dont like to use anythink, very rearly use some cream. My fingers allways bleedin :lol:
. And i don't realy care, i ignore pain . Soft skin , just for pianists :lol:
(only joking)

 

[bugs183]

We watched some plonker build a ramp out of grano, i'd never seen it before (years ago), dad told him to put some gloves on, man told dad to 'not talk soft', bloke came in next day with his hands bleeding everywhere, he wasn't very happy.

 

[widler]

i dont like to use anythink, very rearly use some cream. My fingers allways bleedin :lol:
. And i don't realy care, i ignore pain . Soft skin , just for pianists :lol:
(only joking)

Tony, fairy aint cream its washing up liquid

 

[AliGage]

Carry a towel and dry your hands. This time of year i find the wet cutter a chore. Been doing 60sqm of travertine lately. Every "brick" i cut to size on the bridge saw. Hands got soaked and freezing cold. Have a couple of cheap tea towels to hand, one to clean and one to dry.

Having said that every middle knuckle/bend in my fingers have cracked open. But i have spent the last 4 weeks mainly outside in one way or the other cutting, or in a conservatory laying. It's been freezing!!

 

[Tony73]

Tony, fairy aint cream its washing up liquid

i know
, i was going about soft skin :lol:. I prefer working class , ruff hands

 

[widler]

i know
, i was going about soft skin :lol:. I prefer working class , ruff hands

U obviously aint my wife tony , she loves soft hands
In all seriousness ive had the mick took out of me since i was a teenager about my hands being soft and small, when i boxed it was 'tie the gloves on tight they prob fall off if you don't'
Then on site " look at them little hands, u sure u can pick that bag up gay boy"or "you know what they say about little hands and small penises" ect ect ect
########

 

[charlie1]

supperglue the cuts together.... 2 or 3 layers, it works for me

 

[Tony73]

U obviously aint my wife tony , she loves soft hands
In all seriousness ive had the mick took out of me since i was a teenager about my hands being soft and small, when i boxed it was 'tie the gloves on tight they prob fall off if you don't'
Then on site " look at them little hands, u sure u can pick that bag up gay boy"or "you know what they say about little hands and small penises" ect ect ect
########

:lol:
:lol::lol:
, I'm only 75kg, but my hands are so big. way to big for my size .( But it's good thing when you work with heavy stone)

 

[macten]

Normally doesn't bother me - I like to get a few days off between big jobs but tis the silly season atm.
Anyway they've been doused in my wee!
Will see what they're like in the morning.
My index finger has a great big hole in it - it appeared in an hour laying this floor!

 

[Dan]

Wear them just with grouting as said above. Or at least when spreading adhesive and laying the normal field tiles. Perhaps when doing the cutting it's not worth the hassle but surely most other times its fine?

You can get some pretty neat thin gloves that fit tight. My mechanic mate has 2 sizes in his garage as he's got a midget and a tubby working for him. So between the two sizes they all have some that fit snug. No excuses when you lose nuts or bolts either as he's worn them himself for like 12 years and knows the drill. I'm sure it's just a case of getting used to them like with anything else.

I'd imagine cutting even ceramics on a rail cutter you'd end up with them torn to shreds, but surely the main tiles that are not cut you'd not even notice wearing them?

 

[macten]

Wet nitrile gloves get so slippy - used to work in a lab and wore them all the time.
I know they'd just get a little hole in and then be worse of.
Will pop some on for grouting tomorrow though as a broken collar bone was nothing compared to this pain - like having mouth ulcers on your finger tips!

 

[The D]

ye do it do it pi$$ on them :lol::lol::lol::lol:

 

[cam_low]

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B001RYORPW/ref=asc_df_B001RYORPW10947754?smid=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&tag=googlecouk06-21&linkCode=asn&creative=22206&creativeASIN=B001RYORPW

This stuff is the bees knees. My Dad who was a stonemason used it, I haven't used any better, and believe me I've tried so, so many !!

 

[Sean Kelly]

I go through loads of gloves myself, but it's a small price to pay for protection. As regards to acid on your hands, it's true that vinegar does restore the ph balance of your skin. So pi55ing on your hands won't do you any harm. The problem is that if it works for you then nobody will ever shake your hand or nick your trowels!! Do you ever breathe in addy or grout dust? Then drinking pi55 would definitely relieve your sore throat!!!

 

[jonnyc]

I find It strange that people are joking about problems with burning fingers /dry hands when looking after our knees by protection is commonly agreed to be sensible.our hands are the tools to hold the tools we use.
i hate gloves as you don't have the feeling and certainly with stone you need to feel the difference in texture.
barrier creams are to protect our hands .
if you use a cream it is not needed just because your hands come in contact with cement based products.i have always thought that some tilers think you must be messy if you need a barrier cream.sometimes it is just the case that your hands are always in contact with moisture.

 

[macten]

ye do it do it pi$$ on them :lol::lol::lol::lol:

I did!
Been nearly an hour now and the pain has gone!

 

[Martyn Leeds]

I've got exactly the same problem right now. Usually my fingers get time to recover, but its been non stop for the past 5 weeks or so.
When I struggle to get the lid off the marmalade jar on a morning I know its time to wear gloves.

So today I wore gloves nearly all day & then put my yellow washing up gloves on to do my grouting.

 

[bugs183]

Those little red sores at the end of your fingers don't half hurt!

 

[carlito]

Macten Tiles bareback I wear those thin inspection gloves with barrier cream which took some getting used to, but now I can't do without em.