Tiles loose

[Tip Top Tiling]

I Have tiled several bathroom floors in the same house as well as their kitchen. They have had powerflow screed with underfloor heating. 4 months after tiling they have only just turned the underfloor heating on and the floors are loose. We spoke to the people who layed the screed they also said that the screed would leave a waxy layer on top and should be scrabbled off before tiling. The customer has only found this out now and they said it didn't have long enough drying time as they asked me to tile it 40 days after it was layed rather than 60. Now the customer is blaming me for not testing the floor or having a moisture testing kit. He is now demanding I go back and fix all the tiles. Please give me advice.

Thanks

 

[Chalker]

Any heated screed should have been heated before tiling.

 

[cam_low]

as above. its called commissioning ! Good luck.

 

[Dave]

There are a few things wrong but before stating them all , who is the screed supplier .? , not heard of powerflow ?

 

[Just Rizzle]

power flow is anhydrite. the client is right. think you have made a few mistakes im sorry to say. how long have u been tiling

 

[Dougs Third Go]

sorry to say this Tip Top, but it does sound very much like fixer error,

 

[Tip Top Tiling]

Surely this is the customers fault for trying to build his own house and not finding out the correct information ie the heating should have been turned on before and the drying time on the screed?

 

[Tip Top Tiling]

There are a few things wrong but before stating them all , who is the screed supplier .? , not heard of powerflow ?

It is a type of screed that leaves laitence on the surface even when primed twice with neat primer. It is like I very fine layer which sits on top of the screed. This is why the tiles have not stuck to and is another reason for them becoming loose.

 

[Tip Top Tiling]

Just to confirm I didn't know when the screed was layed the customer told me it was ready to tile. We only found out that it didn't have long enough drying time when the screed people told us 1mm a day to dry after they became loose.

 

[widler]

Tip top, it's not the customers fault , the customer is not the tradesman, it's the tradesman to know his job mate, surely he has to trust his tradesmen to know his job that's why we are time served to know the ins and outs, we shouldn't go in blind.
But he could of turned the heating on full blast straight away instead of from low to high, so there's a slim chance it's not your fault, but it does sound like it's your fault, not knowing the right prep.
[emoji41]

 

[Martyn Leeds]

Clearly we don't have much experience in different substrate prep, concretes/screeds, or perhaps even different ufh systems etc?

If the customer was capable, I'm sure he would've tiled it himself - but he chose to pay a Pro, and unfortunately you didn't bother to ask what the substrate was or indeed even do any research on the internet first?

Good luck with it.

 

[Time's Ran Out]

This tiling game is easy!

 

[Andy Allen]

Just to confirm I didn't know when the screed was layed the customer told me it was ready to tile. We only found out that it didn't have long enough drying time when the screed people told us 1mm a day to dry after they became loose.

If all you want to do is turn up to a job and tile then maybe working for someone may be more suitable for you.
If you take a job on for yourself then imo you should know all about different substrates and drying times.

 

[Dave]

It is a type of screed that leaves laitence on the surface even when primed twice with neat primer. It is like I very fine layer which sits on top of the screed. This is why the tiles have not stuck to and is another reason for them becoming loose.

1 : It is a Tilers job to determine what type of screed it is .

2 : It is a Tilers job to ask if the screed is heated and whether the heating and screed have been commissioned .

3 : It is a Tilers job to to determine if the screed (anhydrite in this case ) is low laitence etc and how much sanding it requires .

You as a tiler are the one that advises the customer on the preparation of the screed from sanding to priming etc depending on adhesive choice , these being cement or maybe gypsum based.

You also should be determining whether the screed is dry enough ( 75%RH ) for tiling to commence... These are just the most common procedures you as a tiler should be doing and checking.

 

[On one]

1 : It is a Tilers job to determine what type of screed it is .

2 : It is a Tilers job to ask if the screed is heated and whether the heating and screed have been commissioned .

3 : It is a Tilers job to to determine if the screed (anhydrite in this case ) is low laitence etc and how much sanding it requires .

You as a tiler are the one that advises the customer on the preparation of the screed from sanding to priming etc depending on adhesive choice , these being cement or maybe gypsum based.

You also should be determining whether the screed is dry enough ( 75%RH ) for tiling to commence... These are just the most common procedures you as a tiler should be doing and checking.

Harsh,but true.