Travertine, dot n dab, lippage?

[culrossblue]

Yesterday I started working for a guy who was needing a hand on a job. I've had my own business for years and I was recommended when this lad was looking for someone. The job is huge. Something like 500m2. 6 travertine wet rooms/bathrooms.. Yadda yadda yadda. The travertine is 600 x 400 brick bond. Anyway he starts in one, I start in another. I'm out with the SDR, prime the whole place (a mixture of hardibacker and MR board). Lad walks through "you don't prime plasterboard". Okay now that's up for debate. I've just always primed everything that will take it.
Today the lad is bit ahead of me and I'm wondering what he is up to. He has half a wall tiled and I can see there is gaps behind the tiles. The dude is dot n dabbing the bloody travertine. Not only that he isn't filling the holes on the back. Now don't get me wrong I have, recently, when working with large format on bad walls I've covered the tile with dabs and layed (on walls). As far as I know and have always done you need to serrate walls (8mm trowel) and fill the holes when laying travertine.
Now.. The walls this trav is going on are bad.. Like a wave! And I have a couple of lips. Not real bad. 1/2mm max, unavoidable. I wouldn't leave it if it where too bad. This kid seems to think that by dotting and dabbing he is stopping the lippage and would prefer for it to look better, get the money and get out.
That doesn't sit well with me. I have always prided myself on doing a great job and my work has long been admired.
Am I making my bathroom look worse by trying to do things by the book?

 

[Mr Tiler]

How can you see that there are gaps behind the tile mate? And isnthe business you have had for so long tiling? Cheers

 

[Time's Ran Out]

That's life!
At the end of the day you work for yourself and you can only do the work to your own professional standards.
I'd just keep records/photos of my own work in case something comes back to bite him and he tries to proportion responsibility .

 

[Rizzle from the Portizzle]

1 if i had a few bathrooms to tile on the same job i would be happy to loose the first day going throught straighting the walls would make this time back when tiling there never a real excuse for leaving lippy tiles if your mate is dot and dabing trav then your bouth not going to get paid as with so much to tile you will be there for weeks and the blobs on the trav will come through the face and will not dry out then some one who knows better will remove a tile to see whats going on whole lott condemed you may also get the bill for new tiles plus removal of old sort it out now

 

[cam_low]

by looking in the grout lines, another classic one liner !

 

[culrossblue]

When looking at the wall he was tiling, he had only tiled 3 course from the floor, with still some cuts to put in the sides. You could see between the wall and tile. It's all wrong to me. What can I say? I am only working with the guy until my own jobs are ready.


I've had my own tiling business for 7 years and worked for my dad's tiling business for about 7 years. The last 5 years I have been based between Leeds and York. www.facebook.com/andrewhysloptiling

 

[culrossblue]

Ray, how would you suggest straightening the walls when half is hardi and half is board? The joiner has made a right mess but I can't go pulling up the joiners work first day on a job. The job isn't even mine. You get me?

 

[Ajax123]

Ignore what he's doing, do what you know to be correct and make sure you keep a photographic record of the bits you do yourself. Up to you whether you take pics of his.

 

[Saltire69]

Prep is everything Andrew. If walls are that bad you tell him.

 

[Rizzle from the Portizzle]

Ray, how would you suggest straightening the walls when half is hardi and half is board? The joiner has made a right mess but I can't go pulling up the joiners work first day on a job. The job isn't even mine. You get me?

with out seeing it .probaly straite edge skim with a little rapided set taking the worst bits out so i could deal with the rest using two diffrent serating trowels maybe 8 and 10 mm would depend on how much i could take out with a skim .the job may not be yours .but your reputaion is yours dont let somebody loose it for you

 

[charlie1]

By far the quickest and best way to solve your dodgy walls is addressing the issue at source, so tell the joiner the walls are unacceptable.... I know, he thinks your a magician that can fix everything by 'building out'... Yes, but you ate limited by bed depths with most adhesives + would probably involve dot dabbing type install rather than the easy way it should be. Only other option is dry lining or rendering both of which are unnecessary given the fact you have chance to fix now.