Travertine issues... guidance needed :(

[Sean Page]

Hi all, I haven't posted for a while but I'm in need of some fellow professional advice..

I'm currently on a job for a family with Italian connections. They are having 600x400 Travertine on all the walls in their bathrooms. The walls are sound, weight limits checked etc etc.

There have been a couple of issues with the tiles being slightly different thickness etc and they are exceptionally demanding. They have the usual idea that travertine will look like marble once its finished, but I think we are through that one now.

The bit I need advice on now though is this:

They have asked me today to tile the next bathroom (55m) without any grout joints at all. They want me to fix with addy as normal, but instead of a grout joint they want me to butt the tiles together with just a bead of silicone between the joints. Their idea is that the weight of the tile will squeeze almost all the silicone out leaving a solid travertine wall. I've tried to explain this is not good for lots of reasons, but they keep telling me that "in Italy they do this..... or in Italy they do that...." Does anyone know where I can get some printable info that will explain in very simple terms why this should not happen?

Your help, as usual, is much appreciated as I'm rapidly running out of patience :mad2:

 

[marbleman]

British standards is all you need , dont tile it butted what ever you do , walk away it aint worth it

 

[faithhealer]

must be a few threads on here you could print off, but think I would walk

 

[Gazzer]

A few things, 2mm joints should be used, You should be able to get a matching grout and what if the silicone were to leech into the tile ( not all silicones can be used with stone) you would then have a picture framing effect on each tile.

I would say its either the righth way or no way. I would be prepared to walk...failing that you could tell them to move to Italy !

 

[diamondtiling]

Tell them this...ahem, just let me think........

Non c'è modo che io possa fare quello che chiedete, ci deve essere una linea di malta per molte ragioni. Ci sono regole professionali che devo seguire. Se non vi piace, allora ti suggerisco di andare a far bollire la testa in una pentola di spaghetti.
Ciao

 

[Gazzer]

:lol::lol::lol::lol:

 

[DHTiling]

Tell them this...ahem, just let me think........

Non c'è modo che io possa fare quello che chiedete, ci deve essere una linea di malta per molte ragioni. Ci sono regole professionali che devo seguire. Se non vi piace, allora ti suggerisco di andare a far bollire la testa in una pentola di spaghetti.
Ciao

:lol:.. ye go boil..

 

[Sean Page]

Thanks everyone, but I've pretty much covered those points with them already. I will work on them and see if I can get them to see the value of grout joints... if not I'll walk away and let someone else have the honour

 

[diamondtiling]

Thanks everyone, but I've pretty much covered those points with them already. I will work on them and see if I can get them to see the value of grout joints... if not I'll walk away and let someone else have the honour

How did they react to my advice Sean?

 

[Colour Republic]

How did they react to my advice Sean?

stanotte si dorme con i pesci

 

[diamondtiling]

stanotte si dorme con i pesci

Can I have some chips with those fish Rob?

Badabing, badabomb, badaboop.

 

[Colour Republic]

Can I have some chips with those fish Rob?

Badabing, badabomb, badaboop.

Only served with concrete boots i'm afraid

 

[Pebbs]

I have the same problem as Sean, an Italian client who wants 1mm joints, over a 350m2 floor, the stone is going to be running +/-3mm, so the 1mm joint is not going to work, see below the response from the builder. I dont want them sending their own men over from Italy to do the floor, so Im biting the bullet and giving them what they want...what a pain in the butt, this ones going to be.

Stewart / Lynn

I’m pretty sure that, with the client being Italian and focused on the stone that they would prefer to see a 1mm joint. What is the cost uplift for water cut precision?

Other points noted but I feel we have to leave this door open otherwise they might chose to go with their own.

richard

 

[Colour Republic]

Bloody Italians:smilewinkgrin:

 

[White Room]

That throws out any BS then