uneven window sill

[bigdaz]

I'm half way through tiling a kitchen. I will be tiling the window sill but i've put my level on it and it falls away to 10mm lower on the right.
the way the tiles have worked out from the worktop to the edge of the sill means I'll be using a piece of tile about 2" on the left which will finish up as 1 and a half inchs on the right, which just doesnt look level. theres no room to manouver in terms of cut size so my question is, what should I do to build up the level of the sill. I'm using weber tubbed adhesive but it recomemnds a thicknes of no more than about 3-5mm.

 

[DHTiling]

Just re-build the cill with plasterboard....use board adhesive to build up the board with......

 

[bigdaz]

hi Dave, boarding was my first thought but this customer wants to keep the hight on the left as is and just build up the right side. is it possible to use a thick bed adhesive here and trail it out to nothing?

 

[Holohana]

floor tile adhesive perhaps?

 

[guy1976]

you can use bagged ady on the window ledge to build it to a level sill

 

[Jimmy Boy]

Can't you tile straight across at 2" and pack the sill up ?

 

[DHTiling]

hi Dave, boarding was my first thought but this customer wants to keep the hight on the left as is and just build up the right side. is it possible to use a thick bed adhesive here and trail it out to nothing?

How much window frame do you have to play with...?..

If there is plenty then tell the customer this is the best way and the cheapest...

But if not then you could use plaster board at the deepest end then just skim in with rapidset.....in 2 goes so it doesnt slump.....

 

[bigdaz]

window is about 4 feet wide. i think i will have a go at a couple of layers of rapidset. thought about packing it out with off cuts of tile but not sure if this will work out...

 

[tiler tom]

I had the same problem myself, in my case I cut all the tiles the same along the topedge of the cill so I had the tile level at one end and above the cill by about 20 mm at the other. I then packed the cill up level to the leading tiles using a cheap thin tile 2-3 mm purchased from topps and then made up the other variations the tile was too thick for with rapid set. As it is the cill the tiles arn't going anywere and there is no risk of slippage.

 

[Dave Carr]

i get this all the time with council houses etc, most are at least 15 - 20mm out.
This what I do for large variances.
I cut all the front cill tiles so they are level, so should see that the cill behind the tiles is sloping downward to one end. Then I secure the cill tiles with some wide masking tape, you'll see why in a minute. Then I make a thin barrier out of something card, plastic etc and put that against the rear side of the tiles where the gap is. Then pour in some rapid self-leveller, and hey presto! you have a pretty nice cill to tile on. Masking tape is to give a little extra support as leveller can try an push tiles off; never had them fall off though.
I suppose you could use a ptb or I think pci do a floor adhesive with a self leveling aspect to it. I use self leveler as it's always on the van.

 

[Gazzer]

Put all your cuts across level and pack the difference out with cuts leftover. Bagged adhesive is better to skim it over with but i have done it with ready mixed. It would have been better to sort this out before, so to give a setting time.
As dave says, plasterboard would be better or even a piece of hardibacker or No More Ply.

 

[brybry]

Leveller seems the best bet.

 

[bigdaz]

I sorted this out by skimming rapid set over it with my plastering trowel then putting half a dozen plain white tiles along one side (scored on my wet cutter) my plan was to wait 3 hours and then add another coat but it I didn't realise that the half with the tiles embedded would set but the half without would take at least twice as long :mad2:
Anyways, I continued as planned the next day and it all turned out well. just got the grouting to do now.
I like the idea of the leveller, but surely if you make up a little retaining wall with the tiles then the leveller will seep through the gaps, and even if you put tape on the front as suggested above, the grout gaps will still fill with leveller..?

 

[Dave Carr]

I like the idea of the leveller, but surely if you make up a little retaining wall with the tiles then the leveller will seep through the gaps, and even if you put tape on the front as suggested above, the grout gaps will still fill with leveller..?

Don't forget me little dam

Then I make a thin barrier out of something card, plastic etc and put that against the rear side of the tiles where the gap is.

The tape is there just to spread the pressure across the tiles and add extra support.
In theory, this problem should be sorted before any tiling in that area has started. So a better area would be to fix a batten across the cill, then fill with self leveler and while your waiting work on the other areas.

 

[bigdaz]

thanks Dave, should have read it properly. the baton idea occured to me while I was doing it, but as you say, should have been done first thing. I'll make sure I check first on every job from now on.
where abouts are you anyway? I'm in Basford