Discuss What a bodge up in the bathroom in the Bathroom Tiling Advice area at TilersForums.com.

L

lawrenso

Hi Guys,

I am working away at the moment and had a tiler in doing the bathroom. The tiles are 600*300 Youngstone laid in landscape in porcelain from CTD in two colours - light in the middle (4 high) with dark top (1.5) and bottom (2) - with strips of square glass mossiac inbetween the different colour changes (so two strips)

The first weekend I got home and looked at what I could see and had to pull him up on the fact that he bad but the quarter round beading over both the cut outs for the hinges and also over the door catch striking plate. Could not really tell what the rest was like due to it still being battened out.

last weekend - I got home and found a mess basically.He had osrted the hinges out but not the striking plate

He has tilled the wall around the window. at the bottom he is quite on although the cut edges are very rough and uneven. On the left hand side of the window, the tile edge runs away from the window to stand proud by a aprox 1cm from the window edge. Also, along the top and down the right hand side edge he has used spotting. I have checked with my own spirit level (2 mtr) and found that it is the tiles that are angled away from the wall - not vice versa. In the top right hand corner of the window I can stick my little finger in towards the first knuckle and you can actually look down the gap and see the spot fixing and bare wall and tiles. I also do not see how he can put the beading

Also, worringly you can look down the gap and see the bits of board he has had to use to pad out for the glass beads.

We have had him leave out the tiles around where the bath is going to be fitted, and where the head of end of the bath is you can feel a simular gap where you can get a little finger in. It also appears that he has only used a 6mm bed from what I can see

Also, there is differences in levels - ie the bottom two tiles are forward of the 4 beige above by about 4-5mm leaving a noticable ledge, and a lot of the glass mosaics are very proud or sunk and even twisted.

I would say that out of the whole room, one wall is good.

Now I have approached him on this and he has blamed the walls. However, I prepped the walls, removing the old tiles, the emulsion (was only half tiled), making good, WPB tanking etc and although I would say they weren't totally perpindicular there were in a pretty good condition. 2 walls are wet plastered and two are plasterboard on studs (screwed). He told me that he has had to spot out up to 1/2" behind some tiles, and there is nothing he can do about it.

To me it looks like he has gone out with a tile and then it has grown bigger and bigger - perhaps because of the 6mm bed.

He also planed the door edge (not the top or bottom) and kn%&"*ered that so we need a new door now:furious3:

So here are my questions

1. Should the tiler inform you before starting if the walls are out (I believe yes to indemnify himself)
2. Grouting - these are a rectified edge tile - should it be grouted to the surface?
3. Should the grouting be done before the job is finished and should the grouting go the full thickness of the tile/mosaic (as ours isnt even 1mm thick in places you can stick your nail through it).
4. What come back have I got on the guy ie if we need to have tiles removed etc.. to put the job right

This guy has been trading for a few years (lives local)

All help and advice welcome

Cheers

Steve
 

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L

lawrenso

If he wasnt happy with the walls he should have fixed them before he started and charged u for the prep work. Have u paid him?

john

Have paid him 350 with 150 outstanding.

as for photo's - I am in Germany and the bathroom is in North Wales.

My wife is very concerned about what is needed to be done to rectify it and perhaps wants to take the ostritch approach to problem management.

Trouble is we spent about 900 on the tiles....

Steve
 
T

TMTservices

He didn't turn up on a horse did he?

By the sounds of things you might want to check which adhesive he used if he supplied it. Make sure everything is right.

Trim on sill sounds frightening.

Like previously said he should have definatley informed you on state of Walls prior. Sensible thing to do.

Let us know what he says.

Hope you get it sorted.

In future there are loads of tilers on here who are more than capable and it's easy to tell who the better ones are and I'm sure there's someone local.
 
L

lawrenso

He didn't turn up on a horse did he?
no - he walked but I thought that was the sound of loose change in his pockets - not spurs :yikes:

By the sounds of things you might want to check which adhesive he used if he supplied it. Make sure everything is right.
Funny enough - I took a load of his rubbish to the tip - not one bag in it although the wife did confirm that he was mixing and not tubbed

Trim on sill sounds frightening.
there is no trim on the sill yet - and I can't see how could get one on with the gap on one side and the overhang on the other.

Like previously said he should have definatley informed you on state of Walls prior. Sensible thing to do.

Let us know what he says.

Well he has said to the misses that he wants to take a picture for his portfollio, and as I put earlier he has said there is nothing he can do

Steve
 
T

TMTservices

Steve

If. Your unhappy withjob I would try and backheel the final payment. Roughly a days labour for a more competent tiler . Who may be able to make good of a bad situation.

At end of day your the one who will have to look at it every Morning. Only a matter of time before you change the tiles.

A lot of outlay for work/materials already so worth paying little more to put right. Sound out a local guy on here who may come round and give better judgement . The way things are this time of year, someone will have to time.

As for getting 350 back. Slim to none unless he admits he ballsed up. Which is unlikely. A couple I have recently worked for had a builder knock them up quite a big extension. Turned up with a bucket of tools and no vehicle. Sent his wife to b and q for sand cement etc. Anyway the building was a bodge couldn't get it signed off and roof had to be completely changed. T
15k over budget and they tried to sue but advised by law firm it was not worth doin. Unfourtunate but lives and learns.

Hope you get it sorted.

Sean
 
L

lawrenso

Agree that pictures are needed, to give us some idea of whats going on.
Why has your tiler needed to plane the door down?
If i'm reading this correctly the tiling is being done BEFORE the bath has been fitted and first fix plumbing finished, why?
Hope you get it sorted.

All pipes are in there already. The bath side panel can't be cut to height, and has to be exactly the right height above the tiles to fit - it is a 3d shaped panel coming out on a P bath (starts from normal width of a bath). Bit of a pain I know but plumber said he needed the floor tiles in to get the exact height. Also, the bath sits on hooks which will need building round with hardi-backer once fitted to cover them before tiling.

Steve
 
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L

lawrenso

Steve

If. Your unhappy withjob I would try and backheel the final payment. Roughly a days labour for a more competent tiler . Who may be able to make good of a bad situation.

At end of day your the one who will have to look at it every Morning. Only a matter of time before you change the tiles.

A lot of outlay for work/materials already so worth paying little more to put right. Sound out a local guy on here who may come round and give better judgement . The way things are this time of year, someone will have to time.

As for getting 350 back. Slim to none unless he admits he ballsed up. Which is unlikely. A couple I have recently worked for had a builder knock them up quite a big extension. Turned up with a bucket of tools and no vehicle. Sent his wife to b and q for sand cement etc. Anyway the building was a bodge couldn't get it signed off and roof had to be completely changed. T
15k over budget and they tried to sue but advised by law firm it was not worth doin. Unfourtunate but lives and learns.

Hope you get it sorted.

Sean

I have postedin the wanted section and there are two guys interested - but they ain't exactly local to me and I would feel terrible to drag them out so far for them not to want to do it. Would prefer somebody a bit more local who can come and size up and price a bit more easilly rather than 40+ miles each way.

Cheers

Steve
 
Last edited by a moderator:
L

LM Ceramics

as said in the previous post the tiler should have checked the walls beforehand and let you know. I personally when i go and do an estimate i take my spirt level and check every wall and if there are spots over 3mm out then i suggest plastering needs to be done as i offer this service it saves the hassle of them finding a plasterer i explain the reasons why it needs plastering if they are looking to cut costs i usually say no thank you i will not damage my reputation id rather do it properly ive been stung before working on rough walls when i was doing "jobs on the side" when i was working full time for a firm and believe me it was more hassle than it was worth

as for using a 6mm trowel i think the tiler was definetly trying to save on adhesive but if he was spot fixing which is swearing on this forum then he probably would have wasted more. at least we think the correct adhesive was used but the methods of fixing were poor if i was using large format tiles id use a 10mm trowel to give a solid bed id hold back the money and maybe give the tiler a chance to rectify his work

get some pics up and we may be able to assist you further
 
L

lawrenso

Sorry about the job m8, but how the h**l can he plane the wrong bit of the door.:smash:. Maybe should've gone to spec-savers:dizzy2:

the trim on the door (lock side) comes a bit proud at the bottom so he had to plane for that. The trim on the hinge side till comes over the top hinge a bit - so the door was catching when nearly fully closed at the top so he trimmed that - and gouged and shredded the edge of the door....

I firmly believe that if something is done wrong - and not rectified correctly, it has a knock on effect on everything else - holistics and all that. Another exampe is a large format rectified tile is not bedded correctly, the next one is further out to keep it straight and so on and so on..

My wife hates me in a way because I believe in doing things right from the start and will rip something out and start again if I cocked up. My first attemp at flooring in our last house lasted 6 months before I had it ripped up and that time I took the skirtings off and the architraves etc and done a spot on job.... She hated me at the time, but loved the finished product. Also, when doing something for the first time I do countless research, usually takes longer than the actual job - and buy the right tools. However, like your good selves - I am self employed now days and time off is lost money - and when not working I am chasing more work - which could be anywhere in Europe - although like a lot of yourselves my work has dried up a bit - especially in the UK

I did think about doing this job myself but the costs were stacking up

£2-300 for cutter to deal with 600mm tiles
£100-several hundred for a wet cutter (and knowing me I would of gone for the higher end models :yes:)
£50-100 on diamond drills
and the list goes on....

Doubt I would of had much change from £1k - but hey - looks like it will end up costing me more now :cry: if a more than a few tiles need to come off, labour, perhaps some re-skimming etc....

Anyway off to bed to cry myself to sleep - this and missing the kids (notice I didn't mention her indoors :31:(boy does this smiley suit her)) can really get you down - you guys are helping though. Some of the best I have met on t'interweb

Goodnight one and all

Steve
 

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