would like some advice on a current project.

[jonnyc]

I am just starting a job laying genuine reclaimed french limestone which varies between 25-50mm in thickness on a floor under a bedouin tent cover !!!
I am not posting this on regular forum as my client would not want his project advertised, i think in the general public domain.
i hope i am correct on this and would be grateful if anyone can correct me if i am wrong.
the question i am asking and i actually touched on this with Tf ed earlier today when we were having a chat about something else is.
How can I set stone to requirement of my client and give him the best chance of success.
It is a given that I will carry out the work he wants and he will not hold me responsible if it does not work, but being an old client where we have enduldged his wants with success

 

[Spud]

Jonny its a sand and cement fix job in my opinion ,not sure what the question is however? is this job outside?

 

[jonnyc]

Jonny its a sand and cement fix job in my opinion ,not sure what the question is however? is this job outside?

sorry i lost the important part of the post when i tried to add a photo. ie the question !!!!
the question is about a tv that is coming out the floor on a steel platform.
basically the client will press the button and a steel plate will start dissapearing in to the floor attached to which will be only the stone pieces that do not bridge the gap between main floor and plate and keep the pattern.
the stone that will bridge the gap will remain hanging in the air over the pit.
the plate will drop down 200mm say and then flip over to side of pit and slide down wall next to tv.
another tray on which tv attached then comes out the pit , there are also stones laid on this tray that will interlock with stones above so it looks seemless from the top again.
ie no tray visible!!!!
this is being made up as we go along.
still cant work out how to mask the open grout joint. maybe we can fix some grout to side of stone but how?
stone very heavy and will tray bend if no lip to strengthen?
there will be nothing underneath the overhanging stones and tray top when it rests at top having come out ground?
adhesive bed thickness will vary under stone , had thought about laying celafane on tray then bedding overlapping stone paart on this so bed will stick to back of stone but not tv tray.
whatever its a load of work I think !!!

 

[jonnyc]

sticking stone on to clinker tiles glued together but floating on insulation with heating pipes.
using pci carrament adhesive that can go up to 50mm bed

 

[Spud]

Jonny you can get the stone manufactured down to 8mm thick and fibre glass the back to give it strength this will deal with the weight issue on the plate on the top of the tv,the grout joiint i would be inclined to either leave it open or fit rubber strips around the pit edge and the top of the tv stones

 

[DHTiling]

what about fixing bristle draft excluder to the edge..

 

[Spud]

what about fixing bristle draft excluder to the edge..

I thought the saMe as you Dave but it would need to be the same colour as the grout

 

[DHTiling]

it could be bleached.. lol lol

 

[Tony73]

as Garry. Only was thinking if you could masking tape on tile edge platform and main floor) and maby dw40 or somethink on tile edge on main floor and silicone the gap. So silicone will stick to tiles on platform and not main floor.

 

[jonnyc]

Jonny you can get the stone manufactured down to 8mm thick and fibre glass the back to give it strength this will deal with the weight issue on the plate on the top of the tv,the grout joiint i would be inclined to either leave it open or fit rubber strips around the pit edge and the top of the tv stones

do you know anyone that can do this. its a good idea to reduce the weight, but i think stone might break when cutting back off. Would need a very big saw blade i think as when i reduce stone on my saw , when i flip stone upside down and put loads of parralel cuts in and then chIsel backs off i can usually only get down to 20mm.
as far as edges go which client wants to look like a grout joint im thinking along something a bit spongey but fairly hard which can be glued to edge of one of the stones. when tray comes up the stone needsto squash the grout so it appears that it is a genuine joint.
there are of course other problems where the tray comes up under the stones which overhang the pit. if someone steps on it could break, again thinking along lines of having some kind of rubber bed on tray that pushes up tight to underside of stone.
think will need to bed stone on trays in bal fast flex rubber any way .
the other thing thinking of doing gary is bedding the stone outside the glass which will be terrace in lime and sand as client may wish to change material at some stage and if set in lime we could dig up and reuse as so expensive . bed will need to be 100mm. is this too thick , i usualy only do 50mm max in lime /sand.

 

[jonnyc]

what about fixing bristle draft excluder to the edge..

think this might work as well dave . i need to have a good look around.
im going up to decorex exhibition today and there is always some interesting materials being used for variety of purposes, so will have a look there.

 

[jonnyc]

as Garry. Only was thinking if you could masking tape on tile edge platform and main floor) and maby dw40 or somethink on tile edge on main floor and silicone the gap. So silicone will stick to tiles on platform and not main floor.

think silicone would stick tony but the joints will be approx 8-10 mm in grouted areas and silicone may be hard to match sand /cement grout.
anything i use will get rubbed alot if the tv comes up and down regularly

 

[jonnyc]

what about fixing bristle draft excluder to the edge..

thinking about your bristle idea dave.
this could work very well if it was stuck to side of stone with bristles tightly packed and bigger than joint.
when stone comes up from underneath could squeeze bristles together . and bristles similar colour to sand/cement grout or dyed.
bristles would stick up in the air not out from side.

 

[DHTiling]

Worth looking at though..

 

[Colour Republic]

How much does the tray wobble when it comes up? Or is it fairly ridged and true?

Hoping to get to Decorex and Focus today too but more likely tomorrow now, always a good show

 

[jonnyc]

How much does the tray wobble when it comes up? Or is it fairly ridged and true?

Hoping to get to Decorex and Focus today too but more likely tomorrow now, always a good show

trays not made yet and will be bespoke. will need some pretty heavy lifting mechanism.
i was in brighton yesterday. a;ways a good day out. what is focus ??
think there will be some good stone exhibitors at decorex. just glad im not doing the dispalys like i used to. Always stressful

 

[Tony73]

think silicone would stick tony but the joints will be approx 8-10 mm in grouted areas and silicone may be hard to match sand /cement grout.
anything i use will get rubbed alot if the tv comes up and down regularly

ok understand, how thick is stone?

 

[Tony73]

what if you cut grooce on tile edge on platform and fit in some kind of brush or rubber? or i'm talking rubbish now? :lol:

 

[jonnyc]

stone is between 25mm and 48mm thick. you can see on one of the photos how I have loose laid a section out before fixing. overall height of bed thickness and stone 50mm.

 

[jonnyc]

How much does the tray wobble when it comes up? Or is it fairly ridged and true?

Hoping to get to Decorex and Focus today too but more likely tomorrow now, always a good show

tray now fitted and it does wobble a bit when moving in to finished height position.
i have cut the stones and loose laid on top of tray and it looks good.
had to abandon idea of overhanging interlocking stones.
next main problem is to reduce the stone to a thickness that means weight of stone and stell tray does not overload the lift apparatus.
by my calculations will need to get stone reduced to 10mm and it will just break.
main reason being that client insists that one of the pieces is 850mm long . if i could have used 4 pieces less than 400mm then maybe possible.
will bed stone in bal fast flex rubber adhesive whatever the outcome to allow for wobble and tray turning over at 90 degrees when it slides down pit . got a steel mesh on base plate to adhere to.

 

[jonnyc]

trying to upload a video so can see better maybe how i need to get a false joint between fixed stone and moving tray that looks same as jointing material i will use.client does not want a gap between main field stone and tray stone when in elevated position.

 

[jonnyc]

video not come up. will try again.

 

[jonnyc]

been trying to upload a video for 30 mins now but not having any luck,how do i do this ?

 

[Tony73]

i think you have to put it on youtube and then it's easy, maby i'm wrong

 

[jonnyc]

i have given up . can only show a picture of stone set in tray and hopefully fully this looks like part of floor
with no hint of what lurks below surface!