MortarThePoint

Conversation with tiler went OK so that's now closed. I'll need to find another one though. Thank you for everyone's support!

He just did dabs onto the tiles and then stuck them, so far from what I'd expected. No it was bagged (Nicobond Standard Set Flex Pro S1) After removing the tiles I rechecked the walls with a 2m straight edge and they are perfect. Lots of effort was gone to by the plasterer to get them like that.

Took from about 7pm to 3am to take the tiles off and clean them and the walls. Back up at 6am for the kids school run. On fumes and a tricky conversation in about an hour. The weekend is almost here!

Taking tiles off

What would you do nod, relax or pull them off?

Sorry, I have now steered the thread to a new issue which is some dot and dab tiling

I phoned the tiler (he is a dedicated tiler and not cheap either) and he says that he has dot and dabbed them and that's the only way to get them flat. He's "been tiling for 40 years and never had tiles fall off. They will never fall off"

As it's all still wet should I pull the tiles off and if so how best to clean to save some and the walls?

From the BAL website: "BS 5385-1: 2018 advises: “Tiles with a surface area of less than 0.1 m², but which weigh more per square metre than 70% of the background’s capacity to carry the weight, should be solidly bedded e.g. the maximum weight of tile that can be supported by Gypsum plaster = 20 kg; whereas 9 mm thick porcelain tiles, which weigh approximately 18 kg/m², weigh more than 70% of 20 kg (14 kg) therefore, they should be solidly bedded regardless of their size”"

I didn't watch over him today and he was laying walls in 600x300 porcelain tiles (3.27kg each so 18.2kg/m2) and it looks like he has used a dot and dab method. See pictures below. I noticed this because I stepped into the room after he left and the whole room is making a bubbling/fizzing sound. The photo of a tile back is one that was lent against the wall. The other photos are taken looking at the edge of the tiled area. The tiles are 9mm thick. Half the room is plasterboard, the other half is rendered blockwork. @Nickfromwales @nod urgent advice please 😱

Well that conversation could have gone better. I said he didn't need to replace them to which he said he wouldn't be happy knowing they are there, but he'll finish up where he has already started and step out on the rest of the job. A shame as I think he's a good tiler and normally seems like a nice bloke too. No raised voices on either side and I approached it as being a tad apologetic to raise the issue. I've a big area (72m2) of hard to lay tiles that I need to have confidence in and if I can't talk quality with the tiler it's an issue.

The substrate was bang on flat. Blockwork was good, but then the plasterer rendered. The plasterer fixed beads at top and bottom of the wall with adhesive making sure straight with a straight edge. Then when he rendered, he ruled/'screeded' the wall between the two beads. The worst section of wall is half height tiled. If I put a 2m straight edge on the skim coat above, it's bang on and that would be worse than the underlying render as the skim wasn't ruled/'screeded' between beads like the base render was.

It's hard to get in a photo. Tiles are 300*100. In the second photo below (with short straight edge) the right tile is reflecting the straight edge and the fact the reflection doesn't touch the actual straight edge makes it more obvious.

How big a deal is that. Will he get the hump or is it standard work?

The edges don't align and the walls were very flat (rendered). I don't like the levelling system so much, but this feels too far from tolerance as I can pick it up with an inexperienced eye.