Not happy with tiling job - or am I being picky?

[SteamyTea]

1 hour ago, Onoff said:

I used the cheapest ceramic tiles in the bathroom

Really, that surprises me.  Especially if you factor in the capital costs and the interest that the money could have earn't you.  With that much cash in your bank, you could have got @pocster and @Nickfromwales to have shared a ride down to sort it out one weekend.

[Mulberry View]

THIS is the reason I'm so put off using trades.

 

We renovated our current Bungalow from being in a 'super derelict' state and have self-taught most things. We take longer to complete a job than a tradesman would, but the end result will be with you for years, so needs to be perfect otherwise it will bother you on a daily basis.

 

That job is shocking, honestly, I wouldn't tolerate that in any context even if I had to suck up the costs (which you won't).

[Pocster]

It is poor 

 

Once more shows that sometimes “the professional “ is sh*te .

From my own experience on the few occasions I’ve paid someone to do it ( on the assumption they’d do a better job than me ) - frankly I tell them it’s crap .

 

[Temp]

Personally I love tiling walls. I've mentioned it before but my Dad was into DIY and taught be how to level tiles with a rubber faced block he called a Blat/Blatt. I've not been able to buy one for years so recently made a new one.  You use a notched trowel to create ridges in the adhesive which can be squashed down to adjust the depth and angle of the tile to match its neighbours..  

[Onoff]

1 hour ago, Temp said:

You use a notched trowel to create ridges in the adhesive which can be squashed down to adjust the depth and angle of the tile to match its neighbours.

 

I know the theory buy still made a bit of a hash over it.

[Pocster]

28 minutes ago, Onoff said:

 

I know the theory buy still made a bit of a hash over it.

That’s true ???

[sjb1288]

Well I've checked all the spare tiles I've got and nothing wrong with any of them, all straight and true. They're Spanish tiles if that means anything to anyone?

 

The problem I've got about giving him the chance to spot-remedy things is that the job will still be sub-standard. I don't want to be in the position of having to pay full price for a polished turd, but on the same hand I don't know if the job is bad enough to flat out refuse remedial work and demand my money back / threaten small claims?

 

All comments appreciated as ever.

[sjb1288]

As I may have mentioned before, aside from the 10-15mm howlers he's said he'll try and fix, there's still regular 6mm deviations over a 2m edge elsewhere and more 2/3mm lipping than I can shake a stick at..

[Declan52]

Go round the complete job with a piece of chalk and put a big X on any tile you have an issue with. Take your time and get down on your hands and knees and go over each tile. This is going to be your one and only chance to get it redone. All the lipping all the dips and bumps. Mark them all. As @nodhas already mentioned the bond is way out as well. They should be half bond at least.

When you have all the tiles you want sorted marked up count the bad ones and then get the tiler round and explain your not happy with his work and show him all the X's. Then it's up to him and you to come to an agreement over what happens next. If there is only a few tiles maybe less than 10 then replace them but if your up to 30-40 tiles then it's lift the lot and start again.

 

[JFDIY]

28 minutes ago, Declan52 said:

They should be half bond at least.

I always thought that, but on these large format tile planks I've been advised 1/3 bond is a better plan, because they often have a pronounced bow, (generalising as @sjb1288 mentions theirs are flat) , any height difference because  of the bow is said to be less obvious/reduced if you move the bond away from mid point.

 

That said, the bond on these just looks odd to me, let alone the general highs and lows.  How do they feel underfoot with just socks on, if can be tolerated then scribe and cut skirting boards to hide it if just visual.

[sjb1288]

They feel pretty bad underfoot which is what irks me the most, even if the bad ones are generally no more than 2mm out it's still very noticeable lipping when the tiles are barely 2mm apart in the first place. Should he have been expected to use a tile levelling system to fit these?

 

The box specifically mentioned max 20% overlap.. although if this was intended to minimise lipping then he seems to have managed that anyway all by himself...

[bassanclan]

You can go regular bond e.g 1/3 etc, but random bond between 20 and 40% generally looks better

[Temp]

Seems the Tile Association have an inspection service for dissatisfied customers...

 

https://www.tiles.org.uk/

 

"Not happy with a recent tiling job.... we can help you with our technical inspections service.,"

 

I've no idea if they charge but perhaps they would comment on your photos first?

[sjb1288]

8 hours ago, Temp said:

Seems the Tile Association have an inspection service for dissatisfied customers...

 

https://www.tiles.org.uk/

 

"Not happy with a recent tiling job.... we can help you with our technical inspections service.,"

 

I've no idea if they charge but perhaps they would comment on your photos first?

£1080 + VAT to be exact! I think that would only ever make sense for a much bigger project than mine and would guarantee a court appearance to try and claim that back too...

[vivienz]

26 minutes ago, sjb1288 said:

£1080 + VAT to be exact! I think that would only ever make sense for a much bigger project than mine and would guarantee a court appearance to try and claim that back too...

 

Wow, that's expensive. A small claim court procedure for the maximum £10k costs about £450.

[Temp]

11 hours ago, sjb1288 said:

£1080 + VAT to be exact! I think that would only ever make sense for a much bigger project than mine and would guarantee a court appearance to try and claim that back too...

Ouch.

[nod]

Sorry someone asked me where our tiles pictured where from 

I bought two pallets from Italy through Rocia   (Porcalana)

50% discount 

[sjb1288]

Well he's insisted on getting a chance to rectify the worst of it, still have major concerns about the lack of sub floor prep being the main issue. 

 

The tiles appear to have a slight bow if placed back to back but nothing major. Would using clips have gone a long way to solving the problem? Would they have ensured lipping was minimised to at least BS guidelines? I spoke to him on the phone and he said 'ah yeah, those clips are for people that don't know what they're doing..' I bit my tongue until I have all the facts.

[scottishjohn]

12 minutes ago, sjb1288 said:

I spoke to him on the phone and he said 'ah yeah, those clips are for people that don't know what they're doing.

 my view only 

but the finished job shows he did need them -- and the bigger the tiles the more you need them

the finished job is all the facts you need

[joe90]

1 hour ago, sjb1288 said:

Well he's insisted on getting a chance to rectify the worst of it

 

The worst of it??? And you put up with the rest ?. IMO no chance. I could not live with that and being a DIYer I would expect better if I did it myself. As I said before, it’s all in the prep and the floor was not flat.

[mm289]

Whether you use the levelling clips is up for debate or personal preference, I would even argue having a perfectly flat sub floor is subjectives (ours wasn't). The most obvious fact (IMHO) is when laying floor tiles use a spirit level or straight edge FFS?

 

It is blatantly obvious he has not put a straight edge across the tiles as he laid them which is unforgivable in my view - hence why you have such huge deviations in depth tile to tile, not just across the floor as shown by the skirting.

 

Cheers,

 

MM

[Temp]

+1 to the level or straight edge.

 

I think 14mm deep hollows are way beyond what you can fix with a tile levelling system though. You would need massive notches on the trowel. If the notch ratio is 50:50 they would need to be 28mm deeper than used elsewhere. That way when squashed down to 14mm you get close to 100% coverage.

 

https://www.rubi.com/en/blog/how-to-choose-the-right-tile-trowel-size-step-by-step/

 

Floor must be reasonably flat first.

 

[Mr Punter]

I once had a firm apply levelling compound on a concrete floor before we got the tilers in and the floor ended up less level after the compound was applied!

[sjb1288]

On 09/12/2019 at 08:43, scottishjohn said:

 my view only 

but the finished job shows he did need them -- and the bigger the tiles the more you need them

the finished job is all the facts you need

 

These were exactly my thoughts, that the finished product shows that the subfloor wasn't prepared properly and that clips should have been used to minimise lipping. It's just whether this is sufficient evidence to throw the book at him and flat out reject the job. As I say, I feel I've paid pro money to a self styled professional for a less that professional job..

[Declan52]

Be nice and polite no matter how much it is making your temper boil. Explain that for the money you have paid you aren't happy. Then show him each and every tile that you aren't happy with. Give him a chance to put it right. 

If he does then great if not then if you go down the small claims route then you can show that you tried your best to come to a solution and where nothing but accommodating but sadly the tiler wasn't.