7 minutes ago, PeterStarck said:

I've recently finished laying the bamboo flooring upstairs. The first day I didn't wear knee pads and felt it, but after that I wore them and no problems.

SNICKERS FLOORLAYER CARPET FITTER KNEEPADS BLACK/GREY ONE SIZE 9118

I know we have discussed this before but after trying the foam kneelers and then trying these above from a carpet fitter contact you would be amazed at the difference. I have had mine now for over two years and they are showing no sign of wear and I have really given them some hammer

26 minutes ago, PeterStarck said:

I've recently finished laying the bamboo flooring upstairs. The first day I didn't wear knee pads and felt it, but after that I wore them and no problems.

 

I tried three different types of knee pads, the ones that fit into working trousers (not great, in my view) the hard faced ones, like miner's knee pads, with the straps around the back, which were the best when knelt down, but even with the straps arranged in "miner's fashion" (crossed over at the back) I found they still moved around a lot with all the getting up and down.  I ended up using my old caving knee pads, which are very thick commercial divers neoprene ones.  They were the most comfortable to walk around in, and stayed in place well, but they weren't as good as hard faced ones when actually kneeling.

 

Mind you, I think a decade or two of crawling around caves most weekends has probably made my knees a bit dodgy, anyway, so I doubt that I'm that typical!

Snickers for me with pads in pockets. The ones that strap around I found cut off the blood supply to my lower legs / feet and gave me pins and needles. Avoid trousers where the knee pad is pushed up from the bottom of the knee pocket, with the Snickers ones dropping in from above. 

My “ site” ones are great ( rubber type stuff in trouser pockets) but when new the pads would not bend around my knee properly so I cured this by bending them in half and leaving wedged behind a radiator over night, they are permenantly rounded now and a great fit.

I think there may be a difference between the different makes of site trouser ones.  Being a cheapskate, I bought a couple of pairs of the Screwfix trousers, when they were on offer some time ago.  I had the same problem with @joe90 in that the pads were flat and wouldn't bend properly, but also found that the pads were too low, so my knees were just on the very top of them.  It probably pays to shop around for ones that best fit your own body geometry, if that's in any way possible (I can just see the reaction in Screwfix if you dropped your cacks to try a pair on................)

Well, apart from a few tiles in an awkward corner I have just completed 40 sq metres over the weekend and feeling quite pleased with myself, although I ache a little I think the knee pads did a Stirling job. ( let’s see if I can get out of bed in the morning ?).

 

only 24 meters of stone and 32 mtrs of wood to go?

Edited February 18, 20188 yr by joe90

1 hour ago, joe90 said:

Well, apart from a few tiles in an awkward corner I have just completed 40 sq metres over the weekend and feeling quite pleased with myself, although I ache a little I think the knee pads did a Stirling job. ( let’s see if I can get out of bed in the morning ?).

 

only 24 meters of stone and 32 mtrs of wood to go?

 

Darn impresive it looks to! 

Nice tile. Do NOT put a grey grout in....PLEASE!

 

@joe90 A top tip for grouting, after sponging to get the first wipe out of the way, switch to a cheap mop to remove the remainder. A caretakers mop, rather than a fibre mop, is the best as it doesn't drop into the grout lines. Cleans this stuff up ( especially the charcoal / black ) in minutes, whereas with a sponge and bucket you'll be there for hours.

1 hour ago, Nickfromwales said:

Nice tile. Do NOT put a grey grout in....PLEASE!

 

@joe90 A top tip for grouting, after sponging to get the first wipe out of the way, switch to a cheap mop to remove the remainder. A caretakers mop, rather than a fibre mop, is the best as it doesn't drop into the grout lines. Cleans this stuff up ( especially the charcoal / black ) in minutes, whereas with a sponge and bucket you'll be there for hours.

 

@Nickfromwales does that work on slate too..??

32 minutes ago, PeterW said:

 

@Nickfromwales does that work on slate too..??

Yup, but Chinese slate needs a scrubbing brush for the grain on the last pass, then a final mop. 

 

Seal the slate first of course

They look like the tiles I have been laying in my bathroom.

 

Just the grouting to do. I HATE grouting, that is SWMBO's job.

9 minutes ago, ProDave said:

They look like the tiles I have been laying in my bathroom.

 

Just the grouting to do. I HATE grouting, that is SWMBO's job.

Use the mop. you'll never go back

What tiles are they @joe90?

 

Nice looking job there.

Thanks for the comments guys, yes I am pleased with it.  Tiles came from B@Q, Italian porcelain £12 per meter and swmbo likes them. Yes Nick going with charcoal grout and thanks for the heads up re the mop.   

Nick, just ordered this from Ebay,

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Bentley-Mop-Handle-and-Bucket-Set-Cotton-Mop-Head-Cleaning-Floor-Metal-Bucket/222562257806?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649

thanks for the heads up

15 minutes ago, joe90 said:

Nick, just ordered this from Ebay,

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Bentley-Mop-Handle-and-Bucket-Set-Cotton-Mop-Head-Cleaning-Floor-Metal-Bucket/222562257806?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649

thanks for the heads up

With great mop comes great responsibility. 

Trust me, when you see how quickly that works compared to even a Wash-boy bucket and sponge its 1000x better. Just mop slowly so you don't flick up the walls. 

Latex gloves for grouting will help, but if theres two of you who can grout side by side just to get it down then even better. I take it you know to switch the ufh off the day before ?

Thanks Nick, UFH not yet commissioned so not a problem, only me, myself and I on the job ! I am sure I am not the only one pleased with these pearls of wisdom.

Oh, and mop at 45 degrees to the grout lines, not along them   With porcelain the grout will stay wet for a long time, so it'll push down if you mop along them. 

I recommend a professional alkaline tile cleaner for grout lines.  Works better than regular supermarket floor cleaner. Make sure grout is well sealed before it gets dirty.

1 hour ago, Temp said:

I recommend a professional alkaline tile cleaner for grout lines.  Works better than regular supermarket floor cleaner. Make sure grout is well sealed before it gets dirty.

+1 on the sealer, but wouldn't you only need the cleaner if you've inadvertently left a grout residue behind ?

Sorry I meant when the grout lines eventually get dirty an alkaline cleaner works better than say Flash floor cleaner.

Please tell me more about this cleaning and then sealing grout as mine are manky. They were never sealed and my wife floods them, sorry, 'mops' them on a regular basis.

On 17/02/2018 at 17:31, Pete said:

SNICKERS FLOORLAYER CARPET FITTER KNEEPADS BLACK/GREY ONE SIZE 9118

I know we have discussed this before but after trying the foam kneelers and then trying these above from a carpet fitter contact you would be amazed at the difference. I have had mine now for over two years and they are showing no sign of wear and I have really given them some hammer

I use the snickers floor laying trousers They have tough waterproof gauze on the knees to keep the pad dry 

I'll try and find out which cleaner we got last time but I usually just Google for the cheapest alkaline tile cleaner and buy a 5L. The wholesale cleaning supplies companies are cheaper than the DIY stores.

 

You can also get narrow stiff brushes with a long handle specifically for scrubbing grout lines. Allows you to do it standing up.

 

I get best results if I dry the floor as much as possible after cleaning and rinsing (either mop it dry or use a wet vac) otherwise water seems to collect in the grout lines before evaporating leaving any remaining dirt behind concentrated on the lines.

 

Alkaline cleaners are quite aggressive and if used full strength will probably remove any sealer on there. So after a full strength clean you might need to reseal.

 

Lots of stone and grout sealers around. Lithofin is probably the most widely available brand but there are probably cheaper out there. Applies with a paint roller or pad. Smells the house out a bit.

 

 

This is the sort of brush we use but not sure if exactly same make. Looks like this one needs a separate mop handle..

 

http://www.belhygienic.com/mobile_product_info.php?products_id=2678