davy_G

Id use SLC for a couple of reasons.
One, it protects the mat form my big feet and tools while tiling.
Two, it leaves a good surface to tile off.
Three, Any air voids around the mat, below the tiles will act as an insulator and reduse the thermal transfer of heat to the tile. In the worst case of the cheeper wires they can burn out as they heat up too much with just air around them.

Agreed with Grumpy, always try and install 10mm dense insulation boards, can be up to £20 a m2 but the tiles will be warm after 20 min as opposed to 3 hrs. Long term savings.

No tiler worth their salt should be using dot and dab, very poor show indeed.

I would ask them to explain their tile fixing methods and any concerns you have about them as early as possible. As they are finished, or nearly finished I would let it go and see how the job turns out, ie boast tiles, efficiency of the heating. They should have liability insurance that should cover UFH and that might be the way to go if things are not to your satisfaction.

Dave Gibson
Ravara Tiling Services

Captain Slow

I'd say you're damned if you do and you're damned if you don't!
I'd make them take it all up, but make sure you do a tap test first! Proves your point.

If the underfloor heating is damaged, then that is their responsibility - tough!!
SLC is not compulsory as long as tiler is half decent.

You expect to pay for a pro job, so make sure you get one!!

Good luck - If you're near me (Cambs) I'll give a pro assesment.

sean384

What I always do is get a sparky on board, so once i've layed the UFH system he will come out and test the system before I lay the SLC, he will also test it again once tiled. I do this in front of the customer both times so they can see it works.

Sean

trading as:
Dragon Ceramics

steve3

thank you all for your welcome advice. the job is finished now and does look good but we have decided to wait untill the ufh is wired in and tested properly before we hand any money over. i have tested the tiles with a coin and can only just pick out a couple of places where there is a different sound and even then its not horribly hollow sounding. before they tiled they laid a slc over the mat and let it dry before they started tiling. i realy hope that it all works. i will let u all know when i have tested it fully. thanks again everyone. steve.

Dave

don't forget steve..there will probably be a commision time before you can turn the UFH on. This is usually 8 days or more...check with the mat suppliers.......