Hi all,

Is it just me or do home owners have no understanding of the importance of tanking shower/wet areas. I have been to two different jobs last week to price up estimates and both times the home owner has turned up thier noses when discussing tanking for shower areas. I am not trying a hard sell or adding a mark up on the product. Im trying to give the correct advise. Do you have this problem? and if so how do you explain it? One job I have decided to walk away from as despite needing the money the possible repercussions are just not worth it. Also what tanking kits do you use? I use Bal but if there is a reliable more cost effective product Im happy to try as I dont want to keep walking away from jobs.

Cheers in advance!

theres a poor market awareness of tanking and some people need convincing its to their benefit and not you bumping the job up

i think you will find, unless you emphasize the importance of tanking the customer will not see the justification of spending more money. if you can take pictures of black and mouldy plasterboard that you have encountered on previous jobs or even better ceilings that have caved in by way of water penetration through the shower you find they change their minds on the extra spending .

I usually persuade customers to have tanking installed, if they um and err I direct them to the forum and they can check for themselves, it usually works. Fibre would be my choice over a liquid system.

I understand that it may not be something the customer is aware of but trying to explain the need I can see them loosing interest or thinking im trying it on. Once the "how much will that cost?" question comes up then its game over! Bal tanking kit in Topps round our way is 70 odd quid im not marking up the price or being pushy but it seems to be a deal breaker. What kit do you use? or would you just include a note on the estimate that customer refused tanking advise ( but I can see that putting thier nose out of joint and me not getting the job ) You know some numpty will turn up and say that you dont need it!

Refer them to the forum and get them to check for themselves, if they have any sense they will agree to it.

as i say pictures of failures . bal is a good choice and to be honest all tanking is expensive especially to the paying customer drum the importance of it home.

Thanks all,

I think the best answer is as you've stated. I'll get some photos of failures and direct them to this website so they can see for themselves! Failing that rubber mallet therapy! I dont know, you try and help some people

Perhaps there should be a section on the forum of wet rooms/ shower disaster photos...so customers can see for themselves of the problems they could have without it..

In my portfolio I have a disaster pic of a showerwall with a pic of a tanking kit. So when they come across it I explain what has happened and why. No hard sell just an explanation. Then on the quote I give with and without tanking prices and I am finding more takers than not.

Wht areas are you discussing tanking with the customers - is it around the bath or shower enclosures?
With proper substrate preparation,correct materials,good tiling and silicone use your work will last the life of the average bathroom. At least in the time I've been tiling most areas were never tanked.
However as technical developments occur we have to take on board these improvements to our trade and pass our knowledge onto the end user. Not all will embrace this additional cost as you have found so its through initiating them that the market will improve.
I find with tanking and UFH, I list the costings as a seperate item and explain the benefits to the customer - leaving them with the final choice.
My only exception is as you've done - if I consider it detrimental to the job without being done - I'd walk!

The areas in question were both power shower cubicles so I felt tanking should apply. I agree if it is just a bath area tanking may be a bit extreme for most customers to understand. The job I walked from involed customer supplying bargain basement materials that I doubt would hold the tile on the wall dry let alone in a shower! Thanks for all your responses always find this forum priceless!

if i may add to that tj in my opinion power showers need tanking .

Most of my jobs are refurbing tatty bathrooms with mouldy grout joints and tiles barely hanging on to rotten plaster board walls in shower enclosures. They all agree to tanking.

when you say bargain basement do you mean tubbed

Originally Posted by mikethetile

when you say bargain basement do you mean tubbed

I think he means cheap tiles Mike

Originally Posted by brinkley

if i may add to that tj in my opinion power showers need tanking .

I'd agree!
I usually waffle a bit on most subjects and as my first point asked -around a bath or shower enclosure - so by the time I got to the end of around a bath, I didn't elaborate on shower enclosure which we tank as standard.
For the additional £40-00 for materials its always included.

I always include tanking into my tiling price and do not even mention it to the customer.

this way i know the install will last and i will not get any "comebacks".

On the counter in one of my local tiling shops they have the packaging box from the BAL WP1 kit which has been turned into a fish tank, of course it has been coated in WP1, very effective visual marketing. i'm thinking of doing the same

hi Slowly Learning

take a look at my thread
Tanking - do you bother?

that's my own en-suite shower room in my house. it only took 6 years to deteriorate like that. the damp patches on the ceiling in the lounge were a bit of a giveaway to the fact that there were problems in the shower room.

feel free to use the photographs from the thread to show customers

Originally Posted by Colour Republic

On the counter in one of my local tiling shops they have the packaging box from the BAL WP1 kit which has been turned into a fish tank, of course it has been coated in WP1, very effective visual marketing. i'm thinking of doing the same

What fish you gunna get..

i think dont sell it as tanking....
i suggest they waterproof their water sensitive areas so as not to cause any possible future damage...

it has far more impact...the word tanking is half the problem imo..you nearly always have to stop mid sentence and then explain what tanking is and that can add to the confusion...waterproofing is grasped by everbody..

ed

Originally Posted by Dave

What fish you gunna get..

i'm thinking more of a duck pond, i've already got quite a collection and i've hand picked this one to do the honors

Originally Posted by Colour Republic

i'm thinking more of a duck pond, i've already got quite a collection and i've hand picked this one to do the honors

Just reminded me of a dozy thing I nearly did on Friday. Went to a tile shop to buy a tanking 'paint on', kit. (usually use membrane but another story) Anyway, picked up an Ardex kit, paid for it, then as I picked it up I noticed this plastic duck floating inside! I had only picked up the demo box Duh!

If i think the area needs tanked, i explain what it is, what it costs and the benefits of doing it. I say if it was my house i would be using it. If they are still not interested I wont tile it as i wouldnt be happy with it, some then think about it but others arnt botherered, and if they are not im not botherered about doing their tiling.

Originally Posted by timeless john

Wht areas are you discussing tanking with the customers - is it around the bath or shower enclosures?
With proper substrate preparation,correct materials,good tiling and silicone use your work will last the life of the average bathroom. At least in the time I've been tiling most areas were never tanked.
However as technical developments occur we have to take on board these improvements to our trade and pass our knowledge onto the end user. Not all will embrace this additional cost as you have found so its through initiating them that the market will improve.

I have just taken out a shower tiled on plaster board and it was perfect. The tiling wasnt great and the grouting was shocking.
However the plasterboard was dry and no black marks at all, and it was 25 years old. In my opinion for every shower that we take out thats black and soggy there are a high percentage that are dry.

For all the failures that i have replaced, and there are many from my days of rental property work, the failures are down to the 4 things; poor quality of tiling, grouting, siliconing and tubbed adhesive.

However with the shower technology we have seen introduced over the last ten years with ever more powerful showers then need for extra protection has increased massively.

Most customers relate to tanking as something which is done to cellars as that propbaly the only place the have ever heard of it being carried out and usually expensive!

Cheers for all your feedback. Aston, I think "waterproofing" is the phrase that pays should make it quite clear what it does. I will continue to insist that wet areas are tanked ( sorry waterproofed! ) No Tanky No Likey!

"No Tanky, no Likey"