Help!: Replacing existing tiles

[spenny]

Hi,

im doing a job basically fixing a revious tilers ****ty job. A new build house, and the tiler has come in and done a job that the customer(a family member-and i was away on holiday when tiling was needing done hence why i didnt do it in the 1st place!) is not happy with the job-an with good reason!!

There are tiles that are way short when coming to a door or a wall(skirting boards wont cover it and there is to be no metal door strip so it just cannot be covered up. There are three tiles that are chipped at the shower fixings and there is a crack on the corner L shaped tile at a built up bath. now i have several queries before i step in and try and fix it as the previous tiler has taken his 1st installment of money and decided that coming back isn't for him, after trying to fix it an astonishing 4times and STILL leaving a terrible job!

1) New build house,taking existing tiles off plasterboard walls-how much is this going to damage the wall for putting it a new tile back on?

2)when taking up floor tiles that have been laid onto a selflevelled floor,will i damage the floor beneath,and how easy will it be to put replacement tile into it without it looking obvious i.e lips

3)when taking a tile off a corner of a built up bath, how likley am i to damage the bath and the surrounding tiles?!

4)what is the best/easiest way to remove tiles without making a total hash of it and more importantly damaging surrounding tiles that are in perfect order?

The tiles were 1st laid approx 3 weeks ago.

Apologies for the size of the questions!

[spenny]

please...........somebody!!??

Grumpy, your usually a life saver???

[whitebeam]

Hi spenny, You may slightly damage plasterboard hopefully just pull the facing paper off, Prime bare plaster. Break the tile out removing the grout around the tile first then chip any addy away, Hoping there's no ufh. Remove grout surrounding the tile, Should be easy to remove

[Varley]

1. Depends how well the previous tiles have been set, you might be ok, remove all the grout from around the tile to be removed and just take your time to avoid damaging surrounding tiles.

2.Should be fine, if you end up chipping away any of the self levelling compound just fill with rapid set and tile.

3. Same as 1. Be very careful not to damage the bath.

4. All the above.

Hope this helps a little, if you need more specifics please ask

[spenny]

thanks, in particular-the bath had been built around i.e a frame was built around a stand alone bath, i should be ok to take out that corner L shape tile thats cracked right on the "L".
Also, when siliconing around the bath, shoul i also silicone the bottom part of the frame? Obviously silicone around the bath,but as a frame has been built round it, and then tiled, should i silicone the bottom tile of the bath tiled bath frame?

[Dave]

The easiest way to remove a tile is to start in the middle of the tile.....break from the middle outwards , using a hammer and small chisel...carefully brake the bits out and then using a scraper or similar remove the grout.....this way you should not damage the surrounding tiles.....you could also use a grinder and put cuts into the tile but that is dusty and not the safest method.....

good luck..

[TilingLogistics]

Totally agree with Dave on this one but I also cut the grout first

Kev

[whitebeam]

Hi spenny, You called the tiler a ****y tiler but not saying your tiling is that standard but you are asking questions of basic prep work and repair, Is it me or am I losing the plot, Maybe the will to inform.

[Varley]

thanks, in particular-the bath had been built around i.e a frame was built around a stand alone bath, i should be ok to take out that corner L shape tile thats cracked right on the "L".
Also, when siliconing around the bath, shoul i also silicone the bottom part of the frame? Obviously silicone around the bath,but as a frame has been built round it, and then tiled, should i silicone the bottom tile of the bath tiled bath frame?

Yes I would silicone around the bottom of the bath frame mate

[Varley]

Hi spenny, You called the tiler a ****y tiler but not saying your tiling is that standard but you are asking questions of basic prep work and repair, Is it me or am I losing the plot, Maybe the will to inform.

Is that not the purpose of the forum?

[guy1976]

Is that not the purpose of the forum?

yes varley but hes critsising other peoples work and then asking basic questions that a competent TILER should know

[faithhealer]

Agree with Varley, it's FRIENDLY forum where people shouldn't get criticised for asking questions. Some other forums (all trades) have a snobby attitude towards new tradesmen. Hope that doesn't develop on this forum.

[muffinman]

we are all here to help each other , thats why this forum is number one

[spenny]

whitebeam,guy1976.
I think you need to either get off your high horse, or just keep your thoughts to yourself. I have been asking questions that to you may be basic, and that any competent tiler should know, well sadly i am trying my best to become a competent tiler and im not there yet, i didnt realise this was such a problem for you.

In this instance, the customer(a family member) was shocked by the terrible standard of the tiling, and i presume that the tiler himself knows it was a terrible job as he's refusing to come back when he's still not got more than half his money for nearly 4 weeks work. If i was to name and shame the tiler,then id agree that you may have a valid point, but seeing as i didnt-you dont.

[spenny]

thanks to everyone who had valid answers to my questions, and for not getting anys in their pants over someone elses lack of tiling knowledge.

[Dave]

Agree with Varley, it's FRIENDLY forum where people shouldn't get criticised for asking questions. Some other forums (all trades) have a snobby attitude towards new tradesmen. Hope that doesn't develop on this forum.

Trust me it won't....

thanks to everyone who had valid answers to my questions, and for not getting anys in their pants over someone elses lack of tiling knowledge.

Good luck spenny....Don't worry about negative comments,,we know you are only trying to correct somebody elses work........

let us know how you get on.........

[whitebeam]

If you had started the thread and mentioned you were a newbie of tiling maybe the wording may have been different. All I new was you were an experienced tiler and asking somethink you should have known. I feel that to get of my high horse and keep my thoughts to myself was unecessary as this is a forum, Discussion and sometimes criticism ensues. This obviously caused you some embarrassment and I wish you had stated at the beginning what your position had been, It would never had got to this.

[smurf21]

WELL BLOW ME DOWN WITH A FEATHER THOUGHT I WAS ON OPRAH...lol
spenny ye know wot needs doing just take your time and follow the advice you have been given personally when breaking out tiles i like to use an old 1/2 inch wood chisel and start in the middle you may damage the board it may be innevitable but just repair as necesary. be carefull round the bath break away from it. good luck.. and we will get whitebeam a shorter horse..lol

[grumpygrouter]

If you had started the thread and mentioned you were a newbie of tiling maybe the wording may have been different. All I new was you were an experienced tiler and asking somethink you should have known. I feel that to get of my high horse and keep my thoughts to myself was unecessary as this is a forum, Discussion and sometimes criticism ensues. This obviously caused you some embarrassment and I wish you had stated at the beginning what your position had been, It would never had got to this.

In defence of Spenny a little bit, he did state when he joined the forums he was new to the trade. Having only few posts showing on his profile and the type of questions asked is a bit of an indicator of his experience. I don't think it is practical for ever poster to the forum to have to state their experience level on every thread they start.

Your posts to the forum are valuable Whitebeam so please keep them coming, lets try and help anybody as much as we can.