Please give opinions on this tiling job

[CL66]

Hi there

I'm new to this site, and sorry for not doing a formal introduction, but i really need some advice quickly.

I'm attaching some photos of tiling in a new build i'm in the process of buying. The tiler (who is also one of the developers) said he needed to do it wonky in order to follow the pitch of the roof (which is slightly off) because the grouting needed to go into it or something along those lines. I don't understand how this can be the case, surely grouting and the roof line are 2 separate matters, and if the roof was a little wonky where it met the wall, you'd do the tiling straight?

I asked him to re do it, as i'm not prepared to buy the house until it's fixed, and he put up beading along it. So now it's covered by wonky beading and still looks wonky.

Please let me know if i'm correct in my assumption that the tiling should be replace in a straight line?

Thanks!

Clare

[pjc]

that depends everyone has a different view some cut it into the line some cut it to a straight line some make horizontal does depend on several factors and thats hard to tell unless you are there :Pete

[CL66]

Thanks for that, can you explain what the factors are that would affect it, as i'm waiting for him to call me and i'd like to sound vaguely knowledgeable if poss!

[timeless john]

CL66 - I am assumming that it is a sloped ceiling coming in to the vertical of the door wall.
What would you have wanted if the ceiling had run out from the horizontal by say 25-30mm. Would you have accepted the tiles cut at a slope or would a line of tiles at the 25mm been the answer - giving a 5mm gap at one end! As pete says - everyone has a different view.
IMO - I would have used a tile trim to form a straight line and cut the tiles of equal size. That would however give you a shadow to the ceiling where it is uneven.
Looking at it closer it looks as though it has been grouted with a darker grout to the ceiling. Put masking tape on the tile in a straigt line and paint the grout to match the ceiling colour.
I cannot see why this would stop you buying the house !

Timeless John.

[CL66]

Thanks for the welcome! Ummm, I'm rubbish at picturing what you're talking about, so excuse me for being a tad thick. What I would want is for the tiling to have been done a tad under where the roof joins the wall,so the angle of the roof doesn't impact it at all, and in a totally straight line, so when you look at it the tiling itself looks straight. Is this a possibility. Because looking at wonky tiling every day would drive me mad.

[Daveyboy]

Hi Clare..the matter of tiling straight or following the natural join of the wall/ceiling is a personal choice and one I always give my clients the option to decide..In almost every case, the client opts to go with following the natural join..In one case, the client wanted the line straight but didn't want a gap showing, so we tiled it straight and then replastered the ceiling to make the join the same along the wall..but this work is on existing buildings..

As it's a new build, the work will obviosuly have to pass building control inspection and if the ceiling/wall line and tiling passes, then the tiler/developer is not obliged to change it..however, if a wonky row of tiles is stopping you buying/them selling, I'm sure you/they can reach a compromise and do something about it.. it's not difficult to replace a row of tiles/replaster a ceiling, to satisfy your requirement...

[365drills]

I must admit it does look naff!

Those tiles above the doorline highlight the slope.

Options to fix include reducing the height of the tiles so they are inline with the door jam.

Or moving the door jam to run the tile line. Its all about what the eye sees

[diamondtiling]

Tiles do not come under the building control Inspector, If they did, redrow, barratts, morris and most of the other big developers would have a lot of tiles in skips..

Why did the tiler not chamfer the backs of the tile? he would have got them perfect then, and that one over the door is a mess, get him to do it properly,

[Daveyboy]

..What I would want is for the tiling to have been done a tad under where the roof joins the wall,so the angle of the roof doesn't impact it at all, and in a totally straight line, so when you look at it the tiling itself looks straight. Is this a possibility. Because looking at wonky tiling every day would drive me mad.

The only trouble with that Clare is that you will have a horizontally level line of tiles and a wonky/unlevel ceiling/wall line....no matter how big a gap you leave between the two, the human eye will always notice that one of them is wrong and quite often it thinks it's the one that is actually level..

It's not clear how much of a say you have over what is going into this new build? If you are in control of the interior design/products and the developers are working to your specification, why haven't you specified what you want?

[Big D]

Hi agree with diamond if you run a chamfer down back of tile you can create a straight line as long as level of ceiling is not to far out difficult to tell from pics

[Ajax123]

looks hideous. If I did that in my bathroom My Mrs would make sure I did it again. I think I would cut the tiles straight and have an uneven gap above which I would paint the same colour as the ceiling.

[Alpha Omega]

Looks like they have lost the level down to the left ?

Have they cut the tiles on left above door ?

Why not remove thoose and continue tiling to ceiling ?

Hopefully won't end with a slither

Gary

[Daveyboy]

Tiles do not come under the building control Inspector, If they did, redrow, barratts, morris and most of the other big developers would have a lot of tiles in skips..

Actually they do Diamond...Building Control have to sign off the second fixing and tiling is a second fix...

[doug boardley]

does the ceiling pitch slope down, if so, maybe the tiler hasn't put a back bevel on the tiles to take the face side up to the ceiling line

[CL66]

Thanks for all the replies guys.

I've attached another picture so you can get a better perspective on how the roof attaches to the wall. To look at the wall, you wouldn't know it was wonky at all, so I had no idea to ask for the tiles not to follow the line and was never given the option. The house was a shell when we put the deposit down, so yes we had choice on everything.

I'm not sure what the chamfer is, but i'll see what he says about it. Haven't heard anything this evening. The ceiling is only slightly off, so i don't see why it would look bad to have them cut straight surely?

[Daveyboy]

If you have time Clare, run a string line from one end of the ceiling/wall joint to the other, pull/fix it tight and see how it lies..do this for the top row of tiles as well and put a level on it to see if the rows tiles on either side of the door are level with each other..also put a level on the top of the door architrave..this will tell you what is/is not level and from that, you will know what needs fixing...

[diamondtiling]

Actually they do Diamond...Building Control have to sign off the second fixing and tiling is a second fix...

does not happen on a private build like this one matey, no building control inspector passes tiles, they are decorative items, wet rooms possibly, but that is it

[larmar]

Must say that looks crap I wouldn't be pleased with that and any sites I have worked on would have had it fixed before tiling be it bad plastering or taping

[CL66]

Ok, thanks, i'll arrange to go in and do that. I just want to make sure everything's ok before we exchange cos you can bet your bottom dollar it's a hell of a lot harder to get anything done once it's paid for!!

[pjc]

some would leave the top cut off and paint with the ceiling

[Daveyboy]

does not happen on a private build like this one matey, no building control inspector passes tiles, they are decorative items, wet rooms possibly, but that is it

You might be right Diamond but I know on the garage conversion I've just finished, Building Control checked off all second fix fixings as per his pre-printed checksheet before signing the completion certificate..maybe different building control areas do different things...

[milan11]

Hi, CL66!

As a matter of coincidence, in these days I'm working on exactly same job as you have - only instead of one bathroom, I have to tile five of them.

Perfect job, which you are looking into is actually much more difficult then it seems.

To achieve a 100% job, you'll need:
- death perfect level cealing, which is impossible
- death perfect level wall, which has to run death perfect parallel with your cealing, which is impossible too

or:

- very, very experienced tiler


Just b/c your cealing and your wall are definitely not perfect, tiler has only 2 choices:

1.) Finish the wall tiles in the same level - either the last tile is a full tile or if it's a cuting, then all cuts must be exatly the same.
In that case, tiler must mitre the top back edge of the tiles and finish these tiles in same line no matter what the cealing is wonky like.

In this case, you have also two choices - you'll either fill the gap between the tiles and cealing with painting filler (no grout!!!) and paint that filler with the same colour as the cealing, or, get a plasterer and make him replaster cealing - not a whole cealing, only the part of it - from edge of the tiles and loose it 2-3 feet from there


2.) if the cealing is not that bad, tiler has to cutt last line of the tiles following the line of the cealing, of course, he has to mitre the back top edge of the tiles again.


I only hope you understand me, what I wanted to say, IMHO you shoud get that gapp filled with filler and paint it or re-plaster that part of the cealing(this is the fastest and easiest way)


I'll get you some pics tommorow - how can it be done.

[CL66]

Thanks Milan, Pics would be good. You guys really know your stuff. If it weren't for this forum I'd never have realised that all tiles that join where walls join or at 90 degree angles need a sealant instead of grout so that it doesn't crack with the house movement etc, and this hasn't been done either, so need to mention that too.

[garythetiler]

The cause of the cuts increasing or decreasing in size often has noting to do with the ceiling or the tiling being out of level ,as millan says the wall has to be square to the ceiling to achieve a straight cutting line and has to be resonalbly level if the wall is out of square to a level angled ceiling it in effect makes the cuts icrease in size and therefore make the ceiling seem out of level solution i would say finish 2inches below the ceiling line and paint it in as previous tilers have suggested

[CL66]

that's what i'd like, i don't even care if the tiles only come up to, say, the level of the door frame and it's all just painted above the same as the ceiling. Maybe the further from the ceiling the tiles end the less obvious it would look....

[Ajax123]

You might be right Diamond but I know on the garage conversion I've just finished, Building Control checked off all second fix fixings as per his pre-printed checksheet before signing the completion certificate..maybe different building control areas do different things...

According to that programme that was on channel 4 a few weeks ago the building inspector needs to see and sign off everything if it is new build or major renovation. If it is just interior decorating I don't think the same rules apply. I do know that the BI inspects bulk house builders at second fix stage though.

[turnip]

thats a tasty one, had one last year that run out 45mm over 1 metre! new build of course. tiling was put in level line lowest level, skeiling was re-boarded somehow, big telling off for the tacker, haha

[smurf21]

regardless of how the ceiling wall junction should or shouldnt be tiled its obvious from the first photo that the tiler has taken no care whotsoever just look at the tile cut above the door it doesn't line up with the tile on the right they need to strip the top row and redo and either keep the sam size cut straight across the ceiling line and paint out the gap to match the ceiling colour or bevel the top cut and fit it closer to the ceiling the second option in my opinion will only highlight the fact that you have an uneven ceiling line and the 1st opion only really works if the ceiling isnt to far out.
If you want it perfect then a ceiling line re skim is the only option

[CL66]

Here's a mock up of the proposed solution..what do you guys think?

The piece over the tiles will be painted a gloss white and then above will be re-plastered so it's a smooth curve into the ceiling.

One of the main issues I had was that the door you see is actually a cupboard, not a full height door, so all the tiling you see is just a little below eye level and the first thing you see when you enter the bathroom as it's right in front of you!

[Daveyboy]

If you're happy with that Clare proposal, then it's a job done..if it was my new house, I'd get them to replaster the ceiling to give me a straight line but that's my personal choice..

Glad to hear solutions are being discussed/considered though and it sounds like a solution is not far away..keep communicating and I'm sure you'll soon own your dream home!