Chew, Bitten, More than??

[Stoobydale]

Well I said I would need some help soon. I'm planning on doing my first floor tiling job in our new extension. The substrate is concrete screed, flat (as good as) but not level as it had to tie 2 other sections of the house together and the floors were not at the the same height. I am planning on using 600x600 porcelain tiles . Am I being a bit too ambitious?

Questions,
The supplier has reccommended some adhesive called "rs for orcelain full flex" said it was an alternative to Bal. £86.25 for 3 bags. Is this any good and is it too expensive?

What size notch should I use?

I would like to keep the gaps to a minimum, what is the mininum?

He has sent me a sample that looks like quite a flat black (matt) but does have mirror like qualities, is there a shinier alternative and would it need sealing?

If I was to ask a professional approximately how much should I expect to pay for 14m2 on a job that won't need many intricate cuts?

Thanks in advance.

[Dave]

RS...only one i know is Sontex RS...if that is the case then it's a fortune..

[david campbell]

onto a concrete floor you can reduce your groutlines to about 2mm if you want,a bit harder for a diy'er but not a competent tiler,would also use a 10mm round notch trowel if the floor is reasonably flat! they sound like polished porcelain so they will need sealed before and after grouting!
and pricing is not dicussed outwith the forum arms,and it differs from different areas,why not post the job and get private messages from local tilers and will also get a quality job

[doug boardley]

your notch size depends on how even your floor is, it needs to be a solid bed trowel , ie the notches are U shaped

like this one available from tradetiler
we don't discuss pricing in public forum tho mate

[CJ CERAMICS]

if your floors are at different levels are you planning on using a self leveling compound to bring the lower floor to the same height?
chris

[Stoobydale]

Thanks for the reply's. Can we give an approx price range on this forum or do I have to visit the pub? will I have to apply for an ID card?. Can't use levelling compound because that would cause the tiles to be higher in 1 room, the builder has put the screed down as is to avoid that problem, however probably makes the job harder for a novice tiler. The tiles are £23 per m2, is this cheap, reasonable or deer? The screed is pretty flat, does a 10mm notch mean that the bed will be 10mm thick?

[timeless john]

I don't think they will let you in the bar just now so unfortunately you will not get any real prices - but information is free!
14sq mts is not that ambitious if you have the coorect tools - starting with a tile cutter that will fit 600mm tiles.
The adhesive costing you provided would allow me to suggest a Mapei product called Keraquick.
The trowel size of 10mm would give you aprrox. 6/8mm bed of adhesive when solid bed fixed.
The tile price you quoted is double B&Q price for matt Porcelain and if you look at threads in the forum for this product you get what you pay for.
Tiles of this type of quality start double your quote.
Have fun and keep asking the questions!

Timeless John.

[Stoobydale]

HI John, thanks for the info. For some reason the 600mm tiles are about £12 per m2 less than the smaller ones, i wasn't quite sure if you meant that the tiles I am getting might no be such good quality. Because there is only 2 possibly 4 intricate cuts (more than a cut up the middle) I was planning on buying a stone wheel for my angle grinder as all the other cuts will be under the skirting boards. I don't yet have the correct trowl but will buy one on the advice gained from this forum. Have you ever had any dealings with the company where I am buying from or could you reccommend a good source? Is there any way that I can tell from the sample if they need sealing? I did ask the supplier on the phone and he said no but then advised that I buy some sealer/polish to finish the job.

[CJ CERAMICS]

with the sample of tile you have now, pour water on to it....if it is sealed the water will form into a bubble and stay on the surface if its not sealed the water will soak into the tile.
chris.

[jimbob]

Get a dry whiteboard marker pen, scribble on your tile sample, leave for a couple of mins, and try to rub off. If it does come off, tiles do not need sealing, if it doesn't come off, they do....

[Dave]

with the sample of tile you have now, pour water on to it....if it is sealed the water will form into a bubble and stay on the surface if its not sealed the water will soak into the tile.
chris.

On porcelain tiles......with an absorbtion rate of around 0.5%..

It is the open pores that grab dirt and look like stains and are hard to remove...porcelain tiles are not very porous at all..

Excellent advice for stone etc...but porcelains are different.

[CJ CERAMICS]

On porcelain tiles......with an absorbtion rate of around 0.5%..

It is the open pores that grab dirt and look like stains and are hard to remove...porcelain tiles are not very porous at all..

sorry for some reason although i had read porcelain my brain was saying trav must be the after effects of my operation oh and the beers.

[Dave]

Beers do help.....what you suppin..

[CJ CERAMICS]

if you are plannig on tiling it yourself mapei as timeless john says is a good adhesive but instead of the keraquick i would suggest using the keraflex maxi as this is a slower setting adhesive and will last longer in the bucket allowing you to work the tiles if you need to reposition one.

[CJ CERAMICS]

Beers do help.....what you suppin..

the king of beers dave BUD.. oh and painkillers from the hospital.

[Dave]

don't mean to thread rob..but what you had done..?...

[CJ CERAMICS]

my ankle was broken in 2 places last week while playing football..i posted a thread on it have had it pinned yesterday doc said i could be out for 3 months min but has fitted a light weight tension cast which gives more support and allows me too walk....i think he sort of got the impression that i will be back at work before then because basically i have 2 choices sit at home for 3 months and lose home or go back to work and hope ankle is ok.
chris

[grumpygrouter]

my ankle was broken in 2 places last week while playing football..i posted a thread on it have had it pinned yesterday doc said i could be out for 3 months min but has fitted a light weight tension cast which gives more support and allows me too walk....i think he sort of got the impression that i will be back at work before then because basically i have 2 choices sit at home for 3 months and lose home or go back to work and hope ankle is ok.
chris

You should be entitled to Sickness Benefit if you self employed. Check with your local DSS office.

[diamondtiling]

There is help available for people in your situation, your injury was caused by keeping fit, looking after yourself? first port of call is to get in touch with your mortgage provider and explain the situation, you can often get a breather of up to six months on your mortgage, secondly the guy that caused you the injury, was he reprimanded? if so get a copy of the report and sue the piece of S%$£, your self employed and need the dosh, he may have a nice 9 -5 job.
I can tell you that a friend of mine was Injured some 12 months ago and the mortgage company were putting severe pressure on him and his family, it did end up in court and the judge ruled that his injury was not his fault and that he would not issue a repossession order whilst there was a lot of money tied up in the house and also that there were children involved, he got an extended peroid of time to sort out his affairs and managed to keep his house.

Goodluck to you.

[CJ CERAMICS]

thanks grumps they say that i should get about £110.40 a fortnight but can take upto 6 weeks to be verified my mortgage cover will start 2 months after my claim is processed? but with no money coming in i will then be in arrears and my insurance for the credit card says that i am only covered for work related accidents (going to claim this as mis sold protection lol)
chris

[CJ CERAMICS]

cheers diamond but sadly cannot get the oppositon to give up the name of the player that did it(even the police cant)...so no joy there.
we spoke to the mortage company yesterday and sadly due to the credit crunch and falling house prices there is not enough value in the house to offer a break in payments. but they have said that if i miss a couple of payments no attempt to reposses the house will be taken but im waiting for that in writing lol.
chris

[whitebeam]

cheers diamond but sadly cannot get the oppositon to give up the name of the player that did it(even the police cant)...so no joy there.
we spoke to the mortage company yesterday and sadly due to the credit crunch and falling house prices there is not enough value in the house to offer a break in payments. but they have said that if i miss a couple of payments no attempt to reposses the house will be taken but im waiting for that in writing lol.
chris

Thats amazing