Travertine in morning

[richardw]

Hi Newbie here! and have booked a tiler (recommended by a 'too busy' tiler) on a day work basis to come in morning and a bit nervous as he has not laid travertine before. I must say since finding this forum and reading the travertine posts i am concerned it is more involved than he may be expecting although he didnt seem fased by the idea of travertine over the phone.
I bought the stone yesterday from a local stone merchant (who couldnt offer advice) and the tiler has asked me to buy the adhesive, and grout fr him. The stone is going on to 2 week old screed with warm water u/f heating approx 29m2

I am picking up 6x20kg bags of White Flexi Rapid Set adhesive first thing and White limestone flexi grout.

My questions are:

1. Does he need (is he likely to have) a 'wet cutter'
2. Do i need sealant before grouting
3. Do i need to use Filafob impregnator?
4. Anything else i should tell him?

many thanks

[Dave]

NO.NO.NO...That floor is being tiled to early....it should at least be left 30 days plus before tiling is to commence...dave....

p.s. use lithofin stain stop to seal the travertine..two coats before grouting and once after....dave..

[Holohana]

yes i thought it was too soon n all!

Answer to other questions are: -

1. Does he need (is he likely to have) a 'wet cutter' Any self respecting tiler should have a wet cutter, unless he's going to cut them on the angle grinder! V dusty!!!

2. Do i need sealant before grouting Yes, either pre or post fixing. Not the sides tho. 4" paint roller i find best, not too wet though!

3. Do i need to use Filafob impregnator? Or similar, as long as its good for Trav

4. Anything else i should tell him? Shouldnt have to really.

[richardw]

Thanks for the tip. I told the tiler 2 wks for the 75mm screed, he said ok! The base slab incidently was done 3months ago.
Does the 30 day rule apply to travertine/natural stone or any floor tiling (ceramic/porcelain)?

[Dave]

30 days plus applys to any tile onto concrete screed...dave.....

[richardw]

OK thanks guys. Its divorce or no hot food then (or both). New dual fuel rangecooker arrived yesterday - old one at dump. Needs to be installed tues(gas and elec) in final position hopefully over new tiles.
Could i get away with just a few under cooker?
What happens if tiles laid on too new screed as a matter of interest?

[Dave]

if you lay tiles too early onto new screed.. the screed begins to sweat as it dries out thus blowing the the tiles off its surface....dave..

[CJ]

Unless you use Green screed adhesive.

Personally I would wait

[Dave]

green screed adhesive is good on new screeds but very expensive to buy..also you could use ditra mat.....either option is great for fast track tiling if its required........dave...

Other thing to mention is that tiles need back buttering to ensure that all of the holes on the underside are filled in.

A further point regarding your underfloor heating. The screed should be cured and allowed to dry out normally for a minimum period of 3 weeks, after which the floor should be brought to the intended surface temperature and maintained at this temperature for a minimum of 3 days, then allowed to cool to room temperature before tile fixing commences. (b.s. 5385-4)

[richardw]

Well the job didnt get done after all. The tiler turned up, to look at the job and decided the screed was too far out of level.

On new build, is it the responsibility of the builder to provide a flat surface on the screed for tiling or should i expect to have to pay for a self levelling compound? What level tolerance should a screed be prepared to?

[Dave]

Very few builders will lay a floor flat enough to tile onto......
As for tolerances i would say no more than 2/3mm deviations in the floors surface......dave..