Tile Lippage

[actionjackson]

Evening Everyone

Those of you that have been reading and answering my threads will be aware that i have had my work cut out over the last couple of weeks with my first ever tiling and DIY project!

Well i have finally got to the tiling stage after overboarding/ tile backerboard/UFH/SLC.

I'm laying 10mm 400 x 600 non glazed porcelain tiles from Imola Ceramica which seem a decent quality tile.

I spent a long time setting out the room and making alterations to get the desired alignment spot on - Which I'm please with.

I have laid all the whole tiles and plan to do do all the cuts tomorrow. My problem is that a couple of the tiles have a 2mm lip and a few of the others a 1mm lip which i appreciate is far from perfect. Bearing in mind i have never held a trowel before, let alone tiled would you say i should stick with it and continue or pull up and start again?

Will the grout tidy this up slightly? Unfortunately i only have 2mm gaps so i guess it will only help so much.

If I'm honest i think the SLC stage could have gone better - It wasn't as level as i hoped but again this was totally new to me so i will know next time (if the missus lets me have another go)

[jay]

hi if you dont mind a pic might help its hard to call without a view thanks

[actionjackson]

hi if you dont mind a pic might help its hard to call without a view thanks

tile.jpgtile 2.jpg

Hi, Its difficult to get it to show with the camera but this might help. This picture is the worse one which is 3mm so i'm going to pull this one up. What the best way to pull up trying not to break the tile?

[Bri]

2mm grout line is asking quite alot of yourself, you said that the slc stage didn't go well, however, if you take your time and lay each tile 1 by 1 (which is obvious!!!!!) you will be fine. Judging by your photos (and please don't take this the wrong way) you have said 'that'll do' and that is why you have the lips. When laying, line each tile up with the ones adjacent to it to make sure they are flush (no lippage) and once you are happy with this pull it away to make your grout line. hope this makes sense, basically what I'm trying to say is line the tile up to its neighbours before putting your spacer in???!!!

[jay]

best to remove and try again you should be able to get tiles down to within 1mm or better time and patience make sure your adh is mixed right as to wet will let tiles slump

if tiles are less than 12 hours old (from laying) then you may be able to lift them but try not to damage next tile if older you can break the tile and remove from the centre out (gloves glasses ect)
good luck and remember you have to live with it

[easyt]

A useful tip. My eyesight isn't what it was and when I am laying tiles in less than perfect light (and you are often in your own light) I need reading glasses. I use a 3 inch piece of architrave cut square and slide this over adjacent tiles onto the one I am laying and back again. If I can feel a resistance then 'not good enough'. Works well and ensures no unnoticed lippage.

[mikethetile]

I use the same method as easyt as sometimes it can be deceptive but a short straight edge picks up the smallest of lips and you get the little "donk" too,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,tiling by ear

tbh that lip looks nearer 5mm than 3mm and the tiles need lifting and starting again


tiling is no where near as easy as people think it is, so just persevere and take your time, and as stated above set yout tile to the surrounding tiles and them just pull out to form your grout joint

[actionjackson]

Thanks for all the support.

I have pulled up 50% of the tiles and will have another go - very disheartening. All came up with a little leverage - would this be expected? They were put down between 5-7pm last night using a rapid flex.

The way i'm looking at this is i had a quote of £380 to lay the tiles so thats a lot of bags of adhesive to keep trying.

[actionjackson]

Do i need to remove every last bit of the tile adhesive on the floor?

[actionjackson]

Do i need to remove every last bit of the tile adhesive on the floor?

I have been chiseling away all morning and its proving difficult to get right back to the SLC as its well set and im nervous about going through and into the UFH.

Can i leave 1mm-1.5mm of adhesive on the floor and tile over it?

If yes -

When i put a fresh tile in the area where i have removed the tile adhesive, and measure the difference in height between this tile and the one next to it (fixed to the floor) whats the minimum difference that is acceptable so that i no i have scraped enough tile adhesive away.

Thanks in advance

[actionjackson]

Anyone?

[Scott]

You'd be better to get it all off im afraid. Its not an easy task. I use a Fein multimaster or you can get a screed rubbing tool. I got mine from screwfix. Hire centres also have blocks from large hire machines that you can buy to rub it down

[actionjackson]

Hi! Im beginning to think i should have left the tiles in place and put it down to experience.

Once i get it all up and sweep/hoover can i tile as normal?

[Scott]

Yes but just take it one tile at a time. Run your fingers across the join to see if the adjacent tiles are either higher or lower than the one you are laying. If its proud then tap it down with a rubber mallet until its the right height. If its low then lift the tile and add more adhesive to the tile. I do this by back skimming the back of the tile with the flat edge of the trowel to add the desired amount. Re trowel the floor to make sure you had the same amount of adhesive as you did before. You can also adjust the amount of adhesive on the floor by altering the angle you rake the trowel at.

[shogun rua]

Hi Scot,

What bit do you use a rasp? Are the any good? I was going to get one for my Bosch.

Cheers

Paul

You'd be better to get it all off im afraid. Its not an easy task. I use a Fein multimaster or you can get a screed rubbing tool. I got mine from screwfix. Hire centres also have blocks from large hire machines that you can buy to rub it down

[Dave]

Hi! Im beginning to think i should have left the tiles in place and put it down to experience.

Once i get it all up and sweep/hoover can i tile as normal?

Easy this tiling lark ain't it..

We will help as much as possible.

[Daz]

My tip would be to clean the area as much as possible, then sit a tile "dry" prior to mixing your adhesive. If you still have lippage then you need to either take up the surrounding tiles or knock some of the slc out until the tile sits slightly recessed to the surrounding tiles. That way when you apply your adhesive the tile should sit flush.

Good luck,

Daz

[Scott]

Hi Scot,

What bit do you use a rasp? Are the any good? I was going to get one for my Bosch.

Cheers

Paul

Its really good Paul, im sure others will agree as well. I was a bit dubious until i touch the adhesive and it just disintegrates. Well worth the money IMO as the time saved is more than worthwhile. Also there is no disturbing other tiles if its job of just replacing one tile

[PJPro]

Call me sloppy but only another tiler is going to worry about a 1mm lip.

[Dave]

Call me sloppy but only another tiler is going to worry about a 1mm lip.

True...

Have a chill and play us a tune.. http://www.tilersforums.co.uk/genera...-slurps-4.html

[easyt]

I would on floor tiles in particular.

[actionjackson]

My tip would be to clean the area as much as possible, then sit a tile "dry" prior to mixing your adhesive. If you still have lippage then you need to either take up the surrounding tiles or knock some of the slc out until the tile sits slightly recessed to the surrounding tiles. That way when you apply your adhesive the tile should sit flush.

Good luck,

Daz

Hi Daz

Right i have scraped nearly all of the adhesive away and when i lay a dry tile it sits 2-3mm lower than the surrounding tile. Is this sufficient? Would i need to prime the area?

Do you offer your services in Norfolk as i may give in and pay to have the work finished off as i can't spend another day removing tile adhesive LOL.

Neil

[Scott]

Not sure many would want to finish off a part finished job Neil, but you never know

[Alan.P]

Not much I can say apart from good luck, take your time refixing the tiles you've taken up and believe me, when your shuffling about the floor, you WILL notice the 1 / 2 mm lips.

[easyt]

As in previous post. Small piece of square cut timber will help avoid any lips. Simple. Just remember near enough isn't necessarily good enough when you review your fixings the following morning,

[Scott]

One other thing make sure you mix your adhesive as per the manufactureres instructions. Too wet and you could get the adhesive slumping and this will cause the tiles to drop a fraction.

[shogun rua]

Its really good Paul, im sure others will agree as well. I was a bit dubious until i touch the adhesive and it just disintegrates. Well worth the money IMO as the time saved is more than worthwhile. Also there is no disturbing other tiles if its job of just replacing one tile

Cheers mate ill need to get one

[shogun rua]

Call me sloppy but only another tiler is going to worry about a 1mm lip.

Sloppy

[Dan]

how are we getting on with this job?

[actionjackson]

Hi Dan

I'm away for the week which is just as well because its breaking me and that's coming from an amateur boxer!

I have pulled up all but one of the out of level tiles (7 x tiles) and removed the adhesive from 5 which took 4 hours. I had to stop because my neighbours complained of the noise (I live in a flat). So I have 3 left to do and one is still fixed so that's going to be a drama I'm sure as I have found the SLC is breaking up if I hit the bolster too hard.

Once I finish the donkey work I'm calling a tiler in to do the skilled stuff as I can't go through this again.

If only I patted my self on the back after finishing all the substrate work and passed on the tiling work I would have felt some achievement - unlike now.