Help!: Advice needed please!

[Thatch]

Hi all

I'm fairly new to the tiling trade...doing ok at the moment, done courses and got qualifications etc after being laid off in January from my old job.

My question is this.....when tiling a fairly (almost) flat surface, why do I seem to get lipping on a larger format tile (310mm x 550mm). I'll do a row of say four or five tiles all nice and flat then the next will be lipping at different points...is it a case of judgement? It's time consuming keep having to remove the tile and add or take some adhesive off the tile or wall! Like I say, i'm new to this and when things get frustrating while tiling it kinda knocks my confidence a bit!

Any help would be appreciated! Thanks!!

[whitebeam]

It's down to wether your floor has good prep, if the tiles don't have enough adhesive they don't have enough support..depending how good the tile are..they could be bowed and will never match the following tiles...

[Thatch]

Yeah it's actually wall tiles but same applied to both. Tiles applied to smooth skimmed plaster. As far as I'm aware the adhesive looked consistent on application. Maybe it's the tile itself?! Hmmm ......frustrating whatever it is! :-/

[Brian the Tile]

were the tiles from b & q ?

[Thatch]

no they were from a local tile warehouse. Priced at £18 sq m for "stone effect" porcelain.

[andy allen]

when using large format tiles, put the face of the tile together and see if there bowed, this is becoming more common now the the market is becoming flooded with cheap imports, if they are bowed then it makes tiling brick bond a nightmare, so suggest to the customer stright bond or replacing the tiles, and always check your subtrate for flatness, what looks flat might not always be the case, i check every job with a stright edge when im quoting, that way i can show the customer if any prep work is needed prior to tiling.

[Mike]

try using a larger trowel, maybe the walls aren't as good as you think. try holding a tile on the wall (dry) in different places and see if it rocks. and as already said the tiles may be bowed

[jay]

Check the tile as mentioned above .face to face and look at the gap between (do this before tiling)might help

[Thatch]

Guys.....thanks very much, all your answers have been helpful. I spoke with another tiler in my local trade account store (N & C) and he recommended a larger notched trowel to give more depth on adhesive (as Mike also recommended). Thanks again. There will be loads more questions i'm bound to ask!! Lol. Cheers guys!

[HeartAttack]

keep the bottom leveled, if the tiles are acquired aswell, you will enjoy sticking them...

[Dave]

try using a larger trowel, maybe the walls aren't as good as you think. try holding a tile on the wall (dry) in different places and see if it rocks. and as already said the tiles may be bowed

If the tiles are not bowed then this is your best option.. use a deeper trowel to cope with deviations...
Best way is to use a 2 mtr straight edge and check for dips in the wall.. fill any in to bring back flat with adhesive.. any bumps.. try to flatten them back..

[Rich]

Brilliant advice above, it could also be how you are spreading the adhesive on the wall, maybe you leave a ridge of adhesive here and there? Do you check the walls for flatness? As the guys have said above, check them with a straight edge, I cant remember the last time I saw a flat newly plastered wall

[Dave]

Brilliant advice above, it could also be how you are spreading the adhesive on the wall, maybe you leave a ridge of adhesive here and there? Do you check the walls for flatness? As the guys have said above, check them with a straight edge, I cant remember the last time I saw a flat newly plastered wall

|Didn't know there was such a thing..

[Mike]

Brilliant advice above, it could also be how you are spreading the adhesive on the wall, maybe you leave a ridge of adhesive here and there? Do you check the walls for flatness? As the guys have said above, check them with a straight edge, I cant remember the last time I saw a flat newly plastered wall

nothing worse than looking at a job and the customer saying 'the walls are spot on, i've just had them skimmed over'

[Rich]

Oh tell me about it, just about every job I do!! The do tend to believe you when you place a long level on the walls and show them tho

[timeless john]

Bad walls, Bad Tiles - if it was easy everyone would be doing it themselves!

My question would be are you using tubbed or bagged adhesive for your large format wall tiles.

[Thatch]

I'm using tubbed adhesive (Ultragrip from N & C). Like I say i'm new to the game and trying to find what works best at the moment...so any advice would be great! I'm hearing a lot of tilers use powder adhesives!

[whitebeam]

For that size tile you should be using powdered adhesive, tubbed gear only dries out by evaporation and with them size tiles it would take weeks..

[Thatch]

A lesson learned!! What adhesive would you recommend? I had an Ardex demo at my course...seemed really good, but hard to get hold of??

[Rich]

A lesson learned!! What adhesive would you recommend? I had an Ardex demo at my course...seemed really good, but hard to get hold of??

It Will depend on your area, have a look round your local tile suppliers and have a chat with them to get an idea of prices. I use Mapei gear and rate it very highly, have a look through the link below to see if there is a Tile Giant near you. Also bare in mind if you use this site and gain entry to the TF arms you can get discounts on Mapei gear from Tile Giant


Mapei: Tile Giant Store Finder...

[ROBSON MCGREGOR]

If you are going to use bagged adhesive then go for a slow setting, rapid set will go off too quick for you, you will get more time for tile adjustment if its not right, try something with a 16hr?? setting time or there abouts.

Take your time you will get there, dont let it knock your confidence. you are doing the right thing coming on to this forum for advice.

[Bolter]

A lesson learned!! What adhesive would you recommend? I had an Ardex demo at my course...seemed really good, but hard to get hold of??

Walls and Floors Tiles - Adhesives & Grouts - Bostik tiles -Bostik OFP Single Part White - 20 Kg

this stuff is a revalation! You can spread a good wall with a 6mm or 8mm trowel, and stick a 400sq tile on the wall with no slipping whatsoever. Its grab is unreal, long pot life etc. Really really good. Its pretty much all we use on the walls.

I can recommend Weber for floors. Very good adhesives.

[Thatch]

It Will depend on your area, have a look round your local tile suppliers and have a chat with them to get an idea of prices. I use Mapei gear and rate it very highly, have a look through the link below to see if there is a Tile Giant near you. Also bare in mind if you use this site and gain entry to the TF arms you can get discounts on Mapei gear from Tile Giant


Mapei: Tile Giant Store Finder...

Yeah the nearest one to me is Basildon, Essex. I'll pop in there soon and check out the range!

[charlie1]

For a tile that size (300 x 550) I would use 10mm square notch trowel ((minimum)), also, i would be back filling the small voids on the rear of the tile too!

Depending on the condition (how flat) of the walls I would be tempted to go with a 12mm square notch!

Would recommend mapei P9, 5 hours working time once mixed!

[Thatch]

Hi Guys, just started another job today using 250 X 330 ceramic tiles....i went right ahead and used a 10mm trowel and wow what an improvement! All tiles sitting flush with each other and NO LIPPING!! Hallalujah! ha ha! Still used the Ultragrip tubbed adhesive from N & C as i had some leftover from previous job. But very tempted to try the Mapei now everyone is recommending that. Thanks again for all your tips and advice.....tiling is much more easier and enjoyable now!

[Bolter]

Hi Guys, just started another job today using 250 X 330 ceramic tiles....i went right ahead and used a 10mm trowel and wow what an improvement! All tiles sitting flush with each other and NO LIPPING!! Hallalujah! ha ha! Still used the Ultragrip tubbed adhesive from N & C as i had some leftover from previous job. But very tempted to try the Mapei now everyone is recommending that. Thanks again for all your tips and advice.....tiling is much more easier and enjoyable now!

That is too big a notch for tubbed adhesive mate. May take weeks to dry, if at all.

[Thatch]

Well like I say it was just left over adhesive from previous job, got about 12 tiles out of it.....will swap over to powder adhesive on monday. Thanks for the pointer though.

[Rich]

Glad you got it sorted mate. Just make sure that you factor in the extra adhesive that you are going to need when you price for the job. Also when you come to choose a powder adhesive, have a really good look through the range or ask on here as there are loads and they are not all suitable for all tiles or substrates

[Thatch]

thanks Rich, im actually off to Tile Giant in Basildon this afternoon, to see whats on offer in the Mapei range! Any recommendations?

[Rich]

thanks Rich, im actually off to Tile Giant in Basildon this afternoon, to see whats on offer in the Mapei range! Any recommendations?

Depends entirely on what tiles you are going to be using, what substrate you are going to be tiling onto and what kind of pot life you want. I generally use a single part flexi addy like Keraquick for most jobs, have a look at their proflex as well, good gear.

Have a read through the link below for more info

Mapei: Mapei powdered adhesives info.