Its a messy job but somebody's gotta do it - keeping your work area clean

[Nick HBS]

Having just completed my first tiling job, one of the things I was wondering was, how does today's professional tiler keep themselves and their work area clean and tidy? When you're working on domestic jobs in people's kitchens or bathrooms, what lengths do you go to to make sure you don't end up covering your customers' homes in crap?

The job I worked on took five days in the end and apart from working quickly and trying to make a good impression as possible, it was a nightmare just keeping the place clean. The electric tile cutter left a mess in the back yard which I had to hose down in the dark after I'd finished and the adhesive and grout are messing things to work with too.

Do you clean as you go, or get the job done and then clean up as best you can?

[andy allen]

i put dust sheets down from where i walk in to there house to where im working, i dust sheet all kitchen units or baths, my wet cutter sits on a large waterproof tarpauling, and i work as clean as possible, using a bucket of water and sponge, to clean the tiles as i go..

[JRCCR]

I clean as i go. I, as with most tilers I know don't have a problem with adhesive being messy, unless your mixing it like water lol. The only grout I don't really like working with and thats charcoal grout. but its still not really messy. As with tile cutters, i always use sheets to catch any spray off the tiles. Yes it does sometimes leave a mess but what can ya do? I sweep up regularly, boxes and bags are taken out to the van after Ive covered an area. I used to leave tidying to the end when I first started but always ended up standing in blobs of adhesive, kicking dust everywhere and ended up scraping bits of adhesive and grout off tiles, cupboards etc. Its definately easier to keep the work space as tidy as possible. Same goes for all trades really.

[doug boardley]

never leave the room empty handed! if you're going outside take some of the clutter with you!, always use dust sheets or "roll and stroll" carpet protector, put your wet cutter on a tarpaulin, and always, always, have a good clean up at the end of the day as there's nothing more dispiriting than turning up to work the next day to a bombsite

[Alan.P]

Some domestics can be hard work re working space and keeping it clean, weigh up the options and go from there, keep all empty adhesive bags for waste materials, work clean and sheet off everything that is needed.

[bobbynz]

]never leave the room empty handed![/I] if you're going outside take some of the clutter with you!, always use dust sheets or "roll and stroll" carpet protector, put your wet cutter on a tarpaulin, and always, always, have a good clean up at the end of the day as there's nothing more dispiriting than turning up to work the next day to a bombsite

This was the old mans motto too, especially if you are working a level or two upstairs, was something i did regularly. Always best to keep a bucket, pan and brush and the vacuum cleaner handy and a bucket of water and a sponge to clean up any spilt addy.
Agree with the dropsheets from van to workarea.
If you keep your work area clean and tidy and the client pops in for a look, It's going to impress them.

[andy allen]

ive always said you can tell a good tradesman by how many dust sheets he has, i make a piont of my shoes never touching the customers carpet, this eliminates the risk of mud, adhesive, grout being walk through there house.

i even take my shoes off when quoting jobs, you'll be suprised how many jobs this has won me, just shows respect for customers homes.

[Bathfix Bob]

Working with other trades is always messy, I'm always the one trying to keep the place tidy but my efforts are in vain when there's plaster being tramped everywhere and things going missing.

The house was full of other trades last week and the worse thing is my Fein blades disapeared, the black plastic box that comes with the Multimaster had £100 worth of blades in easy, including a diamond grit grout remover. Vanished one day never to be seen again....... Gutted.

[andy allen]

lowest of the low nicking a mans tools......they should be shot....battle107.gif........ i sound like jeremy clarkson.

[Mike]

lowest of the low nicking a mans tools......they should be shot....battle107.gif........ i sound like jeremy clarkson.

Yeah it is, I had a brand new fat max level nicked off a job 12 months back, I know who it was, a plasterer, I've etched my name in it so ill get it back one day!

tapatalk on my HTC

[Bathfix Bob]

Yeah it is, I had a brand new fat max level nicked off a job 12 months back, I know who it was, a plasterer, I've etched my name in it so ill get it back one day!

tapatalk on my HTC

Thing is its a specific item, if you don't have a Fein they are no good to you. There was a couple of plasterers in one of whom was a dodgy looking meathead but there were plenty of others powertools of mine lying around for him to take.

I can't help thinking they were accidently moved into a box and found there way into the skip, or someone has tied them up into their own van by mistake? God there were so many new blades in there that would have lasted all year, it was nearly full with the full tilers kit, Bosch blade adaptor, 10 new Saxton blades, diamond grit blade etc.

[doug boardley]

can we get back on track guys

[AMtek]

As already said, sheet everything, bucket and sponge, cut tiles which could be usefull in a neat stack, waste pieces in a gorilla tub which is then put in the van when full, pick up any addy you drop straight away before you stand in it, make sure tools you need are at hand and put away anything not in constant use as soon as it has been used, clean down tiles and grout lines as you go, clean down trowel handles etc if they get addy on them so you dont transfer the addy onto your hands then the tiles etc. i sometimes tie an old hand towel round a belt loop to wipe my hands on if im doing something particularly messy. I always wash down my trowels, tubs, buckets, cutters, sponges etc at the end of each day and not let crap build up on them like some!

[kendo1]

Can't fault that.
Always set aside time at the end of the day for cleaning tools.