Help!: Floor Has Tile Lippage, Wall Tiles Going Up In The Morning! Help Please!

[actionjackson]

Good evening.

I have had a tiler in for the last two days to tile my bathroom with Porcelonosa rectified tiles - 440x660 on the floor (6.5m) & 330x1000 on the walls (10m).

When the tiler quoted for the work i stressed beforehand that i was looking for an A1 job, minimal-zero lippage etc etc and was prepared to pay that little extra so he could take his time.

So....

Day 1

Tiler arrives at 0715 and we discus the floor setting out and agree on a layout. I received a call @ 1500 and the tiler tells me that we are one floor tile short! The tiler calculated the amount of tiles required and asked for 10% extra. Because of the size of the tiles i said to the tiler that i felt 10% wasn't enough but he dissagreed. In any case i ordered 20% on top but we are still one short. Porecelonossa can't deliver this until Monday! I asked if this was the last tile left to be laid (its 3pm) and he told me was having troubles cutting the tiles with his diamond blade so went away to get a water cutter. The tiler then said he will lay & grout the floor the next day and return on Monday to fit the tile. Sounds fair to me but concerned with these problems.

Day 2


Tiler arrives at 0800 when i set off for work. I arrive back home at 1900 having already spoken to the tiler. The floor is almost laid (4 tiles to lay) with no other work completed.

The first thing i noticed was the height of the floor. The bed of adhesive is 12mm height! The subfloor has electric UFH with a SLC ontop and was very flat (my father has a resin driveway business and uses SLC all the time). Is this usual? The adhesive being used is BAL SPF Rapid Set.

On inspection the floor looks ok overall but i have 2 x tiles marked as poor (2mm lippage) but thankfully they are located in a corner of the room and under the toilet so i will live with them.

However there is 3 x tiles marked out as unacceptable.

1 x tile has a 5mm grout line when it should be 2mm. Unfortunately the whole floor fluctuates between 2mm-3.5mm grout lines but i have no choice but to live with it unless we start again. This tile is at the end where the bath meets the floor so should come up ok.

2 x tiles have 2mm lippage which i can't live with. Is this understandable? One of the tiles should be easy to lift as its at the end where he hasn't finished but the other is in the middle of the room. Given i have no spares (tiler said i would have a few spares) i would like it pulled up without damage. Is this possible?

My next big question.... should i cut the job short and get someone else in to do the walls and grout?

[jay]

any chance of some pics as that may help

[Rich]

That doesnt sound good. 12mm is a hell of a bed (Im not sure of the max depth of this adhesive) and 2mm is a lot of lipage. There is no excuse for the joints varying that much.

I think I would tell him that you are not happy so far and point out why. Give him a chance to pull his finger out but to be honest I am not to hopeful. The adhesive is rapid setting, they will not come up easily Im afraid.

[Rich]

Just had another thought, if the adhesive bed is 12mm thick, has he used a solid bed or had he spotted the tiles?

[blocko]

12mm..... sounds like he may have dot & dabbed floor tiles. I would give him chance to rectify before paying. Photos would be good

[blocko]

Just had another thought, if the adhesive bed is 12mm thick, has he used a solid bed or had he spotted the tiles?

You always do that to me Rich....beat me to it again

[hillhead]

This sounds like a botch job yet again, if your floor is like that whats the walls going to be like?
Chase him IMO.
He's not a good tiler when he has grout joints of such different widths!!
I have completed floors lately with 2mm joints everywhere with no lippage go be seen !
You need this sorted.

[Rich]

Sorry Geoff

[jay]

So if the floor is perfectly flat and the tiles are perfectly flat to//////// probably be no reason for 12mm of adh

[Mike]

So if the floor is perfectly flat and the tiles are perfectly flat to//////// probably be no reason for 12mm of adh

only a botch job

[jay]

Does make you wonder what adh was used

[timeless john]

Did you post your job on here or was the tiler recommended. As you've been on previously and you knew what you wanted I'd be surprised if you are going to be prepared to live with the issues you've mentioned.

[ROBSON MCGREGOR]

Bal Rapid can be packed out to 12mm in localised areas but if the floor was flat then why is the bed that depth?

There is no way your grout lines should be out that much, its porcelanosa tiles, you dont get much better, Half a mm at most.

hope you get this sorted.

[John Benton]

I've fixed the Porcelanosa tiles 1m x 330mm rectified without any lipping on walls and they look great, and the wall wasn't perfect either. As Robson said a bit of localised additional addy may be required on non-perfect walls/floors. Really good quality tiles so there is no excuse at all.