Is this ok? Natural stone floor not level after tiling - Tile Advice

[WaltWhite]

I know it's not quite the same (bridgehampton rather than easthampton) but that is also extreme variation and at least there's some similarity to website / samples. The tiler says he didn't use grey adhesive. I'm wondering if it's the sealant? But anyway fired Earth are now not returning my calls. Don't really now where to go from here

 

[Concrete guy]

Your issue here is with the supplier of the marble, not the installer. I would be taking this up with Fired Earth.

This is the very reason we used to encourage customers to come and view/pick the product they were having fitted. Natural stone has variations, it's natural after all. It's up to the supplier to provide enough opportunity for the end user to see what they are buying and make sure they are happy with the product.

 

[WaltWhite]

I feel like both may be at fault. The earlier posts here suggest moisture may be an issue with the installation. The floor was not cleaned and may have been sealed with dirt on the marble. There is adhesive on part of the floor. I have been informed that leaving an excess of sealant on the marble can darken it. I don't think the marble was buffed dry after allowing the sealant to impregnate the required period of time. The tiles were only given two days to dry out

Regarding Fired Earth they have not given us any advice with this product and are currently washing their hands of us now they have our money. They now will not return my calls. I don't know if their tiles were the problem but the floor looks quite a bit different to what we expected

So a bit fed up with this now to be honest, I don't blame the installer entirely but we haven't ended up with what we expected. Surely if the sheets are looking very different to some of the other sheets and the customer was around all day, all be it in a different room someone might ask them if they were happy?

 

[One Day]

I like solvent based sealers , takes me back to my teens

Try Universeal rapid all-in-one. Too much of that and it'll send you to sleep - permanently!

 

[hmtiling]

I feel like both may be at fault. The earlier posts here suggest moisture may be an issue with the installation. The floor was not cleaned and may have been sealed with dirt on the marble. There is adhesive on part of the floor. I have been informed that leaving an excess of sealant on the marble can darken it. I don't think the marble was buffed dry after allowing the sealant to impregnate the required period of time. The tiles were only given two days to dry out

Regarding Fired Earth they have not given us any advice with this product and are currently washing their hands of us now they have our money. They now will not return my calls. I don't know if their tiles were the problem but the floor looks quite a bit different to what we expected

So a bit fed up with this now to be honest, I don't blame the installer entirely but we haven't ended up with what we expected. Surely if the sheets are looking very different to some of the other sheets and the customer was around all day, all be it in a different room someone might ask them if they were happy?

I think you should have gone through the sheets yourself. You havea genuine gripe with fired earth but should pay the tiler in full Imo. It would be easier to take your frustration out on the tiler by not paying him but he has fixed what you had be supplied and I'm not convinced he's done anything wrong having seen this sort of stone darken when sealed by the book.

 

[Terry the tiler]

I'm in the tilers corner on this 1

 

[Italy]

the culprit, the culprit is just the tiler. and that's that.
such as tiling, it is clearly written on the packages.
the manufacturer, does not respond to the materials laid. stop.
all the rest are just talk. needless to turn around the problem.
tiler, when he saw the problem, he had to stop immediately. (Because these stains could be seen. Also before laying).

 

[WaltWhite]

Im not and wouldn't take out my frustration on the tiler by not paying him. My family all work in the building trade and my dad has been on the receiving end for someone not paying in the past. There has been a lot of guidance on here that this is an installation issue, not universally, but still enough.
I am unhappy with Fired Earth's attitude though but have not had any joy with them, either in their tech dept or customer services. Even so if it was down to them I would not punish the tiler. I haven't actually said that I won't be paying him in full. Just as an aside, surely though you clean the floor properly when the job is done, so it looks the best? Especially if you have 25 years experience in the trade?

 

[Time's Ran Out]

Fired Earth have provided all the required information a customer needs and have been supplying materials long enough to know the issues that arise. Once the tiles are fixed it's NOT their problem .
As I said in an earlier post the tiler has to know his stone.
Who did seal the floor?

 

[Lithofin BOB]

On your test sheets the tiles darkened to virtually the same darkness as the tiles laid , this could remove possible issues related with moisture . ( is this right?)
As with any / most impregnators , it will state to test for colour change and suitabilty .
I suggested , if you were to strip out one or two of the test tiles, or even a section of the floor ( several weeks ago) that this may lighten back the tiles , after the drying period, the test tiles could be test impregnated with a water based impregnator as these do not generally alter the colour of the tiles at all, it would require this test as they could go the same or just slightly lighter.

 

[Concrete guy]

View attachment 85532 View attachment 85533 View attachment 85534 Ok here are some photos, where as suggested by @Lithofin BOB i have used the StainStop on 2 or 3 unlaid sheets. Just half of each sheet and as per @Lithofin BOB 's exact instructions. Although there are some shadows I hope u can see the sheets laid over the tiles floor. Do u think the colouring matches the floor? If so the sealant has darkened the tiles, we were specifically sold this from
Fired Earth

I'm looking at this image again.

The loose test sheets look pretty much as dark as the fitted product.

What exactly is the problem? Are you unhappy with the colour of the stone full stop? Are you unhappy that the already dark grey Carrara has been darkened a further shade or two after sealing (which isn't unusual)? Or is it something else altogether?

Were you actually expecting a white marble mosaic similar to the other pictures posted of other jobs in this thread?

 

[WaltWhite]

Here is a photo I know it's slightly shadowed but u can see the sheets next to a dark patch on the floor. The left hand side of the two overlaid sheets were sealed by me as per bobs instructions. The floor was sealed by the tiler you can see from my last couple of photos taken a couple if hours after they were sealed. The floor is dirty so I cant see how he buffed them dry to ensure any excess sealant either. I didn't want to do anything with the floor myself in case the tiler then refused to improve the work. I only realised I had those pics recently.

Been v busy with the wife being up the duff and the tiler was on holiday too. I had been told by fired Earth teh support that over a few months the tiles would lighten if I didn't get the sealed removed. I think the sealer hasn't now darkened those tiles much

 

[WaltWhite]

These are the test sheets that I uploaded pics of previously

 

[Concrete guy]

So fundamentally you are unhappy with the colour of the marble supplied?

 

[One Day]

When I deal with any natural stone mosaic - especially FE and Porcelanosa, I photograph the batch numbers and dry-lay the sheets so the customer can see the spread of various tone.
Happy? - another photograph. Then they get fixed the way the customeris happy with.

I got stung years ago with some mixed marble mosaic from Porcelanosa - I did exactly as above, yet when I grouted the floor, just one sheet stood out like a sore thumb. 8 week lead time for more and Porcelanosa claimed it's perfectly normal - a natural product!!! Morons!

It was a rogue sheet crept in the batch.

I managed to sort it by using an aqua-mix sealer which progressively darkened the other stone until it was all blended... and received major brownie points from Porcelanosa!