Make life easy, search the forum.

Discuss Massive problem involving chipboard flooring and underfloor heating. in the Tiling Advice | Tile Forum area at TilersForums. USA and UK Tiling Forum

Reaction score
0
Please checkout the following advertisement.
I'm a chippy, I fit a lot of kitchens and some bathrooms, inevitably I have done quite a bit of tile, which I have learnt from older tradesman I have worked with in my early years in the trade. I've never had a complaint about my tile, I don't class myself as a tiler, I can accurately cut a tile, I can space them, I can get them level, I know you must get a bond with the https://www.tilersforums.com/forums/tile-adhesive/, etc. I know that what you're tile onto can often be the most problematic part of tile and I'm certainly not an expert in that, which I'm very honest about.

A couple of years ago I was on a job doing general carpentry work, there was a tiler on the job doing the bathrooms, I was lined up to do the wood flooring down stairs, the homeowner/site runner came to us a few days before the flooring was due to get started and said he'd decided to have tiles instead of wood, fair enough, he also said he'd had a price from the tiler but he thought it was too much, he knew I had done tile, he asked if me and my mate would do it on a day rate, we foolishly agreed, but because it was due to be laid on chipboard I told my customer I knew nothing about that and I doubted you would even be able to tile on chipboard and that he should tell the tile shop the situation and take their advice on it. He came back and said it's fine, we just need to use this particular primer which he got and applied to the floor, he also suggested we used lash clips, I said I've never heard of them but I'll give them a go, I laid a few tiles with a 12mm towel, because of the clips I decided a bigger trowel would be better so I went and bought a 20mm trowel, the evening of that first day the plumber came and connected up the piped underfloor heating, the plumber works on sites with this sort of thing going on all the time so I thought nothing of it (he knows best I thought) the next five days we spent tile the heating was gradually being turned up (apparently that's what you have to do with new underfloor heating). I should also mention, it was January, freezing cold and the chipboard was brand-new freshly laid within days of tile. We grouted and then our customer changed his mind on grout colour and put a different grout over the top of our grout himself one weekend. With in a couple of months I think, grout was coming out, some tiles were loose and some cracked. Something I should mention, my customer thought it was faulty https://www.tilersforums.com/forums/tile-adhesive/ and contacted mapei, who sent a rep, he lifted one tile and told him that the tiler should have applied https://www.tilersforums.com/forums/tile-adhesive/ to the back of the tile as well as the floor! I put my hands up, I have never heard of that and neither have any of the local tradesmen I have spoken to in my area.

What do u reckon is the most likely cause of the problems?

Many thanks!
 

demi34

TF
Arms
Reaction score
166
I am sorry mate but you should stick to your trade and never get involved with tile again.Hardieboard on top chipboard stick with https://www.tilersforums.com/forums/tile-adhesive/ and screw every 200-250 mm
 
W

Waluigi

A catalogue of errors really. No back buttering, chipboard should’ve been overboarded and UFH should’ve been left for a month before properly commissioning.
 
T

Time's Ran Out

Unfortunately Stan you won’t get too much sympathy from the tilers on here!
They are a miserable bunch and can’t wait to stick the chisel in.
Now me, well I have to agree you did everything incorrect from tile onto chipboard, not back buttering the tiles, no experience of levelling clips ....etc.
Now I’am not sure where you expect this to go but I’d blame the plumber for turning the heating on too soon and too high despite you telling them not to ( see where that’s going).
2 years ago the job so what does the customer want you to do?
 
OP
S
Reaction score
0
Cheers for all replies, wasn't expecting much sympathy, I know how it works. Surprised by everyone saying back buttering is definite issue, but fair do's.

Where do I expect it to go?... well my customer obviously wants it sorting, I have insurance which I hope and pray would cover it, otherwise **** knows what I'm going to do. I'm just not happy about taking full blame, I said to my customer from the start I doubted you could tile chipboard and we would probably have to board it, he went off to tile giant and came back with a gritty primer they told him he could use on chipboard. I was very honest with my customer about my tile knowledge and experience. My biggest fault was getting involved in the first place the way I see it.
 
D

Dumbo

I don't think back buttering would of saved it . Mapei don't want admit their https://www.tilersforums.com/forums/tile-adhesive/ isn't suitable for chip board . Alsoturning on heating whilst tile is out of order . Basically a catalogue of errors . Admittedly you tiled in good faith at the direction of your client but you have a duty to find out for yourself
 
OP
S
Reaction score
0
I don't think back buttering would of saved it . Mapei don't want admit their https://www.tilersforums.com/forums/tile-adhesive/ isn't suitable for chip board . Alsoturning on heating whilst tile is out of order . Basically a catalogue of errors . Admittedly you tiled in good faith at the direction of your client but you have a duty to find out for yourself
I don't think back buttering would of saved it . Mapei don't want admit their https://www.tilersforums.com/forums/tile-adhesive/ isn't suitable for chip board . Alsoturning on heating whilst tile is out of order . Basically a catalogue of errors . Admittedly you tiled in good faith at the direction of your client but you have a duty to find out for yourself

Yeah I wish I had now. Trouble is I was kind of friends with the guy, he was an old neighbour, so the arrangement was kind of relaxed. We're not really friends now. Reckon I should just put my hands up and hang for it?
 

Boggs

TF
Arms
Esteemed
Reaction score
4,729
So this all occurred 18 months + ago?
Surely this has been rectified.
Why ask for advice now?
 
OP
S
Reaction score
0
Not been rectified. He came to me about 6 months ago about it and basically looking at it then I could see it is riddled with problems, he wanted me to relay the loose ones and I basically said I would be doing the same again to relay so what's to stop it going pear shaped again, I basically told him the problem was probably bigger than simply relaying the loose ones.

We're at a situation where he's on about moving his family out of the house, the kitchen, skirting and all other fixtures removed, tiles and chipboard up and replace the lot. I'm thinking ÂŁ10k guess. He also insists he will put it all back in the same way, same tiles onto chipboard, because the only cause of the problem is the amount of https://www.tilersforums.com/forums/tile-adhesive/ I put on (20mm).

I'm not rich ÂŁ10k is unthinkable.
 
O

One Day

Freezing cold too? That's a major problem.
First - cement only really works well over 5c, and if the tiles were cold then warmed, thermal shock can break the https://www.tilersforums.com/forums/tile-adhesive/ bond which was likely very weak to begin with.
 
L

LM

If this isn’t a wind up then I kinda feel sorry for you in a way because you’re coming across so sincere but this is a perfect example of “stick to what you KNOW, not what you think you can do”. Most of us on here have invested years and years of our lives so that we can be professional in our jobs so in that regard I don’t have any sympathy, you shouldn’t have touched it knowing you didn’t know for sure what to do.
I’ve nothing to gain from busting your chops about it but as already said there’s so much wrong with this from the start. Hopefully you’ll get out of this without it going to court because if it does I don’t fancy your chances of a favourable outcome. The problem is once you charge money for a service your to be held account for the outcome and in this case it’s all been done wrong from the start.
I hope you get out of it without too much pain, good luck!
 
L

LM

1BCFDF7E-4E30-4FAB-AEBA-90F71AC236CA.jpeg
 

Reply to Massive problem involving chipboard flooring and underfloor heating. in the Tiling Advice | Tile Forum area at TilersForums.com

Or checkout our tile training advice or the Tile Standards

This website is hosted and managed by www.untoldmedia.co.uk. Creating content since 2001.

New Tiling Questions

UK Tiling Forum Stats

Threads
66,600
Messages
866,701
Members
9,511
Latest member
mmcdon47
Top
AdBlock Detected

We get it, advertisements are annoying!

Sure, ad-blocking software does a great job at blocking ads, but it also blocks useful features of our website. For the best site experience please disable your AdBlocker.

I've Disabled AdBlock