First time tiling with marble. Advice please

[Tamar Home Services]

Hello

It's Hugo here. I did have an account on here before but can't seem to find it, so I have re registered.

It will the first time tiling with marble.

The customer is looking at 600x600 on the floor and 600 x 300 on the walls.

There is a load of prep work to do first I know and I'll be asking about that too. I have some ideas here.

These will be laid with a gap using tile spacers.

I have done a fair bit of tiling with ceramic and porcelain but I feel marble might be less forgiving if I get it wrong

Thanks

 

[Cherie]

Yep, only help I have is throw it into the search, advance search, up above. Sorry

 

[bsc ceramics]

What are you concerned about?

 

[Tamar Home Services]

What are you concerned about?

Essentially the differences between this and what I have edone before.

1 the floor tiles are 600 x 600. I've never laid tiles that size before.

2 marble is not something I've worked with before. What adhesive should I use, should I seal the tiles before they go down, what size trowel should I use or do I go flat bed etc

Many thanks

 

[Kevbos]

Hello

It's Hugo here. I did have an account on here before but can't seem to find it, so I have re registered.

It will the first time tiling with marble.

The customer is looking at 600x600 on the floor and 600 x 300 on the walls.

There is a load of prep work to do first I know and I'll be asking about that too. I have some ideas here.

These will be laid with a gap using tile spacers.

I have done a fair bit of tiling with ceramic and porcelain but I feel marble might be less forgiving if I get it wrong

Thanks

Tell the customer , you haven't worked with marble before , and you have no idea what you are doing

 

[bsc ceramics]

Use a good bagged flexibal adhisive in white something like ardex X7W
and just take your time. A trowel with a 12m notch. Make sure you get the prep
right and your be fine... Are you a tiler?

 

[Tamar Home Services]

Tell the customer , you haven't worked with marble before , and you have no idea what you are doing

Thank you, not sure what for, but thank you

 

[Tamar Home Services]

Thanks for your replies.

To answer other questions I have tiled countless bathrooms and have several satisfied customers and no unsatisfied ones.

So as being a tiler is concerned I work across a number of trades. Right now I'm underpinning my house.

I know I will need a wet cutter and I was going to buy a vitreous gantry type cutter. They seem fairly reasonable in price. I've been thinking of getting one anyway.

I've also been thinking of those self levelling tools you can get. I've never used the, before so I thought I'd get some. What does everyone here use please?

The bathroom isn't huge. It's app 6 x 8 feet in total. So about 12 600mm square tiles on the floor in total.

The wall tiles are 600 x 300 so I want to try to set them so I get grout lines running running from floor to wall

Preparation

The floor needs to be channeled for plumbing etc. It's a solid floor. So after the channels have been dug and the plumber has been I will fill the channels and level it using a self levelling compound, if needed.

The walls are a nightmare. If I board it out I will lose precious space. So I am going to have to level the walls with tike adhesive etc. I'm going to use battens for this I think or build up verticals using rapid set and use those as guides etc. I have some adhesive left over from previous jobs that is in date.

The old tiles having removed much of the final skim will help. The render will provide an excellent key.

Then I will need to waterproof the solid wall behind the shower and there will e wediboard going up on the adjoining stud wall and they will be sealed together using waterproof tape etc.

Good white bagged adhesive. I invariably use Weber but if the Ardex is better I can use that.

Trowel size. I was going to use something like a 12mm notched or similar on the walls. The floor however I was wondering if I should go bigger, or do I back butter the tiles using the same 12mm ?

Thanks

 

[Etherglide]

"There may be trouble ahead. But while there's moonlight and music and love and romance, lets play the music and dance"

 

[Kevbos]

Thanks for your replies.

To answer other questions I have tiled countless bathrooms and have several satisfied customers and no unsatisfied ones.

So as being a tiler is concerned I work across a number of trades. Right now I'm underpinning my house.

I know I will need a wet cutter and I was going to buy a vitreous gantry type cutter. They seem fairly reasonable in price. I've been thinking of getting one anyway.

I've also been thinking of those self levelling tools you can get. I've never used the, before so I thought I'd get some. What does everyone here use please?

The bathroom isn't huge. It's app 6 x 8 feet in total. So about 12 600mm square tiles on the floor in total.

The wall tiles are 600 x 300 so I want to try to set them so I get grout lines running running from floor to wall

Preparation

The floor needs to be channeled for plumbing etc. It's a solid floor. So after the channels have been dug and the plumber has been I will fill the channels and level it using a self levelling compound, if needed.

The walls are a nightmare. If I board it out I will lose precious space. So I am going to have to level the walls with tike adhesive etc. I'm going to use battens for this I think or build up verticals using rapid set and use those as guides etc. I have some adhesive left over from previous jobs that is in date.

The old tiles having removed much of the final skim will help. The render will provide an excellent key.

Then I will need to waterproof the solid wall behind the shower and there will e wediboard going up on the adjoining stud wall and they will be sealed together using waterproof tape etc.

Good white bagged adhesive. I invariably use Weber but if the Ardex is better I can use that.

Trowel size. I was going to use something like a 12mm notched or similar on the walls. The floor however I was wondering if I should go bigger, or do I back butter the tiles using the same 12mm ?

Thanks

Lol you seem to jack of all trades !!underpinning a house properly also requires skill

 

[Tamar Home Services]

Lol you seem to jack of all trades !!underpinning a house properly also requires skill

The underpinning, along with all my work on this house is being controlled by LABC.

I look at everything as a process. I am a degree qualified engineer having worked for several years in manufacturing. Whilst I don't claim to have in depth knowledge about very much I have learned that a combination of knowledge, aptitude and skills brought on to many jobs can achieve the correct result.

If the skills are lacking one can do a certain amount to reduce the skill level needed for the job. There are loads of tools out there that aim to do exactly that.

In the case of the marble tiling I know that marble tiles will be less forgiving than ceramic or porcelain, so from the point of process I need to be ontop of my game.

 

[Dave]

Hi Hugo.
You will be adding a lot of weight to those walls , the substrate needs to be suitable to take the weight. A suitable backer board will be required IMHO.

 

[Tamar Home Services]

Hi Hugo.
You will be adding a lot of weight to those walls , the substrate needs to be suitable to take the weight. A suitable backer board will be required IMHO.

Thanks Dave, and long time no see!

Three of the walls are solid concrete block. The 4th is a stud wall that I was going to use wedi board and plasterboard.

From what you're saying do I use hardbacker on all the walls with mechanical fixing and waterproof the shower area, or just the stud wall.

Also will wediboard support the tiles, or do I use hardibacker and then waterproof?

 

[Dave]

Thanks Dave, and long time no see!

Three of the walls are solid concrete block. The 4th is a stud wall that I was going to use wedi board and plasterboard.

From what you're saying do I use hardbacker on all the walls with mechanical fixing and waterproof the shower area, or just the stud wall.

Also will wediboard support the tiles, or do I use hardibacker and then waterproof?

What is covering the block walls ?

 

[Tamar Home Services]

What is covering the block walls ?

Render and multi finish. I was going to level it out with tile adhesive

 

[Dave]

Render and multi finish. I was going to level it out with tile adhesive

Is it sand/cement or gypsum base coat

 

[Tamar Home Services]

Is it sand/cement or gypsum base coat

The sub base is sand cement. The skim , which the tiled have taken much off, is the multifinish.

 

[Tamar Home Services]

After much thought I have decided to explain to the customer that this is a job I do not wish to take on.

1 I am busy with a huge amount of non tiling work, including work on my own house.

2 I know the customers have an eye for detail and have picked up on issues with the decorating etc. A 2nd rate job would be an expensive mistake for them. And as I don't actually tile that often I don't think it would work too well.

Ive got plenty of other work with the same customer, and he was absolutely fine with me telling him I didn't want to do it. I volunteered my services before I realised he wanted marble lol

 

[Dave]

After much thought I have decided to explain to the customer that this is a job I do not wish to take on.

1 I am busy with a huge amount of non tiling work, including work on my own house.

2 I know the customers have an eye for detail and have picked up on issues with the decorating etc. A 2nd rate job would be an expensive mistake for them. And as I don't actually tile that often I don't think it would work too well.

Ive got plenty of other work with the same customer, and he was absolutely fine with me telling him I didn't want to do it. I volunteered my services before I realised he wanted marble lol

It is probably a very wise decision Hugo and good of you to realise it wasn’t an easy project.

 

[Tamar Home Services]

It is probably a very wise decision Hugo and good of you to realise it wasn’t an easy project.

Well we can't all be good at everything. I have my strengths and with time being of the essence I'm happy to apply them where they are needed.

If he was going with ceramic, porcelain or even a wet room that would have been fine. I've done all of those a few times

 

[Tamar Home Services]

As an aside, this house is particularly special to me.

Originally an elderly gent lived there who I came to consider a friend. I did a small job replacing his chimney cowl then that led to other work. I changed his fascia boards front and back, put jn a couple of upvc doors for him and did other bits around the house.

Then one day in 2019 he collapsed and eventually died.

The police had to use the big red key to gain entry. They completely pulverised the wooden back door into the kitchen and I was asked to replace it, which I did.

The house was put on the market and the market wasn't particularly lively then. Eventually the younger daughter and her husband bought it.

They have huge plans for it. As I work on my own I am getting the small jobs that are either self contained or assisting other trades. In addition as they live in Cardiff I am essentially the key holder as the house is around 15 minutes from me. So I have a very good relationship with the customer.

The elderly gent once said to me "I'm sure when I'm gone this place will be gutted, but for now it suits me fine"

He wasn't wrong, bless him.