Porcelain Repair job

[TJ Smiler]

Good evening all

Just got back from viewing a terrible 600x600 polished porcs installation!! Tiles cut out of shape, grout lines running out all over the place and lipping as deep as the depth a pound coin!

They have asked if i can smarten up certain little areas that annoy them the most

I can smarten up some of it by removing and replacing certain tiles but in the lounge area they have U/H installed so removing is not really an option in this room, so do any of you lot know of any other way i could reduce some of the lippage without removing the tile? Maybe using an ATS pad of some type in my grinder or something. I am aware this is a daft question and i am pretty sure that being polished porcs there is no way this can really be done. But thought i'd ask anyway.

Thanks all

Toby

 

[charlie1]

Hi Toby, sounds like your peeing against the wind with this one. I can't think of any way to make a bad polished Porc job look good other than complete redo. You can replace tiles here and there but you will most probably move the lippage issue to another tile. I also can't think of any polishing disks that would do either... Sorry bud

 

[TJ Smiler]

Hi Toby, sounds like your peeing against the wind with this one. I can't think of any way to make a bad polished Porc job look good other than complete redo. You can replace tiles here and there but you will most probably move the lippage issue to another tile. I also can't think of any polishing disks that would do either... Sorry bud

Cheers Charlie...... I sought of new that would be the answer mate..... although i weren't prepared to pee in me own face :lol:

I did ask them about a redo but after paying £6800 (not including tiles) they don't really want too!! They can't even speak to the tiler who done it as he got arrested and done for GBH.... Now this is no word of a lie but apparently he went to the shop to get some tile trim but the shop had just sold the last couple of lengths to a customer in front of him, anyway, when the first customer got outside the tiler tried to nic the trims out of his trolley :lol: but the customer caught him and when he confronted the tiler the tiler knocked him out!!!!!!!!!! :yikes: This is all what the customer told me, the live in a huuuuuuge house and don't seem like the type to make things up. I personally thought it was very funny (not funny) but funny if you know what i mean lol.

Back to the point, am only going to remove a few of the tiles where the grout joins aint meeting and try and do something with them, if there is no way i can grind the lipped tiles down then i think i will just leave them in place.

Cheers for the reply mate

 

[charlie1]

Cheers Charlie...... I sought of new that would be the answer mate..... although i weren't prepared to pee in me own face :lol:

I did ask them about a redo but after paying £6800 (not including tiles) they don't really want too!! They can't even speak to the tiler who done it as he got arrested and done for GBH.... Now this is no word of a lie but apparently he went to the shop to get some tile trim but the shop had just sold the last couple of lengths to a customer in front of him, anyway, when the first customer got outside the tiler tried to nic the trims out of his trolley :lol: but the customer caught him and when he confronted the tiler the tiler knocked him out!!!!!!!!!! :yikes: This is all what the customer told me, the live in a huuuuuuge house and don't seem like the type to make things up. I personally thought it was very funny (not funny) but funny if you know what i mean lol.

Back to the point, am only going to remove a few of the tiles where the grout joins aint meeting and try and do something with them, if there is no way i can grind the lipped tiles down then i think i will just leave them in place.

Cheers for the reply mate

just be carefully your not opening a can of worms mate

 

[White Room]

I've heard about some guys who specialise but it would'nt be cheap....lovely guy who tiled it:yikes:

 

[TJ Smiler]

just be carefully your not opening a can of worms mate

Aye, very true bud

 

[TJ Smiler]

I've heard about some guys who specialise but it would'nt be cheap....lovely guy who tiled it:yikes:

Unless they done the whole floor it probably wouldn't be worth it either. Agree mate, the Tiler Sounds like a right pecker!

 

[Concrete guy]

Porcelain can be ground and repolished but it is specialist and it's not something I'd want to give any advice on (or sell anything for, for that matter).

 

[Mr Tiler]

its been discussed a few times on here lately t.j and no answer other than the best way to remove the tile over ufh has came up.

 

[TJ Smiler]

Porcelain can be ground and repolished but it is specialist and it's not something I'd want to give any advice on (or sell anything for, for that matter).

Thanks mate.....and in that case i wont even attempt it

 

[Concrete guy]

Thanks mate.....and in that case i wont even attempt it

You're welcome.

Edge polishing yes, I could talk you through that and provide what you needed, even for porcelain. Face polishing is a totally different ballgame.

 

[TJ Smiler]

Edge polishing is something i have not been shown how to do and so far have not had any calls on it myself........ Would be interested to hear more about it mate if you have any info and what it is good/used for.

Cheers

 

[Concrete guy]

Edge polishing is something i have not been shown how to do and so far have not had any calls on it myself........ Would be interested to hear more about it mate if you have any info and what it is good/used for.

Cheers

Type "edge polishing" into the search box at the top right of the forum, it will bring up loads of thread discussing it.

Have a read through, then any specific questions just ask.

I did also write a "how to" type article about polishing in general which you'll find here:-

http://www.tilersforums.com/tiling-tools/70934-wet-polishing-vs-dry-polishing-diamond.html

 

[Sean Kelly]

As Alan from ATS has said, polished porcelain tiles can be ground down and re polished, but this is done by specialised companies. When it is done right, the tiles and grout are lovely and flat. I would not attempt pulling up tiles as you will probably just highlight another dodgy area. The whole floor will have to be done for the job to look right.

If the grout lines are all over the place then grinding and polishing will not change the fact that the grout lines are all over the place.

I would personally walk away from this job (even if I had no work on).

 

[Dougs Third Go]

Porcelain can be ground and repolished but it is specialist and it's not something I'd want to give any advice on (or sell anything for, for that matter).

how would the glaze be detailed if it's been polished off??

 

[charlie1]

The only thing I'd advise in this scenario ( and keep in mind I've not seen it) would be to possibly change the light source that's hi lighting the lippage.

 

[White Room]

Like turn the lights off and anti glare window film.....

 

[TJ Smiler]

As Alan from ATS has said, polished porcelain tiles can be ground down and re polished, but this is done by specialised companies. When it is done right, the tiles and grout are lovely and flat. I would not attempt pulling up tiles as you will probably just highlight another dodgy area. The whole floor will have to be done for the job to look right.

If the grout lines are all over the place then grinding and polishing will not change the fact that the grout lines are all over the place.

I would personally walk away from this job (even if I had no work on).

Cheers Sean, There are tiles there which have been cut very badly and this has led to grout lines not meeting up where they should, it is possible to remove these tiles, re-cut them properly and re-lay them so the joins meet properly.

In other areas of the job there are other tiles there which have huge lips on them and it is these tiles i was asking the question about. I have already explained to the customer that if the lips can't be ground down then i will not attempt to pull them up and re-lay because they are on U/H and also because i may be able to reduce the lip in one corner but this lip will probably just transfer to another corner of the tile.

I didn't think grinding the tiles down would be an option but thought i would ask in-case there was another option i never new about.

Think your right though mate, i have stacks on anyway so will prob just pass up on it.

 

[TJ Smiler]

The only thing I'd advise in this scenario ( and keep in mind I've not seen it) would be to possibly change the light source that's hi lighting the lippage.

Yeah your right mate......sod it i'll just go and smash all there lights up :lol:

Easiest option!

 

[charlie1]

Cheers Sean, There are tiles there which have been cut very badly and this has led to grout lines not meeting up where they should, it is possible to remove these tiles, re-cut them properly and re-lay them so the joins meet properly.

In other areas of the job there are other tiles there which have huge lips on them and it is these tiles i was asking the question about. I have already explained to the customer that if the lips can't be ground down then i will not attempt to pull them up and re-lay because they are on U/H and also because i may be able to reduce the lip in one corner but this lip will probably just transfer to another corner of the tile.

I didn't think grinding the tiles down would be an option but thought i would ask in-case there was another option i never new about.

Think your right though mate, i have stacks on anyway so will prob just pass up on it.

You know yourself Toby, there nothing more frustrating than trying to make good out of crap, not worth the stress, they couldn't pay me enough money tbh. On the other hand, if you could redo then the job would be a pleasure. I'd insist on redo as it will never look any better.

 

[One Day]

You're mad if you attempt this imo. Customers will be expecting a few tiles replaced and a magical transformation will ensue.

If you are daft enough to start this though, photograph everything first.
Every lip and every bad cut so that when/if it turns sour with the customer, you have a reliable means to "remind" them of the floors original state.

 

[cam_low]

fix one tile, the next tiles worse, fix that tile, the next looks crap. viscious circle. rip out redo.

 

[Concrete guy]

how would the glaze be detailed if it's been polished off??

Polished porcelain isn't glazed, it's polished as the name suggests.

It goes through a polishing line where it's diamond wet polished the same way granite or marble would be.

With the right equipment, it can be ground and repolished. It's very specialised though and with the low cost of polished porcelain these days, it's probably a similar cost to pull it up and start again.