hi every1,ive completed the course,done a couple of "private jobs"(kitchen splash back and a floor)sent the cards out thick and fast.anyway ive had a call today to rake out and regrout a bathroom floor.i obviously said yes,but everything ive learnt and done up to now has been a "new" job.ive been sent pics,the grout is solid but stained .any tips please(not DONT DO IT!)as i think this is a "tester" job and i want it to be the bolx.id like to do it by hand or do you recommend a dremel type tool.im also worried about damaging the tiles.the area is about 3m x 4.5m.i havnt even got a clue what to charge.do i seal the new grout? i cant believe this is happening,but its got to be done..ive spent all my dosh on tools with out anticipating for this type of job so things are tight.any advice would be ace..
Yep, I know what you mean. Alas if you're a new domestic tiler then the reality is you'll have to deal with a lot of customers wanting patch up jobs, repairing DIY disasters and jobs that offend your moral beliefs (unscrupulous landlords who just want to cover up the rotten walls), tiling with different coloured/sized tiles meaning you have no chance of matching up the grout lines etc, etc. How I long for a box of nice tiles and a virgin wall!! As a relatively new tiler of 3 years experience, I am still having to take this kind of work from time to time, and it doesn't do much for the concept of job satisfaction. My advice would be to buy time saving tools and don't be frightened to charge a decent rate. If they object then advise them how unpleasant and time consuming it is to do and you'll be happy to offer them free advice if they wish to do it themselves. If you price it according to what would provide you with incentive to do it then if they aren't prepared to pay it, you are saved from a miserable day or so, if they accept then you are quids in. If they get a cheaper tiler in then he's gonna have a miserable time of it for little reward.
To that end, I use a one of the Oscillating tools mentioned by a previous tiler and it does the job and saves a lot of grief (wear a dust mask though and cover everything in sheets and open windows!). Check out the cost of a Fein Multimaster, with a tilers kit (attachments for removing old Silicon, adhesive and grout, taking off bottoms of architraves etc). They are sold on
www.tradetiler.com If you haven't used this site before, it is a wonder. Your mouth will drool at the possibilities of time saving devices. I have found the Fein Multimaster has paid for itself numerous times over. Factor in the cost of the appropriate attachment into your quote and perhaps use it in conjunction with a grout rake. Go steady though and it might be worth warning the customer that the glaze of the tiles are likely to sustain a little damage around the joints and that perhaps they ought to consider re-tiling. If they still want you to give it a go then at least they have been warned.
Other time saving devices that I wouldn't be without now:
A chisel attachment on my sds chuck drill. I have spent days chiseling off tiles that now come off in seconds.
A washboy has also saved me lots of numb hands from squeezing out sponges.
Good luck. Let me know how it goes and if you find a better/cheaper/quicker way of doing it.
Jim
