Travertine Stairs

[Dimbo]

I have been asked to tile a concrete staircase with Travertine tiles inside a small block of flats (2 risers of 6 steps and a small landing)
not a huge job but the thing that is worrying me, is the time the stairs will be out of action, can I use rapid set adhesive with travertine? as people will want to use the stairs (there's always one!)
And what about the "slip" of the tiles when wet? (from rain) is there a "anti slip" solution I could coat the tiles with?

Thanks in advance for any help or insights you may give me

 

[diamondtiling]

You can use rapid set for travertine, as for someone wanting to use the steps whilst I was tiling them the polite answer would be "find a lift" or impolite answer would be "where would you like this piece of tile shoving"

:smilewinkgrin:

 

[nybor62]

you could use a none slip strip at the front edge of each step .you can get various colours & sizes . recently did a large apartment block in london .6 storey all stairs tiled .we had 2 use the edgeing strip + it had to be in a different colour . as it needed two stand out from the floor tile.even though the tile was none slip we had two use it

 

[Dimbo]

Non slip "treads" will spoil the tiled effect (I did mention taking the treads from the carpet and re-attaching to the tiles, but they were not keen on that, as it would detract from the tiles!)
and yes I would like to stick tile splinters in there eyes, but there is always one awkward ************ who just has to ask!
but using rapid set will solve that problem (and only that one!!)

 

[Scott]

Arent there self adhesive strips that can be stick over the edge? Im sure ive seen two tramlines on concrete stairs?

 

[DHTiling]

You could bespoke some 3mm grooves into the tile face to prevent slippage..

 

[Scott]

Good idea Dave, if you cant do them yourself then you can get them routed by companies that make granite kitchen worktops. They have cost me £25 each groove before though for draining grooves in work tops

 

[DHTiling]

I have the Dewalt D24000 and i can do them on there with the adjustable plunge feature..

 

[White Room]

😛rrr:😛rrr:😳

 

[Scott]

Of course, but the cuts for draining rooves are half round and are pitched in depth too.

 

[DHTiling]

What's that got to do with stair treads..:lol:... OH! and you can get fluting wheels for the Dewalt..:smilewinkgrin:

 

[hillhead]

steps:drool5:
lol.
Litofin do an anti slip polish type gear,i think it might be for polished surfaces though,
it's also irreversible.

 

[Scott]

Pitched depth from one side to the other to drain the water so you dont get a puddle :drool5:

 

[DHTiling]

Pitched depth from one side to the other to drain the water so you dont get a puddle :drool5:

On an encased stair tread..😛imp2:..

I see your point on worktops.. they look good.

 

[stoner]

In my experience you need to put some kind of stainless steel edge on trav anyway, trav is very soft and the edges will look like an hamster's been at them within months.

 

[Spud]

I would also question the use of travertine for high traffic usage

 

[Dimbo]

Thanks for all your input , the "routing" of the tiles I think is a no no (too expensive and will weaken an already brittle tile) the edges already look as though they have been nibbled by a hamster (that will save me buying some hamsters!) I will have to speak to the client again on this matter

MANY THANKS ALL

 

[DJS]

Hi Everyone,

I've been asked to tile a bathroom floor in a 2 size modular trav (honed and filled, not sure if edges are pillowed or rectified). The bathroom has a step up to the bath. So the foot traffic is not so high. What I am most concerned about is preventing slipping, and the uppermost expansion joint.

Could anyone direct me to some example pic's of steps in natural stone, just so I can get some ideas to inspire me? I'm thinking a non-slip trim maybe advisable, but I'm wondering about other options if the customer isn't up for that. They're logic being - I've paid allllll that money for the stone, I don't want to cover the edge with metal.

I already searched and know about trav being soft stone, hamster's eating the edge's (chipping) if not protected, and risk of chipping if cutting in grooves, for water to drain away. Are they the only solutions?

What do you think about mitering the edges? Surely that is a no-no, or can you fill a mitred edge with Silicon to allow for expansion and contraction?

Thanks as always for any advice given.

 

[marbleman]

half bullnose the stone will make a big diffrence
never mitre edge

 

[DJS]

Was thinking that, but not got an angle grinder yet...lol Will have to take the plunge if that's what customer wants.

Will pencil that into my arsenal of pre-selected answer's (doing my research at the moment).

 

[marbleman]

make sure you check height of risers 1st to last dont wont trip hazards

 

[DJS]

Thanks again Marbleman

From what I recall of the conversation, I think it is just 1 small step up, so maybe built up with 3" or 4" wooden beams and layered in somekind of wood or floorboards. So maybe 3 to 4 inches in total.

Plenty low enough for a strip?

Luckily, he's having his house re-furbed and re-wired, plus new bathroom suite too. So he can get either the builder or plumbers to prep the floor first in 22mm WBP. So hopefully, I'll just have to check squareness, firmness, deflection and it's all screwed down properly.

He said it will all be done by Friday and plastered when I go to do my survey. I already warned him about drying times of new plaster, and he says he hasn't got that long!! :mad2: At most he will leave it a week and a half :mad2: I told him if that's what he want's, potentially, not to come crying to me if the walls and tiles start to crack later.

I hope that is the best advice to give!!

Thanks again MM

 

[bootsmckiber]

If you have other work to do on that site why don't you do 3 steps one day and 3 the next allowing them to hop in between,but I'm with the other guys,use rapid set and" git er done"

 

[Yorkshire Tiling Services]

The best adhesive for this is Bal Vari set.
It is a controllable set time adhesive. The set time is controlled by adding a retarding agent which slows down the set time according to room temperature.
Without the additive it sets very quickly. Approx 6 mins pot life, then fully set 6 to ten mins afterwards. Great for steps,quick repair jobs, tiling in a kitchen or bathroom where appliances need to be put back quickly.
Quite dear,but worth the money in certain applications. I never use with additive, but use when I need the tiles to set very quickly.

 

[DJS]

Think there is some confusion, I just revived an old thread to ask a new question on similar topic. And you guys are answering the old question!

Maybe should have started my own thread, but some more good advice all the same.

 

[Scott]

You could always get them bullnosed by a stone company. Granite worktop companies etc

 

[DJS]

Ah...you just jogged my memory banks.

A friend of mine used to work for a company that manufactured those kinds of worktops and I think they are local too....I'll call him tomorrow...check if he left on good terms and see if I can get it organised.

Would make me look good if I can offer that to him, just off the top of my head and give a price per tile :lol: Nice tip for a newbie

Thanks!!

Just been doing reasearch on travetine stone grading and he said he paid £24 per sq m. Not sure of the quality of stone he's gonna get, but he said it was a local supplier, so hope it's a trusted/good one. At least I know to make sure I speak with him about this and hopefully inspect some when I'm there.

 

[Scott]

At that price i wouldnt expect too much

 

[DJS]

:lol::lol: Don't worry I won't, but I will advise him accordingly & thanks again.

If he does go for the bullnose option, I will make sure he picks the best tiles to take to the factory, ie. with good unfilled edge's.

Just thinking about other possibilities - Is the dewalt table saw any good at doing these kind of cut's? I guess the cut edges would need polishing up, but it may not look to good if the tile edges are pillowed/tumbled in the first place. If the tiles are rectified, filled honed & polished it may 'fit in' better with the look?

I'm thinking if you placed say a 12mm thick tile on the table at -6mm, and then angle the blade to 45 degrees it would take roughly half the edge off? Has anyone here tried that?

I'm wondering how soon I should invest in one of these saws - I used one on the course and it went through all the stone like butter :drool5:. The edges were so neat with no chipping, and I really liked it. My judgement would be based on how versatile the saw is. I'll put a search in and maybe ask a question in the tools section later.

There is a alot of desire to have stone in the area where i am based, so I would like to get the proper tools asap to ensure I can do the work to a high standard.

 

[DJS]

Got another result :hurray: Won the job. My first full b.room in travertine - most I have done before is a shower enclosure. This has got alot of tricky cuts on it, so I'll be gritting my teeth and smiling all the way through!!

The step in the bathroom is just boxing in above the stairs, not a step upto the bath.
This should be a good one for setting out practice, will post you some pics in due course. Start it on 2nd Aug.

And they're going for the trim I suggested too. Thanks again for the advice...