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30sqm in 4 hours!

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Sean Kelly

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I don’t think it was the drink talking, but I was with a bloke I used to work with last night. He is looking at me to do his tiling in his new extension. He told me that it was tiled about 12 years ago. The tiles are those hex tiles with a smaller diamond insert tile. The tiler tiled it all in 4 hours!! Wait for it……….he also grouted it within that 4 hours! It’s an ‘L’ shaped kitchen and he wore some ‘special’ shoes that allowed him to walk on the tiles without moving them. He also used some ‘special’ rapid set adhesive. He charged £400 and did all the work himself. So my mate thinks that I can do the same (but without the £400 bill). Oh, and one other thing………………it was 30sqm onto screed floor. We nearly fell out over this tale as I said it was not possible to prep/tile/cut/grout/polish 30sqm in 4 hours. He then said it might have been 5 hours! All this was said after only 2 pints.
 
I would say
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How many times I've heard this from all trades over the years, I don't even listen anymore..
 
Back in '76 we had it tough.

Started work at 4 a.m. breaking the asbestos lagging off the pipes and inhaling deeply before sucking up a bowl of lead acid to blow over the floor to prime the concrete. Then at 4.15 am we started tiling. 20 sq yards an hour. scoring the tiles with our fingernails before cracking the 1/2 inch thick tile over your head to break it. Tiles were stuck to the floor with cement and sand mixed by us using a teaspoon, before trowelling it with a tea knife. We dinna have grout - jus filled the joints with the addy and a licked finger to smooth it. Holes and complex tile cuts were done by nibbling the tile with your teeth or hammering a nail in a coffin tray to split a hole in the middle. Damn but we was fine proud of our work. Lippage? Only lippage we got was from foreman when we took more than 3 minutes to eat our Ginsters Cornish Pasty at lunchtimes. Worked everyday until Midnight. Slept on the tiles we had grouted and back tiling at 4 am every morning.

And you try getting a tiler to do a decent days work today and all they do is whinge. :mad2:

(This post is supporting the John Cleese Christmas ex-wives bonus scheme - if you wish to donate, please email your name and address so John can claim your tax back at [email protected])
 
There was a time when I was younger when I saw the £ signs on every tile of the 30 yards I did in 6inch white in 1 day!
Today I'd be lucky to fix more than 10 yards of hexagonal floor tiles with the taco in a full day.
Although it may be considered bull***t, I have worked alongside tilers who are capable of substantial yardage.
 
I have watched tilers who are genuinely fast - they tile almost by instinct, cutting and laying in a very efficient systematic way. I have also seen a few who were "fast" throwing tiles at the sub strata with no effort to twist and fix. Me I think too much about what I am doing, then sit back and admire the view..... struggle to tile 20 sq m of even open floooring/day like that!
 
Guy on our firm who can lay 100msq on a prepped floor in a day. His work is PERFECT aswell. Tiles are bigger than those ones though and no tacos. Its certainly not impossible.
 
I don’t think it was the drink talking, but I was with a bloke I used to work with last night. He is looking at me to do his tiling in his new extension. He told me that it was tiled about 12 years ago. The tiles are those hex tiles with a smaller diamond insert tile. The tiler tiled it all in 4 hours!! Wait for it……….he also grouted it within that 4 hours! It’s an ‘L’ shaped kitchen and he wore some ‘special’ shoes that allowed him to walk on the tiles without moving them. He also used some ‘special’ rapid set adhesive. He charged £400 and did all the work himself. So my mate thinks that I can do the same (but without the £400 bill). Oh, and one other thing………………it was 30sqm onto screed floor. We nearly fell out over this tale as I said it was not possible to prep/tile/cut/grout/polish 30sqm in 4 hours. He then said it might have been 5 hours! All this was said after only 2 pints.


Your mate is aware of the difference between ceramic tiles and lino isn't he???
 
so this guy can do this all by himself ? Mixing,cutting,spreading,un boxing tiles ?
How long is this "day" ?
Is he an octopuss on speed ?
 
I said it before i seen it too, the guy who trained me...
I wish i was even half as quick,lol.
I laboured to him and i was sore every night.
The most i ever done was 78m2 of 200x200 pilkies and i was there from 7am to 2am the following morning !!! zzz zzzz
 
As I indicated..... all goes down to the definition of how long a day is ? If you have someone labouring for you this is actuallly 2 men !!
Working 7am till 2am with a laborer is in reality 2 days for 2 men !!
 

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