Bathroom Retile Tool Advice - Tile Advice

[trogre]

Hello All. Hope you all had a good Xmas, as usual I ate too much and now suffering.

Not a Tiler by trade just a DIyer. Tiled my kitchen a couple of times in past + the bathroom once.

Started out using a scribe then trying to break tiles over a block which did not work. Then went up to a Wickes tiler cutter which for ceramic was ok but very slow going back & forth to garage.

Need to retile the bathroom and am going to use 250 x 400 x 8 mm ceramic tiles. The long cuts will only by at the ceiling but for the corners & ends it will be just the 250mm cut, I think it is a total of around 90 tiles before cutting.

I have been reading a lot on how you do not need a wet cutter for straight cuts but a dry cutter. The two I have been looking at are the Rubi 50-N Plus £84.99 Screwfix. Most of YouTube vids I have seen on Rubi seem to be in Russian but they seem to hold the 2 bars up as they press down on lever .Do not know if this is because of too much flex in tube or just the way it is done.

The Big Clinker 2 to be honest for my 400 mm tiles does seem a bit of overkill but seems from reviews of professional tiles a very efficient cutter. Then gain they were talking about cutting the larger porcelain tiles rather than the much smaller ceramic tiles. There is about £25 difference in the price of the 2 at screwfix which is not a lot if there is a difference in cutting quality. I am not one to sell my tools after use so will go into loft.

The other point is I have always used Wickes ready mixed but then again only on 200 x 250 mm ceramic tiles. It worked & stuck ok but worked out very expensive. From what I have read the 250 x 400 are on the limit of normal adhesive so I have either got to go with some more ready mixed stronger (expensive) adhesive or go with mix my own as a better & cheaper alternative.

Not sure if it is the adhesive I need but Mapei Keraflex White seems to fit the bill?? Do not want a rapid set and Keraflex seems to be ok. Mixing adhesive seems easy when you look at videos but from my experience of mixing cement very hard if not done on a daily basis to get consistency correct. Too dry and the tiles will not stick or too wet and they will be slipping all over the place.

I will be using adhesive on old plastered walls but will make good any plaster pulled off by old tiles and thoroughly prepare the walls in advance. Not sure since walls have been tiled before if I need a primer?

So again undecided on the ready mix or mix your own!!

Any feedback will be appraeciated.Thank you

 

[hmtiling]

I'd go for a second hand rubi ts 40. A very easy to use cutter with small ceramics.
Adhesive wise, I'd go for a standard set white powdered adhesive from a tile merchants rather than a diy store as you'll likely get better stuff for a better price.
Deffo prime the walls with an acrylic primer like Weber PR360 which you should get from tile merchant also.
Good luck!

 

[trogre]

Thanks for your advice hmtiling. Been looking on fleebay for a secondhand rubi ts 40. They only have 2 both Buy Now, one is £90 + £9.99 p.p,it looks as rough as hell the other is £78 + £9.50p.p.That one does look in not too bad condition compared to the £90 one but still in well worn condition. I would off though if they were a good buy they would of been snapped up and almost certain a pro`s ex machine, still with new cutters one of those may be good enough for my one job over a brand new rubi 50-N plus.

Been looking at any tile merchants in Swindon and so far can only find the big boys to supply standard set powder adhesive.

The most expensive is Topps at £49.99 for 20Kg of Bal Rapidflex Fibre, do not seem to sell or at least advertise a standard mix. B&Q. Mapei Standard Powder Floor/Wall 20Kg £30.42. Tile Giant Mapei P9 20Kg £35.69

And last but not least Tile Flair. Bal CTF4 20Kg £27.72.

Just out of curiosity only, is the old cement based adhesive any harder to scrap off walls that the standard white adhesive that is sold in tubs.

 

[hmtiling]

I've seen the one on eBay for £78 and it's in better shape than my ts40 but I rarely used it nowadays. I'd go for that.
Topps retail prices are ridiculous! Try an independent near you and haggle over the phone before making the journey. You don't need a flexible and fibre reinforced one. Topps own brand(palace) should be half the price of the bal .
Getting the walls cleaned up will depend on how well they were fixed, primed etc

 

[Ian]

You could do with finding an independent tile shop that sells tilemaster products, their standard set extra bond will be a lot cheaper than all those prices you've quoted. Or go into a CTD and get some Weber set plus (which is slow set despite the name suggesting otherwise), I see you are in Swindon so Newbury would be your closest branch, a bit of a drive but, if it saves you £50 on adhesive, well worth it.

 

[trogre]

Women!! her indoors saw some photos of a friends bathroom who had what looks like 300 x 600 tiles on wall.
The b/room is very very small and to me they do not look right. I convinced her to get smaller ones so she selected 250 x 400 white ceramic.To give her some idea of what they will look like I worked out on paper what I would need,cut out 2 rows of tiles cut to size out of plain paper and and sellotaped (brick style) them to wall. I was pleased as punch and did not tell her what I done till she went to wee,don`t like them!!! too big,aaggghhh.
Had to start all over again and this time 250 x 330 ceramic and thank goodness she is happy!!!!

Bri. Out of curiosity I typed in Tilemaster Standard Set Extra Bond in google and up came Tiletown. Now to be fair they are way up North miles away from Swindon. 2 x 20Kg E/Bond £22.10 (very good I thought) + Vat + £35.00 p.p = £67.84 that is a bit different from the original £22.10. Mind you 2 x bags of whatever adhesive in local Topps will cost about the same anyway. A trip to Nwebury does not sound so bad after all,could even pop into the local metal detecting shop for a browse and UK bathroom warehouse to look at their crosswater taps.

I was reading about how if you used a grey adhesive it could show through tile. Cannot see how it could show through a ceramic tile or the grout but would you consider using a white adhesive for a 100mmW x 300L strips of Mosaic Glass?? I could certainly see perhaps the grey showing through but then again even the white would?
I think it could of even meant that if bare wall was white and grey did not cover the wall in small patches the white would stick out not the grey.

 

[Flintstone]

I would use white adhesive if your using a light coloured tile and grout as it makes sense, grey adhesive will stand out if u leave it in the joints a bit. Also for glass mosaic you will need the White adhesive unless they are a dark mosaic. Don't buy from tops tiles what ever you do, rip off. As said above, tile master standard set would be perfect and it is nice to use. If you end up with some of this super flexible adhesive it can be a bit less nice to work with especially for a beginner

 

[bcd-87]

You could do with finding an independent tile shop that sells tilemaster products, their standard set extra bond will be a lot cheaper than all those prices you've quoted. Or go into a CTD and get some Weber set plus (which is slow set despite the name suggesting otherwise), I see you are in Swindon so Newbury would be your closest branch, a bit of a drive but, if it saves you £50 on adhesive, well worth it.

Im just down the rd to newbury CTD & TOPPS both have what you need..

 

[dynamictiling]

Hello All. Hope you all had a good Xmas, as usual I ate too much and now suffering.

Not a Tiler by trade just a DIyer. Tiled my kitchen a couple of times in past + the bathroom once.

Started out using a scribe then trying to break tiles over a block which did not work. Then went up to a Wickes tiler cutter which for ceramic was ok but very slow going back & forth to garage.

Need to retile the bathroom and am going to use 250 x 400 x 8 mm ceramic tiles. The long cuts will only by at the ceiling but for the corners & ends it will be just the 250mm cut, I think it is a total of around 90 tiles before cutting.

I have been reading a lot on how you do not need a wet cutter for straight cuts but a dry cutter. The two I have been looking at are the Rubi 50-N Plus £84.99 Screwfix. Most of YouTube vids I have seen on Rubi seem to be in Russian but they seem to hold the 2 bars up as they press down on lever .Do not know if this is because of too much flex in tube or just the way it is done.

The Big Clinker 2 to be honest for my 400 mm tiles does seem a bit of overkill but seems from reviews of professional tiles a very efficient cutter. Then gain they were talking about cutting the larger porcelain tiles rather than the much smaller ceramic tiles. There is about £25 difference in the price of the 2 at screwfix which is not a lot if there is a difference in cutting quality. I am not one to sell my tools after use so will go into loft.

The other point is I have always used Wickes ready mixed but then again only on 200 x 250 mm ceramic tiles. It worked & stuck ok but worked out very expensive. From what I have read the 250 x 400 are on the limit of normal adhesive so I have either got to go with some more ready mixed stronger (expensive) adhesive or go with mix my own as a better & cheaper alternative.

Not sure if it is the adhesive I need but Mapei Keraflex White seems to fit the bill?? Do not want a rapid set and Keraflex seems to be ok. Mixing adhesive seems easy when you look at videos but from my experience of mixing cement very hard if not done on a daily basis to get consistency correct. Too dry and the tiles will not stick or too wet and they will be slipping all over the place.

I will be using adhesive on old plastered walls but will make good any plaster pulled off by old tiles and thoroughly prepare the walls in advance. Not sure since walls have been tiled before if I need a primer?

So again undecided on the ready mix or mix your own!!

Any feedback will be appraeciated.Thank you

1- use a spirit level! By far 1 of the most under used tools. If you don't expect to start at 1 corner and of the room and lose 10-20mm above the door!

2. The most important bit. Don't use tubs for tiles over 300. Simply science here. Tubs set via a reaction to oxygen. Powered adhesive sets by way of a chemical reaction.

Lastly good luck.

 

[trogre]

Hi dynamictiling. I will be using a spirit level to check the walls. I do need a 1200mm level so an excuse to buy one.
Will not be starting in corner and the tiles I am using are or will be 330 x 250 ceramic. I think from what I have read they may be on the limit of tub adhesive. The only think I hope is if I have to use powder is mixing it consistent as never used it before. I would prefer for the one off job to use tub as I know it will be mixed correctly but if tub adhesive presents adhesion problems I will not use.
Thanks for advice

 

[dynamictiling]

Hi dynamictiling. I will be using a spirit level to check the walls. I do need a 1200mm level so an excuse to buy one.
Will not be starting in corner and the tiles I am using are or will be 330 x 250 ceramic. I think from what I have read they may be on the limit of tub adhesive. The only think I hope is if I have to use powder is mixing it consistent as never used it before. I would prefer for the one off job to use tub as I know it will be mixed correctly but if tub adhesive presents adhesion problems I will not use.
Thanks for advice

Reading the comment back. The spirit level was not a pop however getting a level Base makes the world of difference with tiling.

With regards to adhesive slow set for the walls- rapid set flexible for the floor.

Mixing the adhesive is easy. Just add a small amount of water, mix it with a trowel. For your 1st couple of pales it is better to mix a small amount as appose to a large amount, although most slow sets have 3-4 hour pot life.

Just a wee note. Remember and 'match' your adhesive colour to your grout. I.e using white grout- use white adhesive. You will thank me when it comes to grouting.

Best of luck mate :-D

 

[trogre]

No problem if anyone has a pop or has a laugh at my comments. I have a good sense of humour so bring it on, as long as no one minds a bit of flak coming their way

.

I will be using my Bosch laser level on the tripod to get the tiles straight but do need a 120cm sprit level anyway. I was surprised when I used my smaller level on kitchen wall how many dips & bumps there were so took my time in getting wall as flat as I could.

Things on bit of a hold at the moment, as well as trying to finish purchasing the rest of bathroom suite and all the stacks of bits you need to do the job had the usual pre Xmas disaster. Dishwasher died now the fridge has packed up!!, as well as saving up for a telescope but that is a different story!!

Did pop into tileflair to buy some mosaic tiles for a border which were in the sale. He showed me a Bellota Pop 60 R-C which looked a very sturdy cutter especially for my 250 x 330 ceramic tiles. I am still leaning in direction of a second hand Rubi TS40 as the base looks wider and spares are easier to get anywhere. Seen a few good ones on fleebay but nearly all over 2 hours drive which does not sense when you add on petrol, not so much of a bargain in the end, still will keep on looking

 

[bcd-87]

No problem if anyone has a pop or has a laugh at my comments. I have a good sense of humour so bring it on, as long as no one minds a bit of flak coming their way

.

I will be using my Bosch laser level on the tripod to get the tiles straight but do need a 120cm sprit level anyway. I was surprised when I used my smaller level on kitchen wall how many dips & bumps there were so took my time in getting wall as flat as I could.

Things on bit of a hold at the moment, as well as trying to finish purchasing the rest of bathroom suite and all the stacks of bits you need to do the job had the usual pre Xmas disaster. Dishwasher died now the fridge has packed up!!, as well as saving up for a telescope but that is a different story!!

Did pop into tileflair to buy some mosaic tiles for a border which were in the sale. He showed me a Bellota Pop 60 R-C which looked a very sturdy cutter especially for my 250 x 330 ceramic tiles. I am still leaning in direction of a second hand Rubi TS40 as the base looks wider and spares are easier to get anywhere. Seen a few good ones on fleebay but nearly all over 2 hours drive which does not sense when you add on petrol, not so much of a bargain in the end, still will keep on looking

Which tile flair mate? Reading

 

[trogre]

It was Swindon Tileflair,nice people ,very helpful.

 

[bcd-87]

It was Swindon Tileflair,nice people ,very helpful.

Yes mate, all good staff. not like Topps tile all fecking retards