Bodged up jobs ...

[DHTiling]

too many people telling too many amateurs how to do our trade.
Just my humble opinion!

100% agree...

 

[Sean SML Tiling]

This is a brilliant thread guys and totally agree. I have only been tiling 3 years and if I didmt set myself high standards and realise my reputation is my lively hood id be on the dole. Is it possible for the TTA to even do anything about it?

 

[Andy Allen]

I get customers ring me for a quote and the first thing they ask is how much is it going to cost...!! right then I know i'm wasting my time even looking at it......how many times have a I wasted my breath explaining to customer about substrate prep, weight limits, the right way to tile with natural stone , polished porcelain etc, or there bothered about is how cheap the price is, I used to get 90% of quotes, im down to around 50% now, to many people think they can tile, be them builders, plumbers or the 2 week coursers, they price jobs with out a clue what it cost to do it right, at the customers expense...

 

[Sean SML Tiling]

Would you say you still have the same amount of work due to less quotes?

 

[Andy Allen]

Would you say you still have the same amount of work due to less quotes?

to be honest , no, but then again its never going to be as good as it was 5 years ago, I used to get so booked up I could never get anyone to wait, now im quite happy just being 2/3 weeks in front of myself, you can't pick and choose your work like you used to....but that's life as they say..

 

[bugs183]

Good thread fellas.
I think that there are as many bodgers around these days as before, but with the change of the tiles themselves problems occur more often.

Up until 15 years ago(ish) tiles were still quite small, there was little porcelain, and there was little stone about. Small ceramic tiles are easy to fix and will generally stick with any old adhesive, so the bodgers got away with it. No stone or porcelain meant easy cutting and no sealing problems.
The trade has advanced a huge amount from when i started 20+ years ago. The tiles are large and porcelain, so correct substrate prep is essential (try telling that a builder/customer at the end of the job!). The size means that bedding of the adhesive is super important, dot n dabbing is an easy way to get these big fellas flat, but it's totally wrong. The tiles themselves are harder to cut so any bodging is obvious, stone now is very popular and we all know what can go wrong there.

Trouble is you can buy these tiles from any where, and not be given any advise on fixing, some customers just want the 'look' but not the prepwork which costs money, and the tiler (bodger) may not know what he's doing or is just throwing them down as quick as possible to earn his dosh.

I'd would like to see regulation, but people will stay say 'i can tile' and do it themselves or get mate in to do it.

 

[DHTiling]

Would be good to hear from the public members who we know read the forums... what is your take on this..?

 

[area tiling]

As much as I like to help decent people with questions or give advice we are probably shooting ourselves in the foot with helping these Diyers ! You wouldn't see an electrician or to many plumbers saying go out and buy this product or that product, and do it this way or that way is best! I know we all get work from botch jobs , but its only going to get worse if we as tradesmen keep giving or advice s away for free! Just my opinion !

 

[mcarthurtiling]

Ive been to jobs that arent the best and the tiler has been in the game for years, there are guys in all trades who have got all the qualifications and still arent very good imo its down to who depends more from themselves on every single job not just ones they can be bothered on.

 

[ian158]

Agreed, the mentality is that anybody can tile.
I'm now employed with a couple of plumbers who have been doing their own tiling up to this point
They're a good couple of lads who don't cut corners and everything has to be right for them, exactly the way it should be
But almost everything I do tiling wise is questioned,
Why apd? We just use pva.
Why not tub adhesive
Why cement board, we use 9mm ply
When plaster goes pink you can tile
Why use different size trowels
Why did you set out like that
Can't you push the spacers in the joint and grout today
Why don't you grout internal corners

The truth is, even to the good tradesmen, which these lads genuinely are,
As long as the tiles are somewhat flat with minimal lips it is considered a job well done because tiling isn't important

It's a very sad situation :-/

I used to do all of the above...until i learnt from suppliers and a lot from here...so i thank you for that..my profession is not a tiler..in fact i dont have a profession...but I am very capable with what I do..improving at every turn..as yet no complaints......but I have the upmost respect for what you do..and very envious of what work i see you are able to turn out...very envious. I would also say this...that most if not all my customers like the fact that I can multi task (dodgy word ?)...in that they have one person doing the whole lot..which is why i get 75% of my work..the other 25% just dont like me lol !