Do you remember when ....

[Time's Ran Out]

... You had to break the ice off the drum to get to your tiles, you used sawdust to polish the floors and you got 10shillings a yard for fixing tiles with sand/cement!

By those were the days!!.
Who else used to push their bike up the cobbled streets and eat Hovis jammies.

 

[Qwerty]

I'm still just a youngster at 36 years young John!. Although raised on site with my chippie dad and used to watch the labourers do similar things!

 

[Time's Ran Out]

Your just a couple of years older than my boy! He's been tiling 15 years now and he thought it was hard working 11 hour shifts in the South Of France . Lunch on the jetty, evening jaunts to Cannes, fridge full of beer and pizzas at 15 euros!
Like most that will reply it will be difficult to realise what it was like and why this trade has become more DIY, it's progress that it's become easier and more cost effective, but that in itself has brought new skills working with thin bed adhesives and bigger harder tiles.

 

[mz30]

I remember talk of barrels ,and the sawdust I still use to this day.

 

[Andy Allen]

I remember cutting tiles with a pencil scribe and using a rod saw for L shaped cuts or just nibbling them out with your nips no wet cutters or grinders.....tile would always brake on the last little bit. ..:mad2:

 

[Brian the Tile]

No nippers back then allen is it not pincers and your three foot measure,tungdten tipped chisel and pin hammer for the floor tiles ,bloody hell eh lol

 

[Brian the Tile]

Tungsten tipped chisel sorry

 

[Brian the Tile]

What about white cement for grout with a bit of fairy liquid in it ,and my pillock of a boss wouldn't let me use warm water to wash off neither, said it effected the cement oh the pain

 

[Brian the Tile]

Aye sawdust and shavings for getting the grout of the floors ,oh my word,but it worked didn't it

 

[Brian the Tile]

And dont forget to make your staff for marking out before you start,we used to be on the job for eightish and start tiling about 10 : 30 ha ha

 

[Brian the Tile]

And also make sure theres plenty of water the water level,

 

[Brian the Tile]

Then we upgraded to glass cutters to mark the tiles

 

[kevin.young]

Remember bitumen jointing I always ended up with the old burn blister!! Great days though!!

 

[Colour Republic]

... You had to break the ice off the drum to get to your tiles, you used sawdust to polish the floors and you got 10shillings a yard for fixing tiles with sand/cement!

By those were the days!!.
Who else used to push their bike up the cobbled streets and eat Hovis jammies.

errrr in a word no.

I know what it's like ripping it all out though. Sand and cement fixing on the walls... you sadistic barstewards!

 

[Brian the Tile]

errrr in a word no.

I know what it's like ripping it all out though. Sand and cement fixing on the walls... you sadistic barstewards!

Like watsit to a blanket lol

 

[Time's Ran Out]

With central heating you usually find that the tiles fall off ( but if they don't your onto a loser) but the cement pads bring the wall down!

 

[Time's Ran Out]

And also make sure theres plenty of water the water level,

I wonder how many today even know what a water level is - the original revolving laser light!

 

[Colour Republic]

They still sell them john, they still have their uses! I would have thought most have one buried away somewhere and only use it when they need it to get them out of a hole

 

[WetSaw]

Water levels are very common over here still.

 

[Time's Ran Out]

Like the 3/4/5 triangle , the water level is a tool worth investing in !
When I bought my 3/4/5 triangle I wondered how I was going to get the 15 foot length in the van!
And how many times has the water level been cut to syphon off diesel ?
Can't get more accurate than gravity to keep your tiles level.

 

[Brian the Tile]

Ha ha i could never get the hang of the water level at the beginning of my apprenticeship i used to have the water shooting all over the place, (oh no another slap round the back of the head with the gauging trowel) lol

 

[Andy Allen]

can you still use them if there's a drought...:sofahide:

 

[Time's Ran Out]

As far as I'am aware if the water has been passed by the management apart from the colour it is perfectly legal even if there is a hosepipe ban.

 

[Brian the Tile]

As far as I'am aware if the water has been passed by the management apart from the colour it is perfectly legal even if there is a hosepipe ban.

Florescent

 

[Time's Ran Out]

Florescent

Get it checked out!

 

[Ajax123]

And also make sure theres plenty of water the water level,

I still use a water level now... Far cheaper than buyin a laser....

 

[WetSaw]

And you can see the level even in the sun!

 

[Diggy]

... You had to break the ice off the drum to get to your tiles, you used sawdust to polish the floors and you got 10shillings a yard for fixing tiles with sand/cement!

By those were the days!!.
Who else used to push their bike up the cobbled streets and eat Hovis jammies.

Not quite that old but , did used to fix quarries in S&C with beating blocks and muslin cloths for cleaning followed by silver sand for polishing.
S&C still a good method for falls into gullies etc though.

Diggy :0)

 

[Brian the Tile]

Nice one Diggy,not many left who can fix with sand and cement,and when you talk about it to some people your just a boring old fart who doesn't know how to do the job theese days hahaha

 

[Brian the Tile]

Old timers stuck in there ways springs to mind lol

 

[steve-tiler]

Reading this thread makes me think about when I started in 2001

One of the tradesmen when I started was 66 and retired about 6 months later, he had a water level and dot dabbed everything, never used a serrated trowel.
He used cardboard for spacers which as 'the boy' you had to rip up boxes to keep him supplied and grouted with his fingers and a damp cloth. He liked using a hand tile saw and an hand wound hole cutter which clipped on to the rubi ts-60.


He too used to have the bag of sawdust for cleaning the floors.