How do you clean yours?

[Dave Ramsden]

How do you guys work clean? Do you clean face of tiles and joints as you go or do you do it before grouting?

Also, how do you deal with the dreaded unremovable spacer??

 

[enduro]

Clean mine as i go..and use a little paint brush to clean addy from joints before it sets...as for spacers just make sure the are in properly.

 

[mikethetile]

sponge as I go

I use spacers as a peg , just pushing one leg in

if you push them home into the joint , how do you deal with uneven walls and poor calibration on tiles

ive always been taught to peg horizontal joints and space vertical to take up any misalignment

 

[murf]

usually I use a stanley knife to cut out a stubborn spacer. clean as I go, including dewaxing.

 

[Tomtiler]

i clean as i go and just make sure pegs are pushed in properly

 

[Gazzer]

I have one of these in the tool box
Silverline Tile Spacer Puller, 457040 at Tool Shop Direct

 

[Fred]

I have one of these in the tool box
Silverline Tile Spacer Puller, 457040 at Tool Shop Direct

Try a cheap screwdriver mate.

 

[enduro]

Try a cheap screwdriver mate.

Scewdriver can chip the glace...been there got the tee shirt..:lol:

 

[CJ CERAMICS]

i clean as i go both face and joints. then i do it again before grouting to make sure that i haven't missed any. nice tool that SIR i use a stanley knife with a curved blade to extract any spacers not bedded properly.

 

[poynton phil]

I wipe with a sponge as i go, and peg horizontally.

 

[Gazzer]

i clean as i go both face and joints. then i do it again before grouting to make sure that i haven't missed any. nice tool that SIR i use a stanley knife with a curved blade to extract any spacers not bedded properly.

Like a lot of tools, sometimes they have their uses, this one does but sometimes a stanley with curved blade works better....each to their own,

As for the screwdriver, its a straight blade where as the tool showed is curved. this mean that you insert the tool into the joint and push down which in turn pushes the space out. With a screwdriver you try and flick the spacer out...and as stated can damage the tile edge...once again each to their own.

Here is another version
Marshalltown MTSP473 Tile Spacer Popper / Remover - Transtools

 

[Andy Allen]

wipe clean as i go and a final wipe and clean b4 grouting, on walls i use spacer pegs so i just pull them out, and i never use spacers on floors

 

[Dave Ramsden]

Heres some I did earlier...

Clearly I clean before grouting

 

[The Legend; Phil Hobson RIP]

Clean as I go, use wedge spacers on walls. Non on floor

 

[Dave Ramsden]

Clean as I go, use wedge spacers on walls. Non on floor

wedge spacers?! you might be onto something there!

 

[doug boardley]

clean as I go, any oozing addy and I run a small tool at 45 dgs along the joint and it pulls it out. As above, I only use one leg of X spacers and pull them out with an adjustable wrench type thingy (can't remember it's name, it's an age thing:lol🙂

 

[White Room]

Clean as I go and use one leg of a spacer, use tile nippers to pull the spacer out

 

[Hawkofeagles]

I must admit, I learn't the hard way so now I sponge as I go.

Also some of you say you don't use spacers on floors so how do you get consistancy between tiles?

 

[TT Tiling]

2m peg for me walls and floors ,remove and clean the whole lot first then grout

 

[david campbell]

claen as i go and the old blunt tile nippers to pull them out,easy enough when only 1 leg is in

 

[Dave Ramsden]

I must admit, I learn't the hard way so now I sponge as I go.

Also some of you say you don't use spacers on floors so how do you get consistancy between tiles?

rack of eye and years of practice!

 

[Dave Ramsden]

as for the spacer issue, the tiles Ive been working with weigh down on the ones below thus squishing the spacers and making them hard to remove. I find they snap and I haeve to cut them out.

 

[Peter]

Clean as I go. Excellent thing for removing spacers and cleaning adhesive down are these:

 

[mikethetile]

2m peg for me walls and floors ,remove and clean the whole lot first then grout

dont get many rows of tiles on a wall with these 2 metre spacers:yikes:

 

[doug boardley]

how do you remove spacers with a batman logo??:lol:

 

[Ken Bruty]

Clean excess addy as I go, use nippers to pull out spacers either peg or 1 leg of cross, and use hooked stanley blades for any that snap off in the addy when pulling out.

 

[wayne]

dave when using the heavy tiles buy some batten packers/horseshoe spacers. they are a bit like window spacers and easy to remove. sts in wortley sell them.

 

[Scott]

dave when using the heavy tiles buy some batten packers/horseshoe spacers. they are a bit like window spacers and easy to remove. sts in wortley sell them.

I use them on all heavt tiles as the hollow pegs crush down. They are expensive for what they are i get them from Screwfix

 

[Richard Edwards]

Similar to Phil

I clean as I go, using a tool I made from an old set of kitchen knifes that my wife decided were past their best. This removes the addy from the joints.
However, I have never used a Commerical Joint Spacer in my life. I use window fitters packers - 1/2/3/4/5/6 mm colour coded. Use them as packers and hence remove as the addy goes off. They are re-useable and about 20mm wide x 100mm long and plently to grab hold of. Twist sideways and the 'right angle' on the end will act as a lever pivot. Yesterday I had to leave the job with about 20 packers still in the joints on wall, I will have to use my home made tool or if stuck in real good a pair of snipe nose pillers to lift these from the joints next Tuesday with a piece of timber under the pivot of the pillers to spread the load whilst pulling the little buggers.

 

[The Legend; Phil Hobson RIP]

I must admit, I learn't the hard way so now I sponge as I go.

Also some of you say you don't use spacers on floors so how do you get consistancy between tiles?

I work to a staff, module allows for any variation in tile size. Same for walls wedge spacers allow to lift or drop the tile as needed

 

[Richard Edwards]

I dont use spacers on floors - all done by eye - Its years of looking at things to check square and regular I suppose- its just my way.

Phil - I do not understand your - I work to Staff - Module allows for varaiation in size. Have I missed something here or am I plain thick ?

Thanks
Richard