Is there any easy way to fix these faults? - Tile Advice

[Ian]

Yeah, some really shoddy work there, no excuses for any of that. The grout joints aren't full enough thats why you can see the tile edge. The differing sizes of the joints are simply bad workmanship done by a tradesman with no eye for detail. The grouting can be rectified, the size of the joints can't without taking it all off and starting over.

 

[Aimee72]

The floor was already boarded when he came, our builders did that (I think they used 9mm ply but that's just from memory). I'm not sure what adhesive he used though, sorry (not even sure of the brand).

 

[Rich]

That really is poor work. If you have paid a pro that much the room should look amazing from every angle, not just from a distance.

He has washed the grout of before it has had a chance to dry, as Brian says above this can be sorted, he will need to cut out the grout and re grout over the top to fill the joints in.

9mm Ply is to thin for a floor, it should be min 18mm boil and water proof ply screwed down at a min of 300mm centres. Just be aware that if the grouting on the floor starts to crack, then you are going to start having problems with the floor and the tiler should have made sure that the floor was suitable before starting work.

 

[mikethetile]

LOL I would just like to point out the 188mm above is a typo

 

[mikethetile]

well that is as bad as you described, if you can live with the uneven groutlines then a regrout will improve the look of it, silicone needs redoing too

 

[Rich]

LOL I would just like to point out the 188mm above is a typo

:lol:
Ta Mike, I have just changed it

 

[Aimee72]

I'm so glad I asked for the expert's opinion - I was starting to think it was just me being too much of a perfectionist! I'll get him back after the holiday and ask him what he plans to do to fix it. That'll ruin his holiday spirit! I just wish he hadn't been paid (or at least not in cash!), then he might be more keen to sort it out. I can understand why people don't complain and just pay someone else though, half of me thinks if he couldn't do it properly the first time I shouldn't bother wasting time with him again. But unfortunately every last penny of the bathroom budget has gone (and then some!) so that's not an option. Neither is retiling, as it would mean getting all the bathroom fixings taken out. Plus despite all the tiling problems the room does look great (especially considering what we used to have!) so I'd be gutted if I had to watch it all get ripped out again.

With regards to the floor, the ply definitely wasn't 18mm, I know that much. The builders just sheeted over the floorboards when they did the plasterboard and electrics etc to tidy the room up, and the tiler didn't change it. I've just checked and there are already hairline cracks in some of the grout lines. They're barely noticeable because it's sanded grout, but I'll keep an eye on them to see what happens between now and his return. The house is full of cracks anyway, there has been a a lot of movement in the houses in this area lately, so I didn't expect it to stay crack-free forever. But he only finished a few days ago!

The other thing is, reading around the forum, it seems the shower walls should have been tanked? Unfortunately he didn't mention this and I didn't know about it - he's just tiled straight onto the plasterboard that the builders used (normal, bog-standard 9mm plasterboard, not waterproof stuff or tile backer). I don't think he's used any kind of waterproof grout as it darkens when it gets wet - does this mean I'll need to use some kind of sealer to waterproof the joints? Can this even be done now? I have to say, this is turning into a bit of a nightmare! I can understand if I'd paid someone from the pub £100, but I didn't expect this from a "professional". Moral of the story: never trust a man just because of his pretty van :lol:

 

[user123]

Ouuuuuch, NO TANKING???? :yikes: The purpose of tanking is to stop water seeping through the wall to the floor below and to avoid nasty mould building up inside the wall - no grout is totally waterproof, with the exception of epoxy, but sealer does help a little to make the grout less able to soak both water and shower products up. It helps to keep the grout cleaner for longer, and it does have to be reapplied on a regular basis, once every year or two, depending on how often the shower is used and how damp the room is in general. I perhaps didn't read all yor post thoroughly, but did you have a shower there before or is it new and that's why the wall had never been tanked? Without tanking you have no way of stopping the water causing havoc ... I don't know if there is another solution to what I know of, rip it all out and start again ... what a nuisance for you, I do sympathise, you don't expect to have to nursemaid a treadesman through a job and ending up having to fix the mess! Maybe someone else here will be able to come up with something.... good luck...

 

[Aimee72]

Hi Mosaic Girl, there was a shower over the bath before and it was tiled with cheap 15cm square tiles on skimmed plaster. It's used twice every day (me and husband) but it was just a piddly electric shower, it could barely get us wet, never mind the walls! The walls were ripped out and new plasterboard put up, which the tiler has tiled straight on to. We now have a fairly powerful thermostatic mixer shower with an 8-inch rainfall head, and two sides of the enclosure is tiled - I think the bathroom will end up in the lounge at this rate! We do have an extractor fan above the shower and a big window which is always open a crack, so it's a well ventilated room thankfully.

 

[ukProTile]

Hi Aimee

Do you mind me asking where you live or have I missed that somewhere?
Thanks

sorry, Cheshire I see.

 

[ukProTile]

If, when he returns, he starts saying that this is actually fine and meets british standards then the chances are that he hasn't a clue anyway!
You could say that you have (or will) payed an independant tiling assessor to carry out an assessment of the work and it has been found to be sub-standard.

 

[Scott]

Hopefully he will look at the grouting when he returns and agree he has rushed it and offer to redo it. Sometimes when people rush things they get a 'that'll do' attitude. British standards is 15mm for the ply btw not 18mm but that all depends on how much movement, if any, there was in the floor

 

[DHTiling]

Just to add to the great advice so far, it is not regulations to tank shower walls or even walls for a shower over a bath... BS5385 does say it is advised but deffo not regulations yet to do it..

 

[ukProTile]

Good point. We are soooo far behind! In most of Europe it has been regs for years (apparently)

 

[kilty55]

not great pics aimee,hopefully he will re grout your entire room and sort out the wonky cuts etc and also re silicone it too to a good standard

its hard to say if its a full rip out job as we can only see the pics you have put up
in regards to the tanking its not law for him to have tanked the wall but it would have been advised

good luck hope you get this sorted asap