Movement Joints - Tile Advice

[robfuller]

Hey guys, i have been a tiler for 15+ years and employ a few senior tilers as well with 20+ years experience each. We have always tried to stick to the australian standards and follow the manufacturers instruction. Except now i have a lawyer client who i trying to screw me to the letter of the law. Apparently an inspection report has come back stating that all my movement joints must be 6mm at least. When the rectified edge tiles have gaps of 1.5mm that means my silicon joints/expansion joints/internal joins will have a 6mm gap between floor to wall. And wall to wall joins. This will look horrible. I have always stuck to a decent 2-3mm join between floor to wall. Wall to Wall joints. After which i cover the join with silicon. 6mm gap means the silicon to cover that gap must be larger, so 7-8-9mm??? Might as well round it up to 10mm. Who the hell puts 10mm silicon joins around a room? and up a shower internal wall. WTF? Am i reading this wrong? Have i taken crazy pills? Not one client in the past 15 years would want that end result. Please help
Thanks
Rob

 

[Dave]

Hi. Not knowledgeable with Australian standards but the sounds ludicrous for a wall , floor transition joint. Is this 6mm standard for a transition joint or maybe an expansion joint within a tiling field ?

 

[Rob Fuller]

I will just copy and paste what the building inspector wrote:

Observations
1.3.1. Movement joints have been omitted at the wall to wall and wall to floor tiled junctions throughout the bathroom and the ensuite.
Refer to photos 313 and 317 and 330 and 333. Discussion & Opinion
1.3.2. Movement joints are required at wall and floor junctions to allow for building movement. Omission of movement joints in floor and wall tiling can create problems with cracking or detached tiles. This is particularly relevant in older buildings such as this, constructed out of timber framing with subfloor on stumps. The specified width of movement joints is minimum 6mm.

Sounds excessive

 

[robfuller]

Hi. Not knowledgeable with Australian standards but the sounds ludicrous for a wall , floor transition joint. Is this 6mm standard for a transition joint or maybe an expansion joint within a tiling field ?

I will just copy what the building inspector wrote:

1.3. Floor and wall tile movement joints
Observations
1.3.1. Movement joints have been omitted at the wall to wall and wall to floor tiled junctions throughout the bathroom and the ensuite.
Refer to photos 313 and 317 and 330 and 333. Discussion & Opinion

1. 1.3.2. Movement joints are required at wall and floor junctions to allow for building movement. Omission of movement joints in floor and wall tiling can create problems with cracking or detached tiles. This is particularly relevant in older buildings such as this, constructed out of timber framing with subfloor on stumps. The specified width of movement joints is minimum 6mm.

 

[Ajax123]

Is this a job you have done or a job you are looking to do. If its the latter my gut feeling is walk away, or even run. If this chap, a lawyer, is picking faultvwuth the work before it's even done imagine the hassle you will have later.

 

[Rob Fuller]

Nah unfortunately it’s a job I have already done. We went back today to do some minor alterations. Make the idiots happy. We took photos of everything before and after. And I took a team so everything was witnessed. The bloke wouldn’t speak to me so I just put my head down and got to work. We vacuumed and mopped our way out the door. And it was a tip before hand. So we cleaned their house! I drive home 30 kms away and the bloke calls me up complaining about not cleaning. I offered to drive back over and we could argue in person. Unfortunately you can’t pick these scumbags before you start the job. But eventually i could snap and nail somebody to the wall. It will be worth it

 

[Ajax123]

Ok where has your client got his information from