My first slate floor tile job with UFH.

[DJS]

Hope this is the right sub-forum for it, but I am about to upload some pics of the job I'm doing at the moment.

It's an en-suite bathroom in a 3rd floor apartment. Had many discussions with the client about materials, and to keep it in budget, he has (IMHO) cheaped out in some places, and not using most suitable tiles for the walls. You will see what I mean from the pics, so feel free to look and advise on how I can advise my customers better in future.

Many Thanks
Denis

Pics to follow....

 

[DHTiling]

Look forward to them..

 

[Ajax123]

Apartments - especially over the last three or four years have often used Anhydrite screeds - make sure you check your substrate out properly so you don't get issues later on.

 

[DJS]

Finally, I managed to get the first batch of pics uploaded. Was having problems with the wi-fi earlier!!

Dave, just been reading your comments on another thread about ply. That is one thing I will really take on board and advise differently on in future. You have given me some idea's on how I can better advise customers to go with it.

Thanks for the tip about new-builds ajax. I checked and this one is a wooden floor. I suspect the joist's maybe floating over a concrete base which would be part of the ceiling of the flat below. I found out enough to know what I was up against, but should have dug deeper when I went to do the original quote. Had to change plans on day 2, to go with 30mm marmox instead of 6mm, then had to wait extra 3 days for delivery, because the first lot that got dispatched were lost at the carriers depot!! 😳

Thankfully I had wall prep and plumbing in kitchen to do aswell, so I could absorb the delay and customer didn't know there was a problem, till I explained it to him in a more positive light a few days later..like that's what I planned all along!! :smilewinkgrin:

The original floor was :- Vinyl stuck with contact adhesive on 3mm hardboard nailed down to 22mm chipboard, on 8mm sound insulation, laid over 25mm ply, barely nailed to the joist!!

This week is tile, tile, tile!! I've got 1250 wall tiles and about 20 slate floor tiles to lay, UFH and DITRA to go in too.

 

[doug boardley]

so did the helicopter fly??:smilewinkgrin:

 

[DJS]

The helicopter did fly :hurray: Only took me 2 months to re-build it after my last crash.

Just got home after tiling the first wall. What a difference a day makes!!

 

[White Room]

I'd tank the whole shower because it's a flat

 

[DJS]

A couple more pics...the new floor level with the 30mm marmox, and first wall tiled. I spent about an hour setting out...only to discover that a full tile at each side of the wall would fit perfectly. Couldn't believe my luck again!!

Thanks Whitebeam for bringing the tanking issue up. During initial discussion with the customer, once he decided not to go with cement boards, I recommended epoxy grout and tanking....which thankfully he accepted.

The shower mixer arrived today, so the final pipework, mixer valve and water outlets go in first thing tomorrow, then I'll be adding the tanking kit, and finish bottom of walls with remaining WP joint tape, whilst tiling the wall with the door on it!!



Forgot to mention, I asked customer about the sealer he was providing for the slate floor, and he pulled out a 5 ltr tub of Aquamix Sealers Gold!! That really made my day. This guy likes his natural stone, and hopefully will become a good customer of mine.

 

[DJS]

Made some good progress last few days. All walls tiled - 1000 (20sqm)200x100 bevelled edge white tiles fixed. Loosewire UFH laid, DITRAMAT down, and slate floor tiles washed, dried and inspected. Found some scratches. Discussed with customer, and he is happy for me to go ahead!

I'll have some more progress pics up 2m night, and the floor goes down Monday.

Anyone used honed slate on a bathroom floor before? I asked the customer if the tiles had a perfectly flat face? He said they were - because they are honed? But they still have different thickenesses and levels!

My main concern is the eveness of the floor once laid, in the WC and sink pedestal area. I guess I'll just have to grade them again a match some similar thicknesses and smoother face's together for those specific area's? Anyway, I discussed it all with customer this afternoon, and he is still happy for me to go ahead.

I thought my pickyness about asking him to consider using different wall and floor tiles was starting to annoy him. Then he turned round and asked me if I could re-furbish his dad's bathroom and do a new wet-room!! Plus I may get the master bathroom in this flat too :drool5: Happy days....Cement boards all round next time!!

 

[DJS]

Some more pics...
Shower Pipework :- My heat mat I've been using for the last 5 years finally disintegrated on me during the installation, you can see how I got the mixer valve in with no scorch marks, but the last 2 joints I made for the water outlets are a bit ahem, messy!! Had a spray bottle of water on hand during the works, just to be as safe as possible...



Shower Enclosure with 2 coats of tanking....



and finally the warmup UFH loose wire system going in...all covered in tape as per the manufacturers instructions. And the probe, wire joint & end submerged in a channel with adhesive covering.





The slate tiles will be sealed & laid tomorrow. Hope you like.