New Ensuite

[JCSplumbing]

Hi everyone. Been on an ensuite that I created for a customer. Shower, basin, toilet. 24m2 walls, 4m2 of floor all in ceramic. Every day I've had at least one niggle with customer about something or other on my tiling. I think it's fine. Ive used bagged adhesive, walls are all primed also. I think they are getting a bit too picky. My background is I've been a plumber for 12 years now since school and tiled every bathroom myself after about 3 years in so a good 9 years experience. Any thoughts?

 

[White Room]

Being picky about what in particular ?

 

[JCSplumbing]

mainly about tile cuts and thinking I'm wasting tiles by not starting from edges and there was one tile lipped of which I dug out and replaced. I explained that you can't start from a wall because of the levels etc. Like talking to a wall. I'm patient and like to make my customers happy. A line has to be drawn somewhere

 

[Rizzle from the Portizzle]

i think i will wait until i see how you finish round the window it will tell a great deal about your thinking

 

[magga]

As above, you're going to end up with some small slithers of tile around the window reveal, but that's about all I can spot. Your setting out on the back wall on first photo looks fine to me, if we are being really picky, then I would say there is some unevenness across some of the tiles.

 

[Bill]

Tell the customer it is their fault for picking a horrible tile...........no idea about design..........

 

[Time's Ran Out]

A plain white tile is always going to draw more attention than a highly patterned one.
However there are plenty of issues visible in the photos you've provided.
I think the customer has a genuine concern!

 

[JCSplumbing]

A plain white tile is always going to draw more attention than a highly patterned one.
However there are plenty of issues visible in the photos you've provided.
I think the customer has a genuine concern!

Hi. Where do you see plenty of areas that concern you? I have no issue taking advice. Quite the opposite to be honest.

 

[Time's Ran Out]

Picture 1 - the cuts to the back wall on the left hand side are uneven and short. Doing the back wall first and then cutting the side walls onto it would disguise this until grouted/sealed.
Picture 2 - mosaics are squashed into border gap and show signs of unevenness. Put a gap the size of your mosaic border + joints all the way around 1st and allow adhesive to dry before inserting mosaic.
Picture 3 - on right side gap to ceiling and joints in tiles are not aligned. Tile above and left of window sticking out.
You've tiled onto unprepared emulsion walls.
Hope this helps.
John

 

[JCSplumbing]

I've primed the walls. Tile above window I replaced. One thing I did kick myself for is not shifting a half tile or so over to make my l cuts a bit easier. It's annoying when your being watched constantly. All advice taken in. Thanks

 

[J Sid]

Primed, with PVA?

 

[JCSplumbing]

No. Bal apd

 

[Old Mod]

Since we're being honest! 🙂
I'd say the back wall should be 3 not 4 pieces.

 

[Just Rizzle]

small cuts around a window dose my head as windows can be the focal point of the room some times its best to center the window rather than the wall its in. the mosaics I do last as I leave a gap to and dog tooth them in thencan get them flush and level also some mosaic strengthener helps keep them rigid when fixing. the backwall looks like 3 tiles could have been used rather than 4 grouting can hide a few thing but also highlight others.
did you go on acourse to do your plumbing or did you pick it up as you went along like your tiling?

 

[Time's Ran Out]

I'am in favour of the 4 pieces on the back wall and also the fact that the window cuts look equal, and therefore the subsequent cut to the back wall makes it look like a tile size bent around the corner.

 

[JCSplumbing]

It is 3. The edges are one. I cut one side then flipped the large off cut into the other side

small cuts around a window dose my head as windows can be the focal point of the room some times its best to center the window rather than the wall its in. the mosaics I do last as I leave a gap to and dog tooth them in thencan get them flush and level also some mosaic strengthener helps keep them rigid when fixing. the backwall looks like 3 tiles could have been used rather than 4 grouting can hide a few thing but also highlight others.
did you go on acourse to do your plumbing or did you pick it up as you went along like your tiling?

No I done a full 4 year plumbing apprenticeship. NVQ Level 3 and Gas Safe.

 

[Just Rizzle]

It is 3. The edges are one. I cut one side then flipped the large off cut into the other side

No I done a full 4 year plumbing apprenticeship. NVQ Level 3 and Gas Safe.

so if you trained to be a plumber why haven't you trained to be a tiler.

why do plumbers think its easy tiling. is it because theve seen tillers doing it and think that's easy. youre probably a brilliant plumber but looking at your picks your an average tiler m8 find a good tiler in your area and team up then he will get the niggles not you. you could end up like me and my m8 bri we do high end bathrooms for a couple of bathroom companies and most of the time we start Monday and finish Friday or the latest Saturday .
our customers trust us to do a good job as were experts in our own fields we also do the jobs quicker, so the clients have minimal disruption to there lives. when your ripping some ones house apart they get stressed and want you out A S P and because there stressed they turn and the longer the job takes the more time they have to find fault because as soon as you've gone for the night there examining your work in minutes detail. and as tiling is in my opinion an art. it is on show so is always on show for critisimum. the first thing a person sees when they walk in a bathroom is the tiling not the plumbing .so the tiling is what shows the job to be what it is. not the pipes under the floor.

 

[Bill]

so if you trained to be a plumber why haven't you trained to be a tiler.

why do plumbers think its easy tiling. is it because theve seen tillers doing it and think that's easy. youre probably a brilliant plumber but looking at your picks your an average tiler m8 find a good tiler in your area and team up then he will get the niggles not you. you could end up like me and my m8 bri we do high end bathrooms for a couple of bathroom companies and most of the time we start Monday and finish Friday or the latest Saturday .
our customers trust us to do a good job as were experts in our own fields we also do the jobs quicker, so the clients have minimal disruption to there lives. when your ripping some ones house apart they get stressed and want you out A S P and because there stressed they turn and the longer the job takes the more time they have to find fault because as soon as you've gone for the night there examining your work in minutes detail. and as tiling is in my opinion an art. it is on show so is always on show for critisimum. the first thing a person sees when they walk in a bathroom is the tiling not the plumbing .so the tiling is what shows the job to be what it is. not the pipes under the floor.

'cause tiling is easy! Money for old rope.

 

[scotmk]

Hi, I am not a professional tiler. So I think I cam comment from a customer point of view.

The back wall looks fine with cuts at each end, though both walls to the back wall should have come onto the back wall not just one side. Though this may not be am issue once grouted and siliconed. But I would have noticed this when seeing it.

The mosaics are not flat they bend in towards the centre which does not look right, I would have said about them.

I agree with the cuts around the corner, this should have been set out from the window, or at least set out so that a full tile comes up to the edge and around so no small bits.

Some tile at the ceiling are not cut the right size to the others and that stands out.

Did you use a long level when checking the tiles as some appear to not align in depth.

I have recently just done my own bathroom and whilst it took me 3 weeks to tile and grout (I am sure some here could have done in a week or less, I made sure I checked all the tiles with a level to make sure they were all flat.

If I was a paying customer I would have these concerns.

I dare say my pics I show here bring out some horrors to look at, which is why I took so long setting out and doing the cuts.

Anyway,just my thoughts from a customer angle.

 

[Flintstone]

having looked closely at the pics, it's a ***derogatory comment deleted *** tiling job. Leave it to a tiler next time and stick to plumbing

Edited-
Keep comments constructive please folks.

 

[Flintstone]

To you it might just be 'another job' but to the home owner it's a big thing, often expensive and something they might only do once every 15 years or more, so rightly so there gonna want it right.

 

[GAZ5518]

.... Setting out is key... Also customers like to see cuts tight and even...
Sometimes Tiling should be left to ... Dare I say ....... Tilers!!..... ( sorry everyone else)

 

[Time's Ran Out]

There are some pretty disappointing replies in this post IMO.
The lad has asked for advice and put himself up there to be shot down. Questioning his plumbing ability is not the issue and having seen 'Tilers' post work on here of equal ability then help should be provided if our trade is to be considered a profession.
How many of those with the criticism have NVQ's in tiling or indeed are time served.
Give the lad a break, and provide constructive comments so he can come back knowing it's a friendly forum where his input will be welcome.
By the way - I hate plumbers!
😀

 

[GAZ5518]

There are some pretty disappointing replies in this post IMO.
The lad has asked for advice and put himself up there to be shot down. Questioning his plumbing ability is not the issue and having seen 'Tilers' post work on here of equal ability then help should be provided if our trade is to be considered a profession.
How many of those with the criticism have NVQ's in tiling or indeed are time served.
Give the lad a break, and provide constructive comments so he can come back knowing it's a friendly forum where his input will be welcome.
By the way - I hate plumbers!
😀

Lol...Fair play Timeless....🙂

 

[JCSplumbing]

having looked closely at the pics, it's a pretty crap tiling job. Leave it to a tiler next time and stick to plumbing

Mate. Not being funny but ****offensive comment deleted****. What a thing to say.


Edited-
Keep comments constructive please folks.

 

[One Day]

Mate. Not being funny but you are a . What a thing to say.

Great reply! 😀

 

[Italy]

It seems to me that the bigger problem are the tiles.
some errors there is, (row mosaic and some cuts).
but the tiles seem to scrap

 

[Ian]

I've got to say, there are some ridiculous responses on this thread, some people really need to pull their heads out of their arses. A crap tiling job? Really? It's not even finished yet and yes there are a couple of cuts that could be better and the setting out could have done with a bit more though but, crap? No chance. The internal corners will all be siliconed (I hope) so any uneven cuts will not be seen provided they are all within a couple of mm of each other. As has already been said, this forum is about helping people and offering advice, if you have nothing constructive to say, don't bother commenting.

 

[Flintstone]

Obviously I'm terribly out of order for having an opinion of the tiling job. The plumber has been tiling for 9 years and is supprised when the customer is 'nit picking'. We all have eyes here and we can all see it's not up to the standard of a decent tiler. If the plumber can't tile to a high enough standard after 9 years he shouldn't be doing it, simple as that!

 

[JCSplumbing]

Obviously I'm terribly out of order for having an opinion of the tiling job. The plumber has been tiling for 9 years and is supprised when the customer is 'nit picking'. We all have eyes here and we can all see it's not up to the standard of a decent tiler. If the plumber can't tile to a high enough standard after 9 years he shouldn't be doing it, simple as that!

I'll post up pictures when I'm done.

 

[Just Rizzle]

can I ask how many days have u been on this project ?
I ask because me and my team do a bathroom a week