I need to start a new thread soon called Stoooopid query/Stoooopid bodge of the day. Cuz I'm getting a few daily.
However, unlike my last one, this one is not that funny. In fact, its made me pretty angry.
A resident of a London council house (I won't say which particular council she falls under, but still..... one that should know better), has recently had them out to start a refit of the bathroom to convert it to a wetroom. Her husband following an accident has lost a lot of the use of his legs and a small amount of converting was required.
She was told to get ANY tile she wanted and they would supply everything else and do the required preparation. We gave her our recommendations for adhesive grout and prep for that particular tile so that the Council could buy the required materials. She presented it to them and they agreed. Alongside this she had done her own research, after being prompted to do so by a friend who had a bad experience with the workmanship of the same council and has also purchased the boards and tanking on the councils agreement that she will be reimbursed.
The tiles she's chosen are 60x30 porcelain. The walls are currently plastered but we have suggested ripping it down, sticking Hardie up and tanking it in the shower area. The floor is going to be Non-Slip Amtico.
Last week, they came to start. But first he had to sort the walls............ much to the dismay of the customer, they skimmed a few patches and went. They have returned this morning to start sticking the tiles up. The tiler has turned up this morning and has bought in with him a few lengths of Captile, a tile cutter, a bucket trowel and a tub of evo-stick wall adhesive.
She has asked him not to do anything as a few alarm bells started to ring following what we had recommended. She called me and I reiterated that the tile was too heavy for plaster if that is what they were thinking of doing, can't be fitted with ready-mixed and that the correct preparations still had to be done.
The tiler called his gaffer who within an hour came out to talk to her. She told him that she was not happy with what the tiler was about to do. He told her that she didn't know what she was talking about and that the tiler was a professional who knew what was required. They claim they "may have been too hasty in agreeing the required preparation before the tiler had viewed the site". At this point the tiler went out to his van and returned with a notched trowel, a paint brush............ and a bottle of Unibond.
She has been told that their way is cheaper and that the recommendations are nonsense. They have fitted similar tiles before in the same way. Due to the limited amount time they have they wouldn't even have time do the extra prep work even if they wanted too, and have told her to send back the boards and tanking as they are not needed. They will not be taking the plaster down, they will not be tanking anything because Unibond will be fine and the grout and adhesive are waterproof so the substrate won't get wet anyway, and a cement based adhesive was "too messy" to mix and does the same job as a ready-mixed.
They have also said "to be safe and signed off" it must be done by the registered council contractor they have provided, in a way he sees fit, and that no-one else would be allowed to be called in to do required work on "their" property or she will be in violation of her tenancy agreement.
Baring in mind her husband is due out of hospital in the next few weeks. She's in one hell of a corner that I can't see her getting out of, unless she agrees to let them carry out a half-arsed job.
I'm waiting to hear back from her but we may need to send her a smaller ceramic tile so that she is at least half way towards safe.
Caring for the community my arse!
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