Relaid quarry tiles

[pauly]

Hi, I'm renovating a Victorian terraced house, one of the downstairs quarry tiled floors was uneven so I lifted the tiles and cleaned off the old sand/cement base material. My builder levelled the earth and installed a DPM , and then laid a new sand/cement base before relaying the original tiles, this was around a week ago, I've noticed random tiles are loose, it was easy to lift one of the loose tiles and when I did I was suprised to find the tiles around the lifted one weren't stuck down either, what options to bond the tiles to the base are there ?. Thanks.

Paul

 

[White Room]

The fact a dpm was laid over earth bothers me, how long before the tiles were fixed after the the screed was laid and how thick was it, the screed that is...

 

[pauly]

I think I know what you mean about the DPM, the intention is/was to have the walls chemically damp proofed and bond the DPM to the walls. The screed was laid in sections approx 2-3ft wide across the width of the room and the tiles were laid before moving on to the next section, I'm not sure exactly how thick the screed is, I'd say around 3 inches.

 

[Andrew Case]

Sounds to me like the screed hasn't been allowed to dry. Should be left for a day per 1mm up to 40mm and then 0.5mm / day after that. (I think). One of the pro's will confirm.

 

[pauly]

Sounds to me like the screed hasn't been allowed to dry. Should be left for a day per 1mm up to 40mm and then 0.5mm / day after that. (I think). One of the pro's will confirm.

Thanks for the replies so far, I should have made it clear the quarry tiles were laid directly onto the sand/cement mix as it was put down, my mistake for using the term screed when it was sand/cement. I'm assuming if the mix was too dry the tiles wouldn't bond to it ?.

 

[nybor62]

i understand the method your builder has used , and by the sound of it he as done it wrong , did he use a cement slurry at all when fixing tiles

i reckon the floor will need to be redone , builders are not tilers , all though alot think they are , get your builder back out to sort it, or employ a tiler at your builders expense

 

[Andrew Case]

i understand the method your builder has used , and by the sound of it he as done it wrong , did he use a cement slurry at all when fixing tiles

i reckon the floor will need to be redone , builders are not tilers , all though alot think they are , get your builder back out to sort it, or employ a tiler at your builders expense

Beat me to it. I agree with this. I was taught that a slurry should be used and back butter the tiles perhaps?! Ill be set straight too shortly.

 

[pauly]

Hi again, I'd just like to know what I'm talking about when I let the builder know there is an issue. When I first lifted the tiles it was a struggle initially as they were well stuck down and I had to use a bolster chisel to remove the old base from some of them. Assuming all the tiles lift easily would it be possible to lift a section at a time and apply some slurry ?. Thanks all.

 

[nybor62]

any pics of the job please , might help us guide you better

 

[swanman]

Im confused now

Do they lift easy or are they well stuck down

If Thats the case take up the ones that are loose and leave the ones that are stuck. :8:

 

[Rizzle from the Portizzle]

if this was laid in sand and cement are the loose tiles a foot stride a part sounds like some one walked on them while still wet now the cement has gone off you will have to restick with s1 tile adhesive

 

[Time's Ran Out]

When Paul originally took up the tiles they were well fixed.
After cleaning they were 'laid' into a semi dry sand/cement screed by the builder.
As the tiles were not slurry backed for fixing, the process of tamping the tiles into the bed has brought moisture to the surface of the screed and when dried out the lack of adhesion has caused them to come loose.
You can use a green screed adhesive on the loose tiles to refix them but whether this will caused a slight height issue against those that remain is to be seen.
What has he grouted them with if they can be picked up?

 

[pauly]

When Paul originally took up the tiles they were well fixed.
After cleaning they were 'laid' into a semi dry sand/cement screed by the builder.
As the tiles were not slurry backed for fixing, the process of tamping the tiles into the bed has brought moisture to the surface of the screed and when dried out the lack of adhesion has caused them to come loose.
You can use a green screed adhesive on the loose tiles to refix them but whether this will caused a slight height issue against those that remain is to be seen.
What has he grouted them with if they can be picked up?

That's right, I removed the old base material from the bottom of the tiles but 1 or 2mm of the original cement grout remained on the sides of some tiles, trying to remove this old grout broke the tiles so not all the tiles were square, the idea was regrouting would fill any gaps. I was told a soft sand/cement mix was used for grouting but whether this was wet or dry I dont know.

 

[Time's Ran Out]

The sides could have been cleaned with an angle grinder!
Grout mix should have been fairly damp/wet and this may have helped in the keying.

 

[pauly]

Pics at the moment would just be of the tiled floor I'll try and get some when a few tiles are removed. The tile I just lifted had none of the new sand/cement base stuck to it. I'd estimate around 15% of the tiles are loose at the moment, pulling and sticking those may cure the problem or reveal a lot more non stuck tiles.:yikes: