Tile Lippage - TilersForums.com

[PLFLOOD]

Hi,

We have recently had our house extended and the kitchen replaced. As part of this work, the builder laid underfloor heating and laided tiles over this covering an area of 48 square metres. However after the grouting was complete, it became apparant that at least 20% of the tiles showed significent "lipping" and a lot of the grout is uneven resulting in edges of the porcelain tiles being exposed making it uncomfortable to walk on without shoes.

The builder insists that there are only 3 tiles with lipping which is definitely not the case.

One major risk is that if any tiles that are lifted, may damage the two underfloor heating mats. The cost of the underfloor heating, tiles and the builders labour cost came to a total of £***. We still owe him £*** but I am very reluctant to settle this until he completes the work to my satisfaction.

Can you please help as the builder wants to be paid on Friday morning and I am reluctant to do so.

Regards,

Paul

 

[Ian]

Can you post a couple of pictures please, so we can see what you do.

 

[Jackie0802]

I am having a similar problem with 67m2 floor which now has to all come up after being down for less than 5 months. Unfortunately we had paid for the work before the problem was evident and it now looks as though we will be going to court to recover costs of remedial work. You will never be in a better position than you are right now to get the job put right because you still owe money. If you have a genuine complaint (no offence, but sometimes people will invent or exagerate problems just to avoid payment) then it should be put right before you pay any more IMO. A good professional will want a satisfied custmer, which is the best form of advertisment after all.

 

[Andy Allen]

did the builder use a self leveling compound over the UFH..?

 

[DHTiling]

Pay no more money till you get satisfaction .. this is what you get when builders do a professional trade that they have no idea what they are doing.

 

[afright]

I am having a similar problem with 67m2 floor which now has to all come up after being down for less than 5 months. Unfortunately we had paid for the work before the problem was evident and it now looks as though we will be going to court to recover costs of remedial work. You will never be in a better position than you are right now to get the job put right because you still owe money. If you have a genuine complaint (no offence, but sometimes people will invent or exagerate problems just to avoid payment) then it should be put right before you pay any more IMO. A good professional will want a satisfied custmer, which is the best form of advertisment after all.

You have got to take all the floor up, didnt you check the floor as the work progressed?

 

[mcarthurtiling]

I wouldnt pay another penny until your satisfied. Maybe get a local tiler in to give his opinion.

 

[Jackie0802]

You have got to take all the floor up, didnt you check the floor as the work progressed?

No, this was a new build so the house was still being worked on. We were there the first day to discuss how the tiles were going to be set out. We were told the tiling would take 4 - 5 days but when we went back on day 3 it was complete and being grouted. Although we think the grout line is too wide, we could live with it. We cant live with tiles that are so unlevel that you trip over them, and the depth of the grout is so low that it is painful to walk across the floor in bare feet because the edges of the tiles are sharp, esecially where the grout line is very wide. The tiler has replaced 20 (600 x 600) of the tiles. This has made it worse because a) the tiles are a completely different colour to the rest b) most of them are even more uneven than the original c) taking the old ones out caused 18 surounding tiles to get chipped, this is on top of about 7 others that were chipped from the original installation. We purchased an Exact tool for the tiler to use to get the grout out but the grout line is so wide that the tool is useless. There are just too many seperate problems to overcome and there is only so much upheaval we are prepared to go through. We have given the tiler free reign to put this right, and we have borne the full cost of that too so we have really tried to be fair....My origianl thread gives a bit more details:....http://www.tilersforums.com/tiling-forum/62840-british-standard-grout-line.html

 

[White Room]

We need pictures to make an opinion....

 

[pete f]

jackie im sure bs for grout gap on floors is 4mm