What went wrong

[CrazyHorse]

Hi, a few years ago we had an extension built and the tiler recommended by the builder did our bathroom. He wasn't the best.

Since then, the floor has been getting gradually looser, so I decided to take it up and redo it myself. We had electric ufh put in, then large porcelain tiles 600x600x10. The base of the floor is chipboard panels, as I said in a recently built extension, the electric ufh looks like a wire only (no mesh), it looks like he's stuck down the wire with bits of adhesive here and there, then tiled over that, but it looks more dot and dab than even everywhere. I'm pretty sure he used Bal flexible adhesive.

What do you think went wrong?

Im going to redo it, so assuming I can get it all up without damaging the wires (a big if), reading on here I should put I thin layer of slc on then use flexible adhesive evenly. I'm worried that it's the floor itself and it will happen again. I don't have a lot of space to play with so can't afford to put a layer of thick plywood down.

Advice greatly appreciated.

 

[bsc ceramics]

Did he not over board the chipboard floor? any pictures to give us a better idea?

 

[CrazyHorse]

this photo is typical:


No over-boarding. wire and adhesive straight onto the chipboard floor.

The adhesive hasn't really bonded to the tile either.
Large gaps where there is no adhesive at all.

Absolute cowboy! He'd done the floor and half the walls by the time I noticed other problems. We fell out quite quickly after that and he walked away.

The adhesive is really thick on one side of the room but I think Its still least 12mm (chipboad to bottom of the existing tile) at the shallowest end, so maybe I can get 9mm plywood and a thin adhesive?

 

[Dave]

No over-boarding. wire and adhesive straight onto the chipboard floor.

this photo is typical:


The adhesive hasn't really bonded to the tile either.
Large gaps where there is no adhesive at all.

Absolute cowboy! He'd done the floor and half the walls by the time I noticed other problems. We fell out quite quickly after that and he walked away.

😳😳😳 jeeeeeez!

 

[CrazyHorse]

I'm not that bothered about the underfloor heating, it was a nice idea but we've hardly ever turned it on since it was installed. I'll be amazed if I can recover it anyway.

 

[bsc ceramics]

Thats just as well as dont think you will save it. floor needs to come up and be overboarded
with tile backer board if you want a heat mat something like thermopanel is a good one but get a pro tiler to do it who comes recommended so basicly start again, never ever tile straight on a chip board floor. sorry 🙁

 

[Wishiwasatoptiler]

Thats awful. Chipboard, i bet he never primed it first either. How bad. If you do, use a mat that carrys the loose wire system, this is fixed with thin bed of addy, floor primed, but don't go direct on chipboard, use a hardie board first.