What's the best tip/trick/advice you were ever given? - Tile Advice

[cornsack]

Someone asked this question over on the plasterers forum and it ended up being a great thread. I think we all learned a thing or two, even the veterans.

So let's hear it....

 

[Bill]

Always clean your buckets out.

 

[Spare Tool]

... don't stick first tile on till you know where last will land.

 

[Andy Allen]

Don't eat yellow snow.... .... blah...

 

[Dan]

Never listen to just one tiler on how they do it, and fixate on that. Ask several, collate all their ways, and make up your own way to do it involving the best bits of them all.

That's perhaps coming less possible these days as products come out that have very specific installation instructions and specs etc? - Not sure.

Could be a very good thread.

We've had a few come and go like this over the years. I should find them and link to them from this and see if our advice has changed over the years. That's for another day when I'm not so busy lol

 

[Tony_C]

Treat every job as if it were your own, regardless of customers budget it could still be their dream bathroom/kitchen. Not so much a tip but the attitude to have to your jobs

 

[Dan]

Still a tip I would say.

 

[cornsack]

Treat every job as if it were your own, regardless of customers budget it could still be their dream bathroom/kitchen. Not so much a tip but the attitude to have to your jobs

So get up late, start late, take multiple breaks and waste hours cooking a three course meal for lunch.

That's how I normally treat jobs at home!

 

[H573]

These are two that have helped me.

The dog tooth method ( that I learnt on here ) has been really handy, particularly with mosaic.
I also got shown the ‘Flip’ method, put tile you’re wanting to cut face to the wall, Mark on the back where cut is to be made. Flip the tile back towards you, transfer marks to face of tile, cut. And it fits perfect, comes in handy for cutting first course in, I’ve used it a lot( most probably use laser level now, and start with first course, I don’t have one yet)
Probably teaching a granny how to suck eggs with these, but I like them.

 

[cornsack]

These are two that have helped me.

The dog tooth method ( that I learnt on here ) has been really handy, particularly with mosaic.
I also got shown the ‘Flip’ method, put tile you’re wanting to cut face to the wall, Mark on the back where cut is to be made. Flip the tile back towards you, transfer marks to face of tile, cut. And it fits perfect, comes in handy for cutting first course in, I’ve used it a lot( most probably use laser level now, and start with first course, I don’t have one yet)
Probably teaching a granny how to suck eggs with these, but I like them.

What's the 'dog tooth' method?

 

[H573]

Hopefully this is the link Pictures - Dog tooth method / rebate - https://www.tilersforums.com/threads/dog-tooth-method-rebate.38221/

If it hasn’t loaded just search dog tooth on here and you should find it. It will explain it better than I can.👍🏼

What's the 'dog tooth' method?

:

 

[Bond]

When l started working on site as a 15 year old, my first day a guy said, I’ll give you some advise laddie, keep your hands out of your pockets, keep your eyes and ears open and your mouth shut and we’ll get on just fine. There were a lot of hard men about in those days, if you looked at them the wrong way you’d get a swift kick up the backside.

 

[Time's Ran Out]

345 triangle or buy a cross vial laser!

 

[Dougs Third Go]

345 triangle or buy a cross vial laser!

with all those long victorian corridors I'd have thought you'd be more of a 5,12,13 man TJ

 

[One Day]

When I started tiling 13 years ago, I met PJ from Manchester on a bal day. He told me that if I always, always did a great job, no matter what, even if I ended up out of pocket, that in 4 years I would never have to look for work again.
He was absolutely right.

He understood the cycle.