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[Closed] Compensation for a Poor Tiling Job in Kitchen?
4 Years ago we had the kitchen extended and due to substandard ground work (suspended floor, poor tiling, incorrect materials used), we have had to have our kitchen floor completely taken out and done a fresh.
We have a kitchen of around 40sqm2 surface space.
The new floor consists of concrete, insulation blocks, wet underfloor pipes, screed and our new rectified porceline tiles (tiles alone cost us £1500).
The company we appointed for the renovaton of our kitchen along with the kitchen floor this time around were aware of our previous issues and therefore gave us a lot of reassurances/gurantees and proimised they would get this right for us.
When the screed finally went down, ready for the tiling, it was obvious the floor was not level.
The contract we had mentioned we should of had a decoupling membrane put down prior to tiling.
When the tiler started the job, no membrane was put down initally and the builders on the previous day forgot to trun off the underfloor heating, so the floor was very hot when he laid 15 tiles down (these tiles were lifted and relaid the next day).
That evening we inspected the work and sraight away identified -
1. The floor was uneven
2. The tiles were unevenly laid (lips and grout lines)
3. The tiles had hollow sounds in them ( as he was not back buttering them)
4. The height of the floor was higher then our passage and therefore they needed to use a threshhold big enough and at an angle to get away with the small step into the kitchen (I specifically asked for no steps into our ktichen).
The tiler/PM was notified about the issues and while they put a membrane down and some SLC, the completed tiled floor still has the same issues.
Most of the floor runs at a 3mm-4mm gradiant...
There are also many chips on the tiles (16 tiles) as when he kicked off the leveling clips, they created small chips in the tiles...
Due to these issues, initally the PM wanted to part ways without acknowldging the issues and he thought we was simply making a meal of things.
Since he has now visited the site, he has seen the issues and has sent us an email to compensate us £800 plus removing/replacing the tiles that have noticeable uneven lippage and grout lines (Is this posisble without damaging other tiles and the membrane?).
Do you all think this a good form of compensation?
We would request the whole floor gets redone but unfortunately our new kitchen is due to be fitted in by the kitchen company next week and we cannot have any more delays...
I'm no tiler but seems reasonable to me, I would be making sure though that if I accepted the offer and the remedial work was still not satisfactory then it would be redone at their own expense.
I would also not have tiled until the kitchen went in, now you run the risk of damaging what's already laid.
Sounds like a right mess to me level clips are used by amateurs
Any tiler who new his stuff would have walked when they saw the underfloor was on
I would not be happy
How long had the screed been down for before the heating was turned on.
I'm pretty sure we were told to wait around a month before fitting the tiles/turning the heating on to make sure the screed/concrete was fully dry.
around 2/3 weeks
sounds a bit soon to me but it does depend on what adhesive was used.
individual tiles can be removed without damageing others if your carefull about removing the grout but not sure about not damageing the membrane, decoupling membrane isn't normally needed on a newly screeded floor anyway.
km79
i normally tile after the kitchen has been fitted but done a few first and never had to go back to sort any damage by the kitchen fitters
We were told we needed the membrane due to the UFH and to prevent possible movement...
Decoupling membrane should always be used with underfloor heating the slap expands and contracts with the heat that's why a perimeter expansion joint is fitted for the screed to go against the expansion rate is small about 0.1 mm per M but enough to put cracks in tiles.
if you try to lift a tile with decoupling membrane below it can be very difficult if not impossible if it has been done correctly
Just get them to do it properly or you will always be looking at the problems. 800 would not convince me otherwise.
I had 2 bathrooms done and got them to redo a few tiles, they earn good money so get them to work to that standard.
I'm confused are you asking for compensation from the original work done 4 years ago or the latest attempt?
If it's the latest attempt surely you haven't paid them a penny yet anyhow ?
I AM a Tiler. I would be looking for compensation to the value of the whole job as it sounds a right mess IMO.
You say new screed? How thick was it, new screeds should be left to dry for 1 day/mm of thickness. Underfloor heating should be off for a week before hand idealy.
I don't see any need for a decouple membrane on UFH as long as flexible adhesive and grout have been used, unless it's a huge area, in which case movement joints should be used.
The tiling job sounds poor to be honest, I don't know any professional tilers that would use lash clips. You are unlikely to be able to neatly remove tiles that are in decouple membrane as the stick very well and it usually pulls the membrane up too.
I read it as £800 plus the remedial works being done. If that's the case then that seems decent to me!
unless they make a dogs dinner of the remedial works too....
was this job not done awhile ago and it was filmed so you could keep an eye on progress, i thought the whole job was completed weeks ago
the hollow sound would worry me. de coupling cant be a bad thing as it helps with lateral movement, nothing wrong with using clips, i have used them before mostly just to see what they were like,
after you made them take a few up at the start you would thought a bit more care would have been taken, especially when de spacing
it will be possible to lift tiles without damaging others , in fact i would demand that happen due too hollows, if it damges decoupling replace when needed , the slc should and thats not a defo should save the under floor heating