Uneven floor tiling job - not yet paid

breaking_free · 17 March 2017 at 7:11PM

I have a local company fitting my kitchen at the moment. I've used this company before to knock through a wall and was happy with their work, hence why I've got them back. The single kitchen fitter they've supplied and the electrician are sterling blokes and I have no complaints about them at all.

However, their boss has laid the floor tiles today and I've come home from work and seen his efforts. I'm not impressed. The tiles are visibly uneven in multiple places by a millimeter or two. I put a level on the floor to check his handiwork and the tiles are not even close to flat. To be fair, looking down on them from a standing viewpoint they look okay, but if you eyeball them when lying on the floor they are not - this represents a potential trip hazard so the problem is more than cosmetic.

I prepped the floor myself with self-leveling compound and reckon I did a good job of getting it flat. When I tell this guy that I'm not happy with the uneven tiles he may well say 'Well I didn't prep the floor to make it flat so if it's uneven that's your fault'. But I would expect any professional tiler to put a level on the floor like I did and check the flatness himself before starting work, no?

I'm uncertain what to say to this guy. Once the grouting's done it will smooth out the unevenness to some extent, but the floor is simply not flat. I don't want him to rip it up and start again; I don't believe it can be flattened out either. I guess I'll have to settle for an apology and something knocked off the price, but how do I say this?

All advice gratefully received.

FreeBear · 18 March 2017 at 12:58AM

breaking_free wrote: »

Once the grouting's done it will smooth out the unevenness to some extent, but the floor is simply not flat. I don't want him to rip it up and start again

The grout will not improve matters in the slightest. If the edges of the tiles are raised, they will still look a mess. There are several floor tile leveling systems on the market, and in the hands of a DIYer, can produce a pretty flat floor. In the hands of an experienced expert, the floor would be perfect.

Even after a discount, every time you look at, or catch your toe on the floor, you'll think "bodge job" and think about having it redone - If you are quick, the tiles should come up with minimal damage. But if you wait for the adhesive to harden, it will be next to impossible.

breaking_free · 18 March 2017 at 5:52AM

Thanks FreeBear.

He hasn't even used spacers except towards the edges of the wall. I need some advice on what to say to this guy. Any ideas?

andyhop · 18 March 2017 at 8:47AM

Floor adhesive is generally rapid set flexi. Cures in 3hrs. You will have zero chance of lifting without breaking every tile

Just because you've poured self leveller does not mean it's flat and level. This is not a job for the part time DIYer. Large tiles , brick bonded need to be 110% otherwise you will get lippage

You need to put up a few images and the pros on here will give you good advice

breaking_free · 18 March 2017 at 9:07AM

Tile on top right is higher than the others (there are some much worse examples but the light is too poor to get a good shot).

Here's an example of not using a spacer on the bottom right tile. Nice blob of adhesive decorating one of the others too! He's only used spacers for the tiles at the edges of the floor. There are no spacers at all used in the rest of the floor.

I agree that I might not have gotten the floor 100% level but it looked good to me and he said nowt about it. Surely any tiler checks the level of the floor before starting? If it's way out I'd expect him to level it and charge me for it. Alternatively, if it's only a bit out he could adjust the depth of the adhesive as he places each tile.

I did my own tiling for my bathroom walls but decided to pay a professional to do my kitchen floor; I did this specifically because I was worried I wouldn't get the tiles perfectly flat (not so noticeable on a wall, but very noticeable on a floor when you trip over it!)

Annie1960 · 18 March 2017 at 9:31AM

You ask what you should say to the tiler.

Google 'Consumer Rights Act 2015' and this will tell you services need to be delivered with reasonable care and skill. The photos show that they are not laid with skill.

If you want someone who can talk you through what to do, you could ring the Citizens' Advice consumer line.

Basically, you can ask him for 'repeat performance' of the service (take the tiles up and start again), or a discount off the price.

A dispute may arise if he claims the problem is due to the preparation work you did, and he may even say that he warned you the end result may not be level.

However, you are in a strong position as you have not yet paid.

firefox1956 · 18 March 2017 at 9:51AM

The bloke that laid those tiles is not a tiler.......he is a bodger.
That job would annoy the h*ll out of me for years to come.

Mr.Generous · 18 March 2017 at 9:51AM

Picture paints 1000 words, from the description I wasn't sure if you were just being picky. That's not good enough for any professional job sorry. Needs re-doing.

missile · 18 March 2017 at 10:59AM

That is shockingly bad workmanship. A ham fisted DIYer could do better. Tell him that is not satisfactory and you want the floor replaced at his cost. Do not pay him until job is completed to your satisfaction.

If he refuses get a proper tiler to redo and deduct cost from his invoice.

You really should not have done levelling yourself. Preparation is vital to good finish. However, if tradesman should have checked your workmanship before he started.

breaking_free · 18 March 2017 at 11:49AM

Thanks for all your replies. I'm not at all pleased with the result: your opinions back up mine.

I'm going to see about contacting another tiler to put things right as I don't have confidence that the original tiler would do a better job the second time around.

missile · 18 March 2017 at 12:50PM

You will have to give the bodger an opportunity to repair or pay him for his work.

Uneven floor tiling job - not yet paid

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