OK, so I've never tiled before so I learned everything I could find out and bought all the stuff and put it on. One tile was higher than the next one, and I discovered the tiles vary in thickness by 1 or 2 mm. Thay are cut slate. Very expensive I believe. I always wondered how tilers get their tiles all the same height. The answer is to have tiles that are the same thickness!
tigra,
Feb 25, 8:51pm
Agree with #2 a good layer of adhesive should be enough to keep a uniform height. Personally I have never noticed a difference in height. However laying Cork tiles I have noticed a variation in size.Only a 1mm makes a lot of difference over a row of 10 cork tiles.
maclad,
Feb 26, 3:37am
1 or 2 mm variance is quite a bit. Could you have bought two or more different batch lots. I know with paint, wool, fabrics etc that there are differences in colour with different batch lots. Perhaps with tiles and different batches there will be thickness variences. Maybe you need to go back to your supplier with some questions because that seems, to me, to be unacceptable. All the tiles I have purchased have always been the same thickness.
pauldw,
Feb 26, 5:23am
Are you also talking about slate! Being a split natural product it will have more variation than manufactured ceramic tiles.
lazeeboy,
Feb 26, 6:45am
It's unfortunate you found out that way.
Ideally, and to avoid this. natural slate would be wet laid on a thick bed of modified sand cement (you shouldn't use bagged or bucket adhesive with a notch trowel for this application)and gently knock them down to height with a rubber mallet using a long straight edge or such across the top to keep the lippage to a minimum.
I usually colour the mix with oxide so I can lay and point at the same time as it saves going back to finish later.
Natural stone should also be pre sealed before laying.
trade4us2,
Feb 26, 7:40am
I see I should have asked in here before I laid the tiles. I already had cement and sand. I have just discovered that the adhesive that I bought does not stick to the tiles at all. I can lift them all up. The adhesive manufacturer claimed that it was suitable for slate. Maybe I'll phone them tomorrow.
trade4us2,
Feb 26, 7:43am
The tiles were free, left over from a large expensive house. I have spent rather more than I wanted to make a concrete base and sealer and adhesive. It just never occurred to me to check the tile thickness.
eagles9999,
Feb 26, 7:50am
Was it a TM auction! Perhaps thats why they were left over! I should think you have a claim of sorts against the seller if they didnt disclose the difference in height. Its not the sort of thing you would ask in Q&A
lazeeboy,
Feb 26, 8:52am
Ahh well that is lucky indeed!
Use plenty of kemcrete. It's a multi purpose additive/plaster modifier, use it 1/1 with water to pre seal the down side of stone before laying, mix 1/3 with water for the thick set.
Hope this can be of help.
trade4us2,
Feb 26, 9:49am
I was advised by Mite10 to use Kemgrip, and was not told to use anything else with it. I told them that they were slate tiles. I guess they were wrong. Now I have a large bag of Kemgrip that I will probably not use for anything else.
lazeeboy,
Feb 26, 9:55pm
It's a pity, I get this sort of thing all the time. Another case of improperly trained sales person.
I'm assuming they didn't sell you floor primer and something else to pre seal the tiles with before laying! Kemgrip should be fine (if expensive) on a primed slab and sealed (and probably even unsealed) tiles (But pre seal before install because they suck up moisture AND it aids the bond)
I bet my money if you were point the finger at them for the adhesive failure and their excuse after a day or a few hours will be : You didn't follow the manufacturer specs blah blah.Common in the sales industry when they stuff it up.
My thoughts for others is to seek advice from reputable installers for this type of thing, even if it means being straight up honest over the phone that you want to DIY and offer to pay for an hours consultation. Then go over the correct method of install, and take notes.
trade4us2,
Mar 26, 6:56pm
OK, I went to Mitre 10 and said I know nothing about tiles, and I had slate tiles and bought what they advised, which was Kemgrip. On the bag it says 'For fixing ceramic, slate, marble ." and "Kemgrip Floor & Wall will adhere most tiles, however when fixing vitrified or non-porous tiles, additional bond is required by adding . Kemcrete". It didn't occur to me that slate was considered non-porous. I already said I know nothing bout tiles. They should have said something about Kemcrete and they didn't.
Now I will have to do the whole job over again and chisel off all the Kemgrip. I will find some alternative adhesive.
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