Hello,
I am currently in the middle of having my bathroom floor and (part) walls, kitchen floor and splashback retiled. When reading the following please bear in mind I'm a single, quite little, young woman.
My tiler appears to have finished upstairs
My bathroom currently has no bathroom door as he tiled on top of original tiles as he couldn't get the old ones up, so I think the door needs to be shortened, but he has just left it leaning up against the wall. I bought a new shower door for my walk in shower but he has tiled over where the original door was hung into the plaster/brick wall, so now I'll have to drill through his tiling,(drilling through tile scares me that I'm going to do it wrong and crack the tiles). I've no shower head, or temperature control knobs either (I wasn't watching when he took them off to be able to know what washer etc. goes where or how they were fixed to attempt to put them back on myself).
I had a semi pedestal basin with wings that I bought a replacement for (the original had four bolts that went into the wooden frame on the wall, the new one has two. My tiler has tiled over the wood frame that the basin bolts will go into. He said he could fit the basin but it will be extra. I then said if I measured it, could he just drill the holes through the tiles but he said he'd "need a special drill bit you see" (is it weird that a tiler wouldn't have a drill bit that went through tiles?) or is he just being difficult and trying to get more money out of me?
I asked that he take the skirting boards off (probably about 3 metres in total) as the floor would look nicer tiled up the the wall but he said he hadn't allowed for that. I said he had allowed for taking up the bathroom floor which he then didn't do, so surely that cancels it out. He then got moody and I gave in and said not to, but he still gave me the silent/one word answer treatment all day.
There are tiles that are totally unmatched hue wise to the ones next to them (as in your eyes are drawn to significantly darker or lighter tile from the ones directly next to each other in certain areas). He has done this today with the kitchen floor as well.
Sorry to bang on. Am I being unreasonable to think that if he took a shower door off he'd put one back on, even if it's a different one? If he took the bathroom door off, he'd put it back on even though he'd have to shorten it a bit? If he took the shower knobs off he'd put them back on? etc. etc. or that he'd look at how one tile looked next to the surrounding ones before fixing it forever?
P.s Roughly how much can I expect to be charged for putting these things (doors/basin) right? I know I can't ask him to sort the tiles as they're down and he's going two days over his estimated time already.
Thank you, Sorry, it's so long :) Thank you
Are you a tradesperson and able to answer this question?
Your tiler is a p*** taker.Firstly he should have told you exactly what sort of state you would be left in once he was done ie no door,basin etc (i dont know anyone that would leave a job like this).Secondly HE OWES YOU something if he has charged to remove the floor tiles and make the surface good enough to tile on again as this is quite a bit of work that he has managed to avoid.Thirdly,it matters little how much he has over run by if his price was a QUOTE not an estimate.He is obliged to see it through to the end.This bloke has no morals or only half a brain cell and i think that you are being taken for a ride.I think that you should get someone else to take a look and tell you the value of what he has done before you pay him as i suspect it is a poor job and well over priced.
Answered2 September 2012
12
Anonymous user
Hiya,
To be fair, tilers are just tilers ... We do alot of bathrooms and re-furbs and we only use the tiler to tile, we remove all fixings, doors etc and its up to us to put it all back together, plain the door down etc, and also drill into the tiles for new shower screens, basins etc.
There are special tile bits needed for drilling certain tiles, but most tilers don't need them as they only tile and don't 2nd fix appliances. Was you given a quote on paper and if so did it specify what he was and wasn't going to do?
You probably need a local plumber or someone capable of putting your shower back together and drilling out for your screen. So I don't think he is making your life hell on purpose he just probably can't do what you need him to do.
Hope this helps
Mark
It sounds to me that he us not a very good tiler, and not being very help full. if you are not happy with the work you have a rite not to pay the full amount till it is fixed, every tiler will have a drill bit to drill into tiles and to buy one costs about £10 no more, to plan a bot of the door and re-fit will take no more then 10-15 miniutes, and if he is not taking the floor tiles up that should of saved him a whole day!! I would get a builder/bathroom fitter in and see what they say.. Hope this is help full.
Peter
Answered2 September 2012
3
Anonymous user
if you have it in writing that he was taking up the floor then thats what he should have done. tough on him that they didn't come up easily he should have priced to allow for it. the fact that the door now doesn't fit is therefore his fault. the shower door is your responsibility as the any other bathroom furniture if it was a tiling only price he gave you.
probably didn't show what he was pricing for clearly enough in his quote and now your both at logger heads. best to try and talk too each other to find a compromise.
this all depends what was agreed in the begining/quote and whether it was in writing,if he said he would remove the old tiles then he should have, if this was not the case then he should have told you that the door would have to be shortened(not a job many tilers will do), the same goes for refitting the basin and shower door although a decent tradseperson would have taken measurements of existing fixing points before overtiling,I hope that by overtiling that the door will still fit over the tray for sealing purposes, hope this helps, regards Terry.
Yes he is !!! bathroom should be finished by your tiler to high standard and ready to use at all , if you have to employ somebody or do it yourself to get your bathroom usable it is mean to me that his job wasn't properly done.
I would say he is making your life difficult and if he removes something it should be refitted.
The tiles should match and he shoukd be putting the doors and sink back on at no extra charge.
The problem you face that all works should have been agreed pre-contract. I always provide a schedule of works so that there can be no misunderstandings by either party.
Ditch him!
First of all what is he getting strop for ? silly man . All your tiles should match if your not happy tell him to remove it and replace it . Most tillers will not replace removed items they tile that's there job he was employed to tile . They all have drills and there not special drills . But if you first agreed he will replace then he must . Its never to late to replace a tile it should not be left if your not happy it will be a thorn in your side every time you go there . skirting it should not be a problem as you say he never took the floor up that you employed him to do saving him time and your money . Sit down with the man and talk to him you still hold money right ? you should have the money is your ace .
