Best Posts in Thread: Price for Tile Installation?

Here is a video on how to fix in place.

 

Hope this isnt off topic.

I once employed lots of Filipino workers, so called skilled workers. Brought them to Australia to work and hand selected every one of them in Manila and Dubai. Did this a fair while and best thing I ever did in my business.

The key was retrain them, be patient, be respectful. Most of them want to learn, all wanted to work.

If you don't treat them well you don't get results.

In my younger days I did some tiling, a few houses that I flipped. I know what's involved, I know how to square a room off and how to lay the first tile. Its not rocket science and with some patience if you know what you are talking about it cannot be that hard to teach a local tiler.

P.S. Dont bring this up when I build in Pi one day and have all sorts of issues...

 

It would not be of much use to keep spare tiles to replace ones that are faulty especially if there is a few to be fixed, that would suggest the whole floor is suspect? when you chip away the broken parts of the faulty one the next tile to that will likely come loose and usually there are 4 tiles surrounding the faulty one, I know this as I have tried it and failed and had to replace the whole floor.

 

If the floor is not level, use a self-leveling mix or (my preference) a mud bed to level and bring to height. Many folks try to get by with cement for a tile adhesive, which is either due to cost, uneven floor or both; the tiles won't bond correctly and will pop up. Once things are level use a quality tile adhesive and your tile floor should last for a very long time.

Shawn

 

With some training and correct supervision these guys can work as well as anyone and turn out a decent job. What tends to be lacking is the training and supervision, then the "supervisor" has the audacity to blame the labourer.

 

You are 100% correct especially when you say they have no other choice, what else is there for someone who has been educated to the standard of a 10yr old in a first world country, you have got to work with these Guys to know just how bad they really are!

 

I'll add tip number 3 to Skipjack's list.
If the adhesive starts to get too thick to use throw it out.
Don't allow the tilers to add water to make it usable. The adhesive undergoes a chemical change as it sets. Adding water will not reverse the reaction.

 

This is very true.

I have seen so many tiles pop up here in the Philippines. There are two issues.

1) The locals use cement instead of tile adhesive when installing tiles.

2) When using cement, they do not wet the tiles with water first. Cement needs water to cure. If you place cement onto a dry surface that can absorb moisture. The dry surface will absorb the water from the thin layer of cement that is touching it. The rest of the cement will cure fine but the very thin layer touching the dry material will not have enough water to cure properly. Therefore will will not stick as well.