Tell me how you feel about the floor tiling in our bathrooms

royalblue · Mar 12, 2008 5:40 pm

ahuang

I am interested in finding out more info about this "grout seal" thing. Will throw that question to builder for confirmation.

I also noticed there are some companies offering "grout colouring" service, which I assume could be a solution for this -- at my builder's cost of course..

Last thing we heard from supervisor is, he is going to arrange for the cleaner to somehow scrape the top thin layer from the grout and then apply some coating on top to see if that fix it. As a "proper" handling of work like this would take ages and the chance of unnecessary damages to the titles is quite high, we are a bit reluctant to go this path but looks like there's no other option available.

Grout colorant from Aquamix is an excellent product. As long as the grout is in good physical condition, it is a good remedy to this situation. It is a one part epoxy, and very durable. For best application, contact Aquamix for a trained applicator who can do it for you.

The scraping idea sounds wrought with problems!

Doesn't sound a good idea, more like a band-aid remedy that may not last long. I would NOT accept it!

Not sure, but A'nge might even be able to inspect it for you, and give you a concrete verdict of what the best remedy is (for a fee of course). I'm sure he will be happy to look at pics by email, and give some advice though.

Ash.

jamiet · Mar 12, 2008 6:42 pm

I just got a quote of somewhere between $400 and $600 (depending on the amount of sealant used) to professionally seal the grout in two bathrooms. The contractor is in Sydney and PM me for details if interested.

royalblue · Mar 12, 2008 7:00 pm

http://www.aquamix.com.au/technicians/a ... sydney.php

The link above gives you quite a list of applicators in the Sydney area.

Yak_Chat · Mar 13, 2008 12:15 am

Alan, Cant beliéve that is new grout.

My current place is 30 years old and the original grout in my bathroom is far better than that.

Yes it must be tough being a builder these days with everyone criticing your work, wanting to pay you nothing, and expecting the earth, but that job looks below standard.
Steve

royalblue · Mar 13, 2008 12:39 am

jamiet

I just got a quote of somewhere between $400 and $600 (depending on the amount of sealant used) to professionally seal the grout in two bathrooms. The contractor is in Sydney and PM me for details if interested.

Hi Jamiet,

For those figures to have any meaning at all, it would be necessary to specify just what was being quoted on.

Did they inspect or quote over the phone?
Was it just floor tiles or walls as well?
What type of sealer (any warranties)?
Did they specify the square metres?

Ash.

jamiet · Mar 13, 2008 8:16 am

Hi RoyalBlue,

The quote was based on a flat rate for labour and then another rate per Litre of sealant used. Each litre covered about 30 square metres.

I don't know what the sealant is, but this guy was recommended by my tile supplier. He does all their showrooms and is an approved applicator of whatever the sealant is. The deal comes with a warranty but I'll confirm the details of everything before I go ahead.

Cheers,
Jamie

sammy · Mar 13, 2008 3:51 pm

Oh dear,
I hope they fix this up as we are also building with Allcastle! I think Allcastle has to fix this up- it is their contractors after all! They may have to redo the whole lot to make the tiles even! My father-in-law does his own bathroom reno and it is not that easy to remove grout only without damaging tiles.
Good luck

davinci · Mar 13, 2008 4:23 pm

the shower base grout looks like just white wash sand and cement not interior/bathroom grout, straight white sand and cement grout stains quite easily

if you get a nail and run it along the grout with a little pressure and it turns to powder etc easily then it probably is white sand and cement

ahuang · Mar 14, 2008 9:11 am

sammy

Oh dear,
I hope they fix this up as we are also building with Allcastle! I think Allcastle has to fix this up- it is their contractors after all! They may have to redo the whole lot to make the tiles even! My father-in-law does his own bathroom reno and it is not that easy to remove grout only without damaging tiles.
Good luck

Sammy,

Our supervisor already said they will do something about it, I just like to have a second opinion from friends from this forum.

So far, AllCastle has been quite good and quick in fixing things --- problem is, we have to pick up the problem first, otherwise they will just treat it as done.

There's another house in Eastwood also by AllCastle, an Indian family, who just had their handover on Monday (10/3), we visited their house and their bathroom has exactly the same grout problem like us (done by the same tiler??). But as they accepted it, I don't think our builder will do anything about it.

ahuang · Mar 14, 2008 9:18 am

davinci

the shower base grout looks like just white wash sand and cement not interior/bathroom grout, straight white sand and cement grout stains quite easily

if you get a nail and run it along the grout with a little pressure and it turns to powder etc easily then it probably is white sand and cement

So in your opinion, does this mean that it has not been "sealed" properly, or does this mean that the wrong material been used, or something else??

Are you able to provide some further info about what's the different between "interior/bathroom grout" and "none interior/bathroom grout"? Thanks!

sammy · Mar 14, 2008 9:20 am

Thanks Allan. Unfortunately, I am not as observant as you, plus I have 3 kids under the age of 4 and no babysitter. So everytime I go and check the site, they have to come along-may be hard once they start construction.
Keep us updated with what remedy Allcaslte comes up with. Would they retile the whole floor?

ahuang · Mar 14, 2008 9:32 am

sammy

Thanks Allan. Unfortunately, I am not as observant as you, plus I have 3 kids under the age of 4 and no babysitter. So everytime I go and check the site, they have to come along-may be hard once they start construction.
Keep us updated with what remedy Allcaslte comes up with. Would they retile the whole floor?

In that case you got to be more careful with the children's safety then the condition of the construction when you are on-site. Construction sites are not child-safe area...

Yes, I will keep everyone informed about the status.

"retile"? that's not possible!

donuts · Mar 31, 2008 9:05 pm

Have you got a resolution on this yet allan? I hope it all works out. I would be upset if my tiles looked like that too.

ahuang · Apr 01, 2008 10:01 am

We checked during the weekend and it's still the same.

We got 2 tilers to give us a quote on kitchen floor tiling and also to give us come comments on the bathroom floor tiling and they both reckon the tiler who did our bathroom floor tile didn't mix the cement properly...

Meeting the supervisor and area manager this Wednesday and wait and see what they going to say about this. If they don't fix it, we definitely not going to accept it, and I will publish it on my blog as it's taking too long for this issue.

ahuang · Apr 04, 2008 4:22 pm

The issue sort of fixed, they added a light brown colour coating on top of the grout.

I have added this post on my blog with the details:
http://building-our-first-house.blogspot.com/2008/04/progress110-1-tiling-issue-resolved.html

But we are still not very happy about the quality of the tiling job, still a few uneven tiles, badly cut tiles here and there....

chuth77 · Apr 14, 2008 9:11 pm

Personally, it looks like the grout hasn't been mixed properly or consitently. Grout colour can vary tremendously dependant on how much water is in the mix, and how much water is used in the cleanup also.

As you say the grout isn't too much of an issue, by the looks you could do a skim coat over the top to give a much better finish.

My biggest problem would be the tile installation itself. For a new house that is pathetic... I'd suggest checking how well the tiles have been stuck as well. Are there any that are "drummy"? Grab a stick and tap each and every tile, you'll soon find if any aren't covered by adhesive underneath!

Grout Perfect · Jun 03, 2008 7:48 am

Just thought I would add a few things here it is caused by dirty sand thats what causes it to look different there are so many types of sanded grouts out there some worse than others.

There is only one choice to fix this DO NOT SKIM COAT you can colour seal it to what ever colour you like it make it look brand new and also contains a sealer. The first thing I would do is run my finger up and down the grout line can you feel any sand coming loose if so than a re grout is the only option if not than colour sealing is the best option for more info see my website www.groutperfect.net.au.

Craig

dhess · Jul 18, 2008 5:38 pm

I know I am probably a bit late but thought as a tiler I would chime in.

The entire job is entirely unacceptable!

As far as grout colour and inconsistency is concerned most grouts contain grey cement and some colour variation is to be expected as a result of efforvescense. What you have is completely off the scale. Like mentioned by other users, the ammount of water used in mixing and clean up has an impact.

Its almost certain that your excuse for a tiler made the mix far too runny and used an excessively wet sponge in the cleanup and/or didn't wait anywhere near long enough for the grout to slightly harden before commencing washup.

Like previously mentioned simply topping the grout up is at best a bandaid solution and won't stand the test of time. New grout will not reliably bond to the previously applied grout. For grout to be durable you ideally want the depth of the joint to be at least two thirds of the width.

The lippage (uneveness) in your tiles is also not acceptable. Slight lippage is unavoidable on larger floor tiles in a wet are where a fall needs to be made. After all you can't bend tiles. What is visible in the pics is too much and is just sloppy workmanship. It would also be interesting to see if the foors drained with out leaving any puddling.

As for the inconsistent grout joint widths it is apparent from your photos that the tiles are dimensionally inconsistent from one box to another. This quite normal in unrectified tiles and can be quite bad with cheaper tiles. It is the role of the tiler to minimise how noticeable it is. The joint width looks to be slightly on the narrow side for the tile type. Wider joints will help in concealing irregularities. These problems can also largely be eliminated by mixing tiles from 5 or 6 boxes when laying. This ensures that one row isn't taken from a box of tiles that are slightly smaller and then the tiles used in the next row might all be slightly larger and you don't end up with any room for joins and the tiles are out.

The chipped tiles are also completely unacceptable.

Another big no no is grouting the internal angles between floor and wall and floor and hob. Also the gap between the vanity and floor tile shouldn't be grouted. All of these should be finished in a colour matched silicone.

Also the tiny narrow bit of tile along the wall next to the shower screen is just bad workmanship. This can easily be avoided with careful layout.

In my view the only way of truly rectifying these problems is to rip everything out down to the studs and start again.

If your builder doesn't come to the party take it to the BSA and him and his tiler will have their arses handed to them on a silver platter.

Paula · Jul 18, 2008 6:35 pm

Firstly welcome dhess,

Thanks for your advise on this matter - (even though its not my thread :wink:

), I wonder if ahuang can give us an update??

ahuang · Jul 21, 2008 11:19 am

Thanks for your advice dhess, wish we have known you earlier!

The only update I have on the tile is this post on my blog: http://building-our-first-house.blogspot.com/2008/04/progress115-smart-way-in-improving.html
They did add an extra coating on top and the surrounding area to make it looks slightly better.

Unfortunately most of us don't know much about the industry. Plus the pressure of trying to finish the house earlier to save on the expensive mortgage+extra rent, in the end we just compromised a bit and accept what's been provided.

And guessed what, after moved in for about 1 month, the grout around one of the tiles in our ensuite cracked quite badly and next week they will send someone to have a look.

Based on all these bad exprience, we will not recommend C&L tiles, the tiling company used by our builder.