Floor 2" out across 3 foot - sigh...

OK - bit of a problem here!

The old folks have just had a floor tiled - and the outcome is not good...

The property is a Victorian pile with half suspended, half solid floors. The kitchen is solid (quarry originally IIRC) floor and next to this room is a utility room accessed by a door at one corner.

They had the kitchen & utility floors tiled with new quarry tiles some 20ish years ago. Now I think the new quarry tiles were laid over the old tiles - or whatever was there before. Then around 10 years ago they had new 12" ceramic tiles laid over those in just the kitchen. The floor was uneven but the tiler managed to obtain some degree of levelness across the floor. I do know it was a bit of a bugger fitting the kitchen base cabinets.

Now the utility room was much much worse and was left with the second layer of quarries until recently when they decided to complete the room and fit it with it out as per the kitchen. I did state that the floor was way out and that I doubted the tiler could compensate enough. I suggested the floor really needed to be taken up - which was greeted with the expected 'Oh no were not doing that!'.

So now I called in yesterday to see the newly tiled floor - and as I expected the floor is out - but hugely out. I didn't need a laser level to see it has a hump in the middle of the room - and the floor slopes down more than 2" over 3 feet and is uneven all across. It's - well - a bloody mess.

They already bought the units to fit into the room a few months ago. They were to go all along two walls and cross every uneven part of the floor. There is a freestanding washing machine that was going to go in under the worktop - but even if I used this as the datum point I will need to make up for some considerable measurements either side over a very short distance.

I'm stuck now looking for options - and perhaps miracles. Any know any miracle workers?!

Sounds ridiculous. The whole lot needs to come out, floor levelled then tiled again properly.

geraldthehamster said:

Sounds ridiculous. The whole lot needs to come out, floor levelled then tiled again properly.

Click to expand...

Yes well that's what I said all along - but they just didn't want to know. And so now I'm left with having to deal with it

I truly don't know what to do. There is no way they will have the floor up with all the cost (plus the wasted cost) and mess etc. It kinda leaves me with having to somehow try and fit the units...

Can you not remove at least one layer of tiles, use some levelling compound and tile it again? The floor will be getting up to ceiling height if they keep doing this!

geraldthehamster said:

Can you not remove at least one layer of tiles, use some levelling compound and tile it again? The floor will be getting up to ceiling height if they keep doing this!

Click to expand...

Hi Gerald

Yes I'm with you on that.

They bought the ceramic tiles when the kitchen was over-tiled some 8 - 10 years ago. They bought just enough to do the kitchen, utility and the rear porch which follows on from the utility.

I spoke to the tiler this morning to see what the chances were of taking up the tiles in the utility today seeing as they were only laid yesterday. He said the fast setting adhesive would be set by now and the chances of getting them up without damage were very unlikely.

Your suggestion would mean ripping up all the tiles in the kitchen and utility - and buying all new tiles again and re-laying after the floors have been levelled - or if levelling wasn't possible that would mean taking the floor up. I know what their response to that will be... My Mother would just rather the units be sold at a loss and the utility left as an open room.

They are both well into retirement and living in a problematic and maintenance-heavy 5 bedroom Victorian pile way beyond their needs, and one that has been an endless succession of problems and expense in upkeep and repair - and it continues. They have been there 30 odd years and the house is nowhere near 'finished'. The list of jobs that need doing to get it something like is depressing and daunting. I have tried and tried to get them to move in the past - to no avail

Do the units have adjustable legs?

I think we'd love a picture of this nightmare
Is there any chance you can fix the units together and then juggle the heights using adjustable legs?
John

Hi - yes they have adjustable legs - the usual B&Q fair. I would need to go from the washer as that has to fit under the worktop. You can clearly see / feel the hump in the floor and the slope either side of it. If it is possible to get the units in the kick plate is going to need some serious work to fit - this will no doubt be highly visible. Still - at the moment the choices are no units or units bodged in somehow.

I've included a plan of the room below. The hump in the floor is approximately where the 500mm base cabinet & washer meet - and slopes over 2" down toward the sink / window in under 3 ft. I'll try to get some more detailed measurements tomorrow.

Screed under where the units/washer/fridge will stand, so they have a level standing area. Make bespoke kick boards and forget about it. If they don't like it then they'll have to have the floor up.

I'm imagining that you mean because of the hump that the washer will stand on you will have to lift the base units that high just to get the washer underneath the worktops that the kick boards won't be tall enough either side, if that's the case and seeing as they'll need scribing into the floor anyway then just use a taller kick board and be done with it, if it looks cack then its their problem, you won't see it from your house!

OK I've had a closer look today. I might have a solution...

The main problem being there is a raised hump in the tiling - almost as if he was following some trajectory - then decided to follow another! I've enclosed an updated plan below. The fall either side of this hump is initially quite steep - and reduces across the distances shown below.

Now - I have checked the quantity of tiles - and it would appear there are around 4m² of tiles more than is required to complete the job - way more than I originally thought. So I had an idea to just remove the tiles which form the acute part of the hump - perhaps 2m² at the most. I may then have to remove some quarries below to take the floor level sufficiently down before re-tiling. Would levelling compound be suitable or should I look toward some form of screed? I don't know what thickness we would be talking though until I get the tiles up...

Sound do-able?

Possibly. Maybe discuss it with a better tiler, rather than one who was obviously prepared to do a botched job

Agreed Gerald...

He was in fact the same tiler that laid the kitchen tiles. Another problem being the kitchen tiles have dark grey grouting - and the utility has white grouting! When my Mother questioned him about it he said 'I can't get the same grout I used for the kitchen any longer'. I thought that was a load of bull - he could have at least used a similar colour grout. I'll take a photo of the transition between dark grey and white. Another botched job...

So no - we won't be having him back!

Are any of the grout colorants available worth looking into?

Can't you book your parents on a fortnight's holiday somewhere, then get the whole lot taken up, floor re-laid properly and fit the units as a surprise for their return?

It sounds like it was originally two rooms that have been made into one.