Tiling advice - nightmare with builder

[Andy Barnes]

Hi

I'm new here and am after some advice. I've had a bit of a nightmare with my builder (Mark Garrard of Rawreth Builders in Essex in case anyone is interested). He developed my house and to say it was difficult is an understatement. I've just won a court case against him for the bathroom for which after the shower floor leaked through the ceiling continuously from day one. After numerous repairs attempts over 18 months, and experts saying the whole thing had been installed incorrectly (even he acknowledged it should be ripped out) - he then walked away having had the money and left the floor ripped up and ceiling open. Anyway - that court case is now won.

He also tiled by 30' x 26' kitchen / famly room with 600 x 600mm porcelain tiles over underfloor heating (Wundafloor) which has the polysyrene base. From day one, grout was cracking and coming out. Anyway, so far 11 of these tiles have cracked. I've lifted one and can see that only a couple of small dots of adhesive have been used. That doesn't seem right to me?

I know the floor was laid only a week after the screed went down, and the grouting was done a couple of days after the tiles went down.

Is this method of laying a floor right? I know I will need someone to come and replace the 11 tiles, but what about the rest? I am worried these will also crack.

I don't expect him to be interested so will have to foot the bill myself for £2000 new tiles, ripping up and reinstallation unless I end up going down the court route again.

Thanks for any advice.

Andy Barnes

 

[nickjb]

A week after the screed was laid might be ok depending on the screed type but it sounds on the short side to me. Normally a few weeks minimum and a day per mm is a rule of thumb before the floor covering goes down. That said they might have used some fancy quick drying stuff. As for the "a couple of small dots of adhesive" that sounds very wrong. Should see full coverage of stripes of adhesive. If several have already cracked it's probably new floor time. You might be able to lift and re-lay if they are poorly stuck but it's probably all written off. Not great sorry.