Do your own tiling work?

[armyash]

So when doing any work for someone, fitting a new bathroom for example and the customer wants the tiling done do any of you do this too or do you let the customer get someone separate in? I'm just wondering if it's worth doing a short tiling course so I can take advantage of this if I get the chance.

Thanks

 

[PlumbBobBob]

totally agree powdered addy over tubbed no contest

 

[gall.b-tiler]

Tofflo Jackson don't do geometric encaustic tiles. That's Craven Dunnill Jackfield. Tofflo Jackson do marble, granite, natural stone etc. May have laid encaustic floors in the past but they don't supply them.

Missing the point mate, as Tamz from my area and in the trade I found it strange he never heard of them, as for victorian floors my point was who done them certainly not Plumbers

 

[gall.b-tiler]

As above, none of us plumbers/gas men would try and do some of the work you do Gal, but the basic tiles going in a bathroom is a simple job. I have never had any training in tiling, did my own and went from there, tiles, borders etc in a bathroom is n ot really challenging is it. That decorative work is for the experienced tiler though.
I have worked on many new build sites and in porivate homes, the standard of tiling on most is no better than I and many other plumbers do, its just they are quicker.

Plain stuff in homes may appear easier, but the preperation can be the same, using the correct primers, trowel selection, addy/grout selection, correct sealers & knowing about the material your working with.

If your self taught who teaches you these things & why have the hassle when you can sub it out and get it done in half the time & still make a bit off it?

As for house bashing on new builds, the guys are on a pitifull price usally onto poor prep, cant say I blame them for not leaving a top job.

 

[gall.b-tiler]

I recently bought £1500 quids worth of Rubi Bridge cutter, for tiling.

Do I generally tile, no. Can I tile a bathroom as well as most tilers I have met....yes.

I can't do all the other specialist tiling that Gall.b mentioned. However in bathrooms, I have had to learn how to tile, and plaster. I hadn't done either for about 2 years until the other week.

Tiling is a specialist trade, however to expect a plumber to know how to tile a bathroom, is akin to expecting an electrician to know how to change an immersion heater. They are so closely linked.

Spending big bucks on a cutter dont make you a fixer

Plumbing and Tiling are miles apart Plumbing is Engineering based and technical. Tiling although tecnical in the product/material side of things thes days is a craft which takes practice and patience. two completley diffrent disciplines.

 

[tamz]

Never heard of them Brian but most of my stuff is on the East coast. Not in Glasgow too much so unless i had been on a job with them i wouldn't know. Same type of thing i wouldn't expect you to know who Matheson's or Blackhall were unless you had been on a job with them.

 

[gall.b-tiler]

Was just going by your age Tam :smiley2: Folk of an older generation still hold them in high esteem and seem to trust you more if you know who they are. Tolflo did work all over Scotland there never was & still isnt any big Tiling contractors in the east. Tilecraft and De cecco have all the site stuff sewn up.

Know all the big modern Plumbing/Mechanical mobs froms sites and my mates work for a few too.

 

[Halesowen1]

Plain stuff in homes may appear easier, but the preperation can be the same, using the correct primers, trowel selection, addy/grout selection, correct sealers & knowing about the material your working with.

If your self taught who teaches you these things & why have the hassle when you can sub it out and get it done in half the time & still make a bit off it?

As for house bashing on new builds, the guys are on a pitifull price usally onto poor prep, cant say I blame them for not leaving a top job.

It does not appear easy, it is easy. I am afraid you are trying to big up a job that in my case(simple bathroom tiling) is a very easy and straightforward job. Why subby it out when I can do it myself, as I have to wait for the tiler to come and do it anyway, I can get it done while waiting and earn all of his money, instead of some.
Not having a dig, its just that tiling in the main is not a hard job.

 

[Phil]

I consider myself a very good diy tiler, and can do a fantastic job of a mid end bathroom using ceramics and porcelain.

Most plumbers though don't know about weight limits of tiles and will happily throw travertine up on badly blown plaster for instance or lay it on springy 12mm ply on a floor.

Looking at some of the pictures on the tiling forum with the bullnosed travertine round the swimming pools, its a totally differnt ballgame to just using mid sized ceramics.

 

[johnnyplumb]

We are making fools of ourselves really with talk of diy DVD's, the B&Q one is a joke. Granted it does have good setting out advise but then spoils its self by recommending ready mixed adhesive.

Powered every time for me.

phil, your right a £2 dvd aint gonna make you a tiler. i think b&q are only selling them to get people to buy there tiles etc but it does give you some basic stuff & it helped me when tiling my own bathroom. i would'nt do tiling in someone elses house though, better left to the professionals. i'm sure the dvd is a joke to a proper tiler.

 

[johnnyplumb]

Hullawrerr, i've been following this thread for a few days now & it's all been very interesting stuff. i agree the specialist tiling you see in and around glasgow in the tenements etc are real works of art & must have been done by proper craftsmen. As for plumbers being able to do this type of work, the saying 'ra baws up the slates' comes to mind. some plumbers do tiling & some tilers do plumbing, fair enough, but generally if you stick to your own trade it can be done better and quicker. i stick to plumbing/htg, even after 32yrs , i'm still learning that so i've no chance with tiling.
As for which trade takes longer to learn , i'd say the tiling but thats no because there's more to learn, it's because it takes tilers longer to learn ha ha

 

[GQuigley67]

i occasionally brick up chimneys, and old balanced flue holes. I also plaster over the balanced flue holes internally but its just a bit of rough plastering usually as the boiler/pipes will cover it anyway. I do alot of electrics in my work as i'm sure most of you do, its part of our trade and i hate the fact that we are now being forced into either subbing to sparks or paying for a course(i know this is not up scotland yet but only a matter of time) we are taught about electrics as part of our apprenticeship, i also have a good bit of theory knowledge of electrics through my HNC Construction course. I know my limits when it comes to electrics and sub out anything that is outwith my abilities. I do a bit of basic joinery work and I'm quite confident in doing joinery but then again my mate is a joiner so i prefer to sub the work out to him as he passes work my way, I done a 6 monthn joinery course and was quite good at it

oh and btw I don't know any tilers, but then again dont get many bathrooms, will keep you in mind mate when i need one.

 

[Rickster123]

One things for sure tiling is a lot more interesting than plumbing. 100 replies on a tiling thread in the plumbing forum?! Me personally, I can't stand tiling. Bloody nightmare job. Id much sooner get a tiler in, make a bit on him being there and then I get to drink a cup of tea and watch him grout!

 

[armyash]

One things for sure tiling is a lot more interesting than plumbing. 100 replies on a tiling thread in the plumbing forum?! Me personally, I can't stand tiling. Bloody nightmare job. Id much sooner get a tiler in, make a bit on him being there and then I get to drink a cup of tea and watch him grout!

I'll get my coat

ha ha been good to get some info and advice regarding tiling from plumbers. It's not a must have qualification for plumbers but good to hear some guys like to take advantage of sticking a few extra quid in their pocket. Considering I have done no tiling at all and the cost of a course is reasonably cheap it's worth doing especially when looking at costs for sparky qualifications.

The money spent learning can be made back quickly.

 

[Halesowen1]

Give it a go, nobody says you have to tile all the jobs, depends on the price you put in.

 

[Resolute]

I'm no expert but the basics of tiling (adhesive, grout etc) are fairly straight forward. It's the setting out, measuring up etc that's harder.

Bit like most trades really!