Hello,
I’m currently a bit undecided. We want to either tile the entire ground floor of our house or the bathroom on the upper floor.
The tiles to be used are as follows:
Ground floor: 100 sqm (1,080 sq ft) Cerrad Mattina in the format 120x20cm (47x8 inches)
Upper floor: 18 sqm (194 sq ft) floor (bathroom): Marazzi Treverklife in the format 120x20cm (47x8 inches)
Upper floor: 14 sqm (150 sq ft) wall (bathroom): Villeroy & Boch Unit Four floor tile in the format 60x60cm (24x24 inches)
All without any specific laying pattern.
Some have advised me against doing it myself. However, I find the cost of about 6,000–8,000€ somewhat too high.
I have never laid tiles before but I’m not under much time pressure and I am used to researching details thoroughly. I am also willing to accept higher material usage since I would save a lot of money that way.
What do you think? Is it possible to manage something like this with the help of YouTube, forums, and similar resources?
I’m currently a bit undecided. We want to either tile the entire ground floor of our house or the bathroom on the upper floor.
The tiles to be used are as follows:
Ground floor: 100 sqm (1,080 sq ft) Cerrad Mattina in the format 120x20cm (47x8 inches)
Upper floor: 18 sqm (194 sq ft) floor (bathroom): Marazzi Treverklife in the format 120x20cm (47x8 inches)
Upper floor: 14 sqm (150 sq ft) wall (bathroom): Villeroy & Boch Unit Four floor tile in the format 60x60cm (24x24 inches)
All without any specific laying pattern.
Some have advised me against doing it myself. However, I find the cost of about 6,000–8,000€ somewhat too high.
I have never laid tiles before but I’m not under much time pressure and I am used to researching details thoroughly. I am also willing to accept higher material usage since I would save a lot of money that way.
What do you think? Is it possible to manage something like this with the help of YouTube, forums, and similar resources?
ypg schrieb:
I've been through it myself. My husband worked as a laborer and mortar applicator. We used 30 x 30cm (12 x 12 inches) tiles with tile spacers.
What you really can't read about is the fact that the adhesive squeezes out into the joints and causes problems with the grout.
Surely you don’t want grout lines. That won’t be easy. The adhesive always squeezes out somewhere or sticks to the surface. Or the tiles become hollow... anyway: craftsmanship must be practiced until you can do it well.
By the way, as an amateur, I laid out the tiles across the entire room (open living room in a two-family house), corrected it three times until everything was straight...
After 7 days, 50 square meters (540 square feet) with corners were installed, and I had a herniated disc and burned fingertips because I couldn’t manage with the gloves.
... and everywhere that damn mortar ...
I’d rather build the shell myself, because you can save more there and the work doesn’t have to be as precise.
With poor tile installation, you ruin the whole look. Finally, someone telling it like it is. It's no coincidence that good (and unfortunately often overrated) tilers cost money. You’re basically paying for the appearance, speed, not having to do it yourself, and not having to get upset about mistakes you made yourself.
Zaba12 schrieb:
Finally, someone speaking clearly. It’s no coincidence that good (and unfortunately often overpriced) tilers cost money. When I look at the work of so-called "professional tilers" in our house and others, it’s sometimes shocking. You can count good tilers in Saxony on one hand. Most are botchers. It really has to be said plainly. And this has nothing to do with the price.
Shoddy work everywhere you look, literally. I know at least four examples of professionally installed tiles that are a total disaster. In one case, the bathroom window no longer opened; in another, tiles cracked shortly after the warranty period ended; in our case, everything is crooked and uneven, even though I explicitly told them where to start so it wouldn’t end up uneven. Just this past weekend, a friend told me he does everything himself because tilers either don’t want to or can’t do a good job.
kaho674 schrieb:
When I see the work of so-called "professional tile installers" in our house and elsewhere, it can be quite shocking. You can count good tile installers in Saxony on one hand. Most of them are amateurs. It really has to be said so clearly. And this has nothing to do with the price.
Shoddy work everywhere you look, literally. I know of at least four cases where a professional installed tiles and it was a complete disaster. In one case, the bathroom window wouldn’t open anymore, in another the tiles cracked shortly after the warranty period ended, and in our home, the tiles are quite unevenly laid even though I specifically told them where to start so it wouldn’t end up crooked. Just this past weekend, a friend told me he prefers doing everything himself because tile installers either don’t want to or can’t do a good job. I never said anything different. Even though the tile installation company here has a good reputation, who can guarantee that, for example, the newly hired journeyman will work just as well? Unfortunately, no one!