There is a slight problem with the laying of our slate, the tiles are very un-uniform in thickness, and even on each tile the thickness can vary a lot. Our builder has compensated for this by having slopes of grout from one tile to the next, actually going over the edge of some tiles. Is this the correct method? Should the grout joints be recessed? Is there are way to avoid big height jumps from one tile to the next? We have more slate laid in other rooms so we would like to try and get it correctly laid there.
That is fairly normal. The batch that we had varied from about 10 to 15mm If they have been cleaved reasonably then you will get unnevenness on the top surface but in the form or gentle undulations of a few mm. Any slates that have a signifcant step of more than about 2-3mm should be selected out and used for trimmed pieces.
No, I am afraid it isn't. This is completely the wrong way. If you go and look at a professionally laid slate floor (e.g. in a Stonell showroom) you will find that there is not a difference in height from one slate to the next. If you didn't have the grout sloping, then you would have a trip hazard.
The correct way to do it is to select the slates into thickness groups, taking care also that you mix the colours reasonably as well.
You then lay the adhesive to an appropriate thickness area by area to compensate for the differing slate thicknesses. The objective should be to have the top surface as level as possible from slate to slate and across the whole floor area. When grouted, the grout certainly shouldn't be sloping.
They should be at or very slightly below the surface - say no more than about 1-2mm.
As above.
If the builder is having trouble with this, then I would seriously consider getting in a tiler recommended by the stone supplier. Doing the fixing method as described above takes time and patience and is not as easy as it sounds.
One other point. It is a good idea to use grey grout and not white.
You are going to need to find a good tiler me thinks, The way it needs to be done is selecting and laying out the slates first, so that the thickest is in the centre of the room, and then grading them out to the edges of the room with the thinnest. Mine varied from about 27mm to 8mm If this is done correctly it looks superb, if not and the bodger has tried to make good the natural difference in height of real slate with Grout, a complete Dog's breakfast.
He's obviously never done this before and hasn't got a clue. The whole lot will need ripping up and doing again by someone competent. I can promise you that a few days of trying to walk across an uneven floor will drive you nuts. Others have answered on the correct method but I'd be wary now of anything else this guy is doing for you.
Dave Baker - Puma Race Engines
formatting link
I'm not at all sure why women like men. We're argumentative, childish, unsociable and extremely unappealing naked. I'm quite grateful they do though.
Your only hope is to lay them all out first, and try and get high edge to high edge, etc, and then lay on a thick bed of cement, to a string level. Slowly, carefully, and, if done by someone else, expensively.
Thanks for everyones replies on this. My builder says that sorting the tiles into different sizes and laying different thicknesses of adhesive would be harder and more time consuming and therefore cost considerably more. I am happy with everything else he has done so I am a bit reluctant to fall out over this. The height differences aren't really enormous, just here and there there's a blob of grout in a corner, so maybe I can live with it.
He is right. Any fool can slap down slate badly at a considerable rate so cheaply - maybe £20 per sq meter. Frankly, to do it the way I did, would have cost £50 a square meter (labour only right?)
Its your choice, and if I were you I should ask him to re-quite to do it really well, and ask if he feels he wants to quote for that standard. If he says 'i'll do a good job for more meny' then you have a choice. If he says 'you wouldn't want to pay what I' charge' or any other thing that makes ou suspect he can't do it to teh standards, then you have a slightly different choice.
My inlaws have badly laid cheap multiclored stale in their kitchen. People have already tripped and broken dishes, but not bones. My slate was expensive, evenly honed with small variations, and painstakingly laid. The difference is blindingly obvious.
HomeOwnersHub website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here.
All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.