Tile cutting again.

[ss]

In the attched image the pipe stack is well out of plumb. Watched some video clips and thinking this is the best way to go. Any suggestions welcome.

From the top to the bottom of the boxed in area the plumb is out by 15mm. It is my intention to cut the tiles at 213mm all the way down and have an overhang at the bottom, then level with tile cement. OR Would I be best to level first with `one coat` ? Before tiling round the corner. I also have some 9mm plaster board cut offs that I could possibly use to take up the worst parts and then level out with cement.

Any other suggestions.

[Chris French]

In message , ss writes

Is it actually out of plumb? or is it the wall? if the latter trying to make it straight will mean it is not plumb with the window or the vertical grout lines on the wall round the corner.

I wouldn't do that. 15mm is too thick for tile cement and you need to taper the fill as you go up.

I think it would end up looking a bodge.

Get it plumb first.

I think I'd pull off the board, and then reattach plumb - put in some new noggins, use plastic spacers etc. It's probably no more work than fiddling about with tapering coats of one coast plaster or bits of plaster board

[alan_m]

One opinion - would you notice the 15mm when all the tiles are up - would the eye have a point of reference when everything is the same colour to see if its out of true? In my bathroom I had a similar box section to tile around and it was out by 8mm top to bottom, but possibly with a slightly higher ceiling height, and a casual observer wouldn't notice. White marble effect tiles with no nearby vertical grout line (white grout) to give a point of reference.

Consider also the wall with the window frame. If you end up with fairly narrow cuts of tile a 15mm out of true at the box section end would probable stick out like a sore thumb.

If adjusting, I would level off first. Temporarily screw a piece of wood with a square straight edge to the side of the box where you have shown the measurements in red. The top the edge of this wooden batten would be flush with the existing plasterboard edge - at the bottom it would overhang by the 15mm. You can then plaster up to this reference edge. Once the plaster has gone off remove the wooden batten. You may have to wait a day. Don't forget to mark a vertical line on the wall with the window frame is you are levelling off. You will want to know how much to level off on that side as well

[ss]

I am reluctant at this stage to rip off that panel. The offending wall is B that leans out as indicated. Wall A is plumb and so is wall C.

From point D to the floor it is out enough to take plasterboard, and then `feather` with one coat from point D to C.

I am not dismissing anything at the moment and it may well be I have to eventually take wall B off.

[ss]

The 2 walls of the boxed section will be one piece of tile on each side, its unlikely many would notice it but it would annoy me so hopefully I can improve it if not a 100% cure. The wall at the window wont have any small pieces.

[harry]

If it's not plumb, you can make it so with lightweight plaster eg "browning". Or you can hide it by making sure that tiles butting against it are as big as possible. Narrow bits of tile will show the defect up.

Or by installing the tiles parallel to the none vertical bit and bringing them in vertical over the next few adjacent columns.

[ss]

In this image the red line is from a lazer and the white line is the actual corner this shows the actual deviation from plumb.

I reckon my best bet with minimul work is to attach a layer of plaster board where the deviation is worst (that should cover about 2 thirds of the height) and then plaster the rest to level. The bit of wall I am trying to straighten is only 35 cms wide. If nothing else it will be a vast improvement. None of the tiles butting in at the corners will narrow bits.

[Dave Liquorice]

+1 It's only a small bit. Is it nailed or screwed on? Even if it's packed out low down creating a gap between it and the other box face. That's easy to fill and it'll be damn sight easier to tile on.

[ss]

The problem is the box area is ply and I have just done the ceiling and it will cause issues trying to replace the ply it as it disappears in to the ceiling void, its a double skin ceiling. If I use plasterboard and say a floor to ceiling height of 2.4 metres, the plasterboard should contend with around 2 metres of that height and that just leaves .5 metre for plaster to feather from the plaster board to the ceiling. I should manage that with an hours work. That should reduce my `off plumb` to around 6mm at worst areas and by careful use of the tile cement get me within a mm or 2 of being totally plumb which is much better than the current 15mm.

To be fair when I ripped out the old tiles and being in this house 4 years I never noticed that out of plumb portion of the wall until I started this refurbishment.

[Dave Liquorice]

So the ply is screwed on isn't it. Pipe boxing that cannot be esaily opened is just asking for any leak to be inside it or you'll need access to replace a section of pipe that is leaking elsewhere.

Still a very hefty layer of tile cement. You'll need to wait for the "packing layer" to set before attempting to tile it. 6 mm will have far too much "squidge", as you fit a tile next to one already fitted the latter will move.

Remember that what you percieve as "reality" is the result of your brian fitting the signals it gets from our various sensors to a model of "reality". As far as then brain is concerned rooms are square so it makes makes them so, even if that means producing physically impossible results:

m/

[alan_m]

+1

But if you do go down this route have an old toothbrush and a bucket of water ready to clean out the grout lines before the cement fully sets.

[alan_m]

SS could have used some contrasting tiles :

[ss]

:-) It may end up looking like that.

[ss]

No it is nailed on, although there is a small access hatch (screwed) lower down on the shorter wall . I had a plumber help may lay the shower tray and fit the shower drain, I did this to make sure all was water tight. he also checked the stack for me to make sure all was ok while we had access.

Also left a load of rat poison under the floor, as a precaution I tend to do this anytime I have access to the underfloor area.

[stuart noble]

Not ideal. Can poison cats and dogs when the rat is on its last legs and easy prey. We had a field mouse come to visit over Xmas where someone had been "tidying" under the stairs and had uncovered a gap next to a gas pipe. The humane trap worked a treat

[Chris French]

Two options.

1. Cut the ply near the ceiling. .
2. leave it attached, and prise off lower down, but that makes leveling much faffier.

Plus then the extra faffing involved in tiling onto an uneven surface. Thick tile cement layers squidying about, needing to leave it longer to set or it all moves about etc. I recking it would take about 1/2 hour to remove the ply. Level up with plastic packers, noggins, etc. and then replace the ply.

Over the years, and various bodges I've come to realise that on the whole bodging a fix tends to be end up more work and faff than just doing it properly, even if it feels like more work to start with. And tiling is so much easier onto a flat level surface.

Well yes, I don't think I'd be bothering at all, it won't notice, especially with the plain tiles you are using.