Hiring a Tiler
When it was time to hire a tiler, my contractor gave me three options to choose from:
- A Local Tiling Sifu
- Concrete Subcontractor’s Tiler
- His own plumbing workers
Local tilers that are more expensive but I was told that ‘you get what you pay for’ by my contractor.
The wet kitchen had a lot of corners which means it would involve a lot of tile ‘cutting’. The tiler did a site visit and did a lump sum quote. It was jaw dropping. He was highly recommended and has done a lot of tiling works (toilets) for my contractor with consistent results.
White Grout vs Grey Grout…
The tiler had advised that white grout is higher maintenance in the long term. Grease would accumulate and would cause staining.
I’m really certain on white grout for the subway tile backsplash in the dry kitchen. The part I’m deciding on is the wet kitchen grout. It is the greasy cooking area and will be tiled to all the walls. There are images here to compare…
| Wet kitchen wall grout | White grout | Grey grout |
| Colour variation of material | Most consistent | Vary |
| Material cost | Higher | Lower |
| Looks | Simple & cleanLines disappear, blended look | Busy &Lines stand out, Forms pattern |
| Maintenance | Higher | Lower |
| Solution | Clean + Bleach | Clean |
I suppose I might need to purchase some grout paint in a few years time…
Tiles purchases
Piglet and I made two trips to the tiling shop. The first was to purchase the majority of tiles and the second was to choose tiles below the countertop. The tiler advised that the wall tiles were not suitable as it is too ‘soft’ and not able to keep up with heavy use. We bought light brown homogeneous 1 ft by ft tiles recommended by Nicky.
Materials and Equipment:
Materials supplied by contractor: grout filler, tile adhesive, latex, cement
Materials supplied by piglet and I: Tiles
Equipment provided by Contractor & brought by Tiler: tile cutters, drill, circular saw, sponge, buckets, scrub brush, tile, trowels etc.
Day 1 (9.30am-5pm)
A Child at the Renovation Site?
The helper for this job was not available so he brought his wife to help out. His wife brought her 3 year old along. It was concerning as the construction area and our house was not child proof.
Susu?
The wall tiles were dabbed with latex additive. The locals here calls it ‘susu’ (direct translation: milk). I was told the tiler’s wife that it is an alternative to soaking tiles.
Tile Warpage
The tiler had commented that the wall tiles were slightly curved in the center. Piglet and I bought Grade A tiles (confirmed by Nicky) but he did not believe that it was the case and assumed that it was at least Grade B.
He had mentioned that most tiles (any brand) nowadays have warpage compared to decades ago. I guess that larger dimension rectangular tiles was not used that commonly then. There is a certain degree of curvature that is accepted by the tile manufacturer.
I also noticed that they used butter method instead of tooth trowel method. Hopefully it will be able to withstand prolonged use.
Day 2 (9am-5pm)
‘Not enough wall tiles…’
Tiler requested for another 40 tiles. My contractor brought the extra tiles over and did some minor plumbing work.
Subway backsplash tiles
Subway backsplash tiles were soaked overnight. The tiler asked me what design I would like for it…
Seriously? The planned 310mm height outlet pipe becomes 250mm?
The cabinet designer had requested for the dry kitchen outlet pipe to be at least 310mm. My contractor aka plumber had asked the tiler to do it after cutting the pipes to the exact measurements. We did not expect the tiler to cut it further so it is now 250mm. My contractor has agreed to sort out the plumbing for the sink later if the cabinet installers are not able to do it.
Tiles Edge Finishing
The tiler did ask me whether I would like PVC edge tile trim. Edge tile trim helps to soften the raw edges, gives a cleaner finish and prevent it from chips and cracks. My toilet tiles have raw edge and so far none has chipped or crack.Some parts will be exposed to direct sunlight and heat so I have decided against it. It still looks quite good.
Day 3 (9am-5pm)
Exhaust Fan Wire is Sticking out?
The electrician did the wiring 2 months before tiling and my contractor had sent his worker to hack the circle and square hole for the exhaust fan and duct the working day before tiling.
There must have been another miscommunication… They left for lunch break when I noticed the mistake and called up the contractor immediately so that they can rectify it.
Conversation
Tiler: ‘We will usually punch a hole exactly where the wiring is. You called the contractor?’
Me: ‘I left it to the contractor to deal with it instead of informing you directly since it might have been someone’s oversight. In this case it is the contractor?’
Tiler: ‘He’s very busy. We are in the process of redoing it but we will be wasting 1 tile.’
Day 4 (9am-5pm)
The contractor had passed the drain cover to the tiler yesterday (non working day- Sunday). One is for the washing machine water drainage and the other one is for waste water from 2 sink outlet.
Gradient falls
The contractor and I had planned to do a gradient fall (end of last year) before the renovation. It is commonly done for the toilet/ wet room here to ensure that waste water flow into the drain. For the wet kitchen, it can flow to the back door or the waste water drain.
Conversation went like this…
Me: ‘Can you do a gradient fall for the flooring.’
Tiler: ‘(measuring the floor) It’s not possible. The original cement screed floor (done by the concrete subcon) does not have a gradient.’
Me: ‘Contractor had agreed to it in Jan.’
Tiler: ‘Have a look. It’s really not possible.’
Me: ‘The contractor had mentioned that it is possible.’
Tiler: ‘Need to hack.’
Me: ‘Ok. I call the contractor to check with him.’
Called the contractor to inform him of the above and he called the tiler. After that he texted me…
Contractor: <text> ‘Will hack’
Me: <text> ‘Who is hacking? The concrete subcon?’
Contractor: <text> ‘Tiler’
The main tiler had other projects elsewhere so he left for a few hours. His colleague hacked the flooring and his wife did the grouting.
Cut out measurements
He measured the hob instead of using the manufacturer’s measurement. He claims that it would be more precise.
Top mount sink in wet kitchen
The default for sink installation nowadays is undermount and was included in the quote. Tiler was surprised that I wanted the old school top mount.
The contractor advised that it be easier to replace the sink and have less leakage issues since concrete countertop last for a long time. I was concerned on the aesthetics part of it. The contractor did offer to ask the tiler to lay it out first before plastering and let me decide based on the tile finishing but it was not necessary as decision was made before the renovation.
I still stuck to the decision for an under mount the sink in the dry kitchen for baking and prepping food. I can then compare which is more practical and functional.
The Counter top edge was nicely polished.
Something just did not seem right. The counter top height from floor is meant to be 85cm which means the end panel should be about one and a half tiles (2 feet by 2 feet).
Uh-Oh!