Bathroom ceiling caved in

[Semple]

I imagine most the snags you've mentioned will get addressed with silicone.

That wouldn't be acceptable to me. Some of the tiles have chips on the edges, siliconing those will just look an absolute bodge. The same really with uneven cut tiles - surely common sense says to put the side that you're cutting against the wall, and then the adjacent tiles that don't need to be cut can then be fitted flush.

@LeeUK i would make sure you hold back enough that you can pay another bathroom fitter to do the remedial works if needs be. There was another story on here of someone who had a downstairs bathroom toilet fitted and had paid something like 95% of the bill and the guy never came back to finish the works/deal with the corrections for the sake of something like £100-150. Which means they were never going to find a new fitter to rectify the old fitters mistakes. The last thing you want to do is fork out for more cash to pay for another fitter to essentially redo everything.

 

[thenewoc]

I wouldn't pay a penny more until you've inspected the final job. I would point out the issues you've found in a way he is clear of what you're expecting from his last day on the job. Only once the job is complete to your satisfaction should it be paid for.

I'd also point out that before you settle the balance that you'll be checking that the wall panels are fitted to the manufacturers spec, in particular the corner joints with the correct trim. He'll know you're not going to settle for being duped if he was intending to ride off into sunset.

 

[200sols]

imagine most the snags you've mentioned will get addressed with silicone.

If those panels are in the shower then silicone wont cut it, it'll be leaking within 6 months. Also where the cut is uneven the bead of silicone will be larger than it ought to be and will just look nasty. The floor is pretty shocking, clearly shows they are cowboys.

 

[glenimp617]

@LeeUK if it makes you feel any better, we were in a similar situation with numerous cowboy bathroom fitters. We had three quote for the job, and each one never filled me with much confidence. The first one literally said he would use pink gripfill on everything.

anyway, the people will did finally end up going with put a massive hole in the floor, and stuck the tiles onto normal plasterboard (not the water resistant type, nor any tanking system). When we walked in on the final day, they were literally black. They'd got black grout on everything! The walls, ceiling, woodwork, it was all over the hallway, the kitchen....even the damn tiles were wonky. I've no idea what they were thinking when they plumbed the toilet in, but they had a half meter copper pipe going about 20cm so rather than cut to size, they decided to bend it a few times so it would fit.

I never paid in the end. Said it was going to cost more to get someone else in to put thing right and they should think themselves lucky.

That was a good 2-3 years ago, it's still in the same state. We need to save up and rip the lot out and start again....it's the stress of it all though more than anything. The thought of paying thousands and it still not be right.

 

[Mercenary Keyboard Warrior]

If they are full panels they should have trim per this link as an example (internal corner)
https://easypanels.co.uk/trims/

You silicon into the joint as well so its very difficult for water to get past the trim

 

[booyaka]

If they are full panels they should have trim per this link as an example (internal corner)
https://easypanels.co.uk/trims/

You silicon into the joint as well so its very difficult for water to get past the trim

exactly - and you can't fit them AFTER the panels are on the wall....

bunch of cowboys....horrendous job.

 

[Nutty_Death]

If those panels are in the shower then silicone wont cut it, it'll be leaking within 6 months. Also where the cut is uneven the bead of silicone will be larger than it ought to be and will just look nasty. The floor is pretty shocking, clearly shows they are cowboys.

I'm not saying it's the right way to address the issues. Just I'd put money on them being covered up with silicone.

 

[Supernova]

Not saying that the workmanship on that panelling is OK*, but silicone is used as the primary gap seal between baths/tiles in millions of bathrooms around the country, and they don't leak.

*the right hand panel(s) should ovelap the cut edge to hide it, and the cuts shouldn't have been done freehand!

 

[200sols]

Not saying that the workmanship on that panelling is OK*, but silicone is used as the primary gap seal between baths/tiles in millions of bathrooms around the country, and they don't leak.

*the right hand panel(s) should ovelap the cut edge to hide it, and the cuts shouldn't have been done freehand!

And that is the correct way for tiles, silicone alone is not the right tool here however, you should use a profile that the panel slots into with some silicone as well. Also we know they left the old tiles on the back wall so the wall wasn't prepared/tanked properly, its a leak waiting to happen.

 

[booyaka]

The fact they can't even cut a straight line on the panels is screaming out cowboys....

 

[b0rn2sk8]

Yes, the reason why silicone isn’t enough for these is because they are MDF/ply veneered panel's.

They need the channel to protect them from water ingress, they normally also sit in channels on the bottom edge too. The channel holds in the silicone so it doesn’t slowly come away over time and allow water onto mdf/ply and ruin them.

They normally have a very long manufactures warranty but not when installed without the profiles.

 

[Nutty_Death]

Seems like op should show the fitters this thread.
If they're reasonably I'm sure this will all get sorted out. If they are not then don't be taken for a mug and stand your ground.

 

[200sols]

Yes, the reason why silicone isn’t enough for these is because they are MDF/ply veneered panel's.

They need the channel to protect them from water ingress, they normally also sit in channels on the bottom edge too. The channel holds in the silicone so it doesn’t slowly come away over time and allow water onto mdf/ply and ruin them.

They normally have a very long manufactures warranty but not when installed without the profiles.

In the picture they actually look hollow, also the way the screws have completely crushed them makes me think that as well. Either way the internal profiles are vital.

 

[SquirrelMadness]

I assumed they were some type of polystyrene/soft waterproof material backed panels.

 

[Mercenary Keyboard Warrior]

Some are PVC, like the ones we are using

I would imaging the majority of boards aimed for wet room usage would be PVC based, its only a surfaced board after all.

They are a square channel, around 8mm square on our boards, you can get boards 5mm 8mm 10mm (thickness) commonly and i assume the channels will somehow match

 

[b0rn2sk8]

They will be hollow, I’ve just checked the site and they are PCV instead of the veneered ply type and they are only 10kg for a 10mm panel.

The ply types (like from multi panel) are a lot more expensive.

 

[LeeUK]

I told them I wasn't paying the balance until it was complete and I had seen it complete and I was satisfied as it just didn't feel right me paying up before they had finished it. Well they have walked off the job, took all their tools away and the parts they hadn't fitted yet (shower, glass shower screen, mirror, etc).

They say the snags aren't snags as they were going to be addressed today but that maybe so but I told them after seeing them firsthand I want to be sure they are sorted. I'm not sure they can all be sorted though as the panels aren't cut straight so the bead of sealant is going to be thick in places if it's going to fill big gaps, also how are they going to address the screw holes poking out from behind the trim and the puncture hole in the floor tile next to the thresh! The towel rad has adjusters on the back of the brackets which I noticed weren't even on both sides so probably just needs adjusted to bring the right hand side out a bit. But yes the panels probably have not been fitted to manufacture standards as they have not put any trim behind them and using screws on them.

The panels appear to be made of all PVC or some other plastic, with hollow gaps in between, they are not MDF or foam backed or anything like that.

After looking at pics of their previous work on Facebook there are no trims on the insides of the walls just sealant so it's going look real bad when the panels aren't cut straight and flush on mine.

Oh and one other thing, the fitter has took my door key too! All week I've been leaving it hidden for him to let himself in and he has been putting it back through letterbox when he leaves for me to put back out again the next morning. He hasn't this time, he has taken it with him!

 

[thenewoc]

I told them I wasn't paying the balance until it was complete and I had seen it complete and I was satisfied as it just didn't feel right me paying up before they had finished it. Well they have walked off the job, took all their tools away and the parts they hadn't fitted yet (shower, glass shower screen, mirror, etc).

They say the snags aren't snags as they were going to be addressed today but that maybe so but I told them after seeing them firsthand I want to be sure they are sorted. I'm not sure they can all be sorted though as the panels aren't cut straight so the bead of sealant is going to be thick in places if it's going to fill big gaps, also how are they going to address the screw holes poking out from behind the trim and the puncture hole in the floor tile next to the thresh! The towel rad has adjusters on the back of the brackets which I noticed weren't even on both sides so probably just needs adjusted to bring the right hand side out a bit. But yes the panels probably have not been fitted to manufacture standards as they have not put any trim behind them and using screws on them.

The panels appear to be made of all PVC or some other plastic, with hollow gaps in between, they are not MDF or foam backed or anything like that.

After looking at pics of their previous work on Facebook there are no trims on the insides of the walls just sealant so it's going look real bad when the panels on cut straight and flush on mine.

Oh and one other thing, the fitter has took my door key too! All week I've been leaving it hidden for him to let himself in and he has been putting it back through letterbox when he leaves for me to put back out again the next morning. He hasn't this time, he has taken it with him!

Call him and ask him for it, if he refuses call the police and get a crime number. I'd change the lock anyway in case they've had a key cut.

The panel trims can't be fixed retrospectively without removing and damaging the panels to start again. The cost of new panels is theirs to foot to correct their defective workmanship.

Sounds like a nightmare company and for the price they quoted it should have looked a million dollars.

 

[booyaka]

The fact they won't even "work" with you on fixing the issues shows they don't care about reputation or reviews. Them walking off tells you everything you need to know about the quality of their work and the fact they only want the cash up front before the job is even finished.

Feel for you here - but as other have said, those panels won't last long if you just trying a fill those gaps with silicone or otherwise. Proper corner trim (internal/external depending on the corners) is needed. Putting screws through it is just another way to put a hole in it and let water in again.

 

[Jez]

Well done for not paying the extra - that money would have gone down a black hole with very little added value. Them walking away shows that you were right not to pay