advice for kitchen ceiling and tiles

[JamesO]

Hi all wondered if anyone could give me some advice for my parents kitchen. They’ve had a new kitchen fitted and it’s been a nightmare with lockdown and the issues they’ve had and I need some advice.

 

1. They’ve had a new ceiling and my dads fitted the plaster boards. When plastered and painted you can see a line. It looks like that because on this part of the ceiling he hasn’t staggered the plaster boards for this part they are in line causing a visible line. Does anyone know anything he can do to remove/hide this. He can’t start again.

 

2. They’ve just had their tiles fitted and the fitter has got glue and marks on the tiles. Any advice to remove this? They cleaned them 7/8 times but don’t want to use too much harsh chemicals on them.

Any advice people I would truly appreciate. It’s been a absolute nightmare for them. 

[Webbo]

I don't think you usually stagger the joints, they are nailed/screwed to the joists which are obviously in line. 

 

Are you talking about a ridge in the plaster or a crack? 

[Izzy]

[JamesO]

Yeah I wasn’t sure on that either. It was something my dad was told that when he put the plaster boards up that they should have been staggered and not all in a line of that makes sense. 
 

so it’s been plastered and painted but there’s a crack from one end to the other. Which he’s trying to hide by painting it. It’s not like obvious crack like you would see if you typed it in google but it’s noticeable. Not ideal when they’ve spent so much money on the kitchen. 

[Webbo]

Just now, JamesO said:

Yeah I wasn’t sure on that either. It was something my dad was told that when he put the plaster boards up that they should have been staggered and not all in a line of that makes sense. 
 

so it’s been plastered and painted but there’s a crack from one end to the other. Which he’s trying to hide by painting it. It’s not like obvious crack like you would see if you typed it in google but it’s noticeable. Not ideal when they’ve spent so much money on the kitchen. 

If it's cracked that early it's liable to keep cracking. Did he tape the joints, do you know? 

[Strokes]

7 minutes ago, Izzy said:

You’ve got your money’s worth out of that meme Izzy

I’d guess he hasn’t bought tapered plasterboards and he hasn’t taped the joints. So when the plaster has shrunk as the water evaporates, it’s disappearing into the joint.

Re sand and rejoint it.

Edited 8 February 2021 by Strokes

[Izzy]

1 minute ago, Strokes said:

You’ve got your money’s worth out of that meme Izzy

I’d guess he hasn’t bought tapered plasterboards and he hasn’t taped the joints. So when the plaster has shrunk as the water evaporates, it’s disappearing into the joint.

Re sand and rejoint it.

 

I fvckin knew you'd know the solution though  

[Strokes]

1 minute ago, Izzy said:

 

I fvckin knew you'd know the solution though  

Only because I’ve ****ed up every job on the planet in preparation for becoming perfect 

[JamesO]

8 minutes ago, Webbo said:

If it's cracked that early it's liable to keep cracking. Did he tape the joints, do you know? 

Yeah I thought the same that it’s going to keep doing it. 
 

im not sure if he did or not. Feel for them as they had a plaster who did an awful job on it as well

[JamesO]

7 minutes ago, Strokes said:

You’ve got your money’s worth out of that meme Izzy

I’d guess he hasn’t bought tapered plasterboards and he hasn’t taped the joints. So when the plaster has shrunk as the water evaporates, it’s disappearing into the joint.

Re sand and rejoint it.

Thanks mate I will pass this on 

[Webbo]

Put the corner of a scraper in the crack and rake out the crack, make it wider and then fill it. As I said though, it'll probably crack again.

[pSinatra]

What do you mean by glue?  Grout/adhesive would just scratch off.

 

Do you mean silicone?  If so, white vinegar works a treat at getting that stuff off - if it's on the tiles & not the plaster.

[JamesO]

2 minutes ago, pSinatra said:

What do you mean by glue?  Grout/adhesive would just scratch off.

 

Do you mean silicone?  If so, white vinegar works a treat at getting that stuff off - if it's on the tiles & not the plaster.

It’s as if it’s like bedded in and looks like a water mark if that makes sense. 
 

that’s a good shout though white vinegar! I’ll get them to try that tomorrow. Thanks for the advice I really appreciate it! 

 

 

[Lcfcbisto]

So yes the boards should be staggered, like a brick bond. You still end up with straight lines but in the opposite direction to the joists which makes it more structurally sound, and stops cracking where there is movement in joists. 
It sounds like like they did not tape the joints (skrim tape) this is a big mistake and is very hard to solve after. Any plasterer would know this and should be held accountable.

the tile problem shouldn’t  be to hard to solve, depending on the tile. If it’s a natural product and the grout has been smeared and not removed properly it can be really hard to get off.

what tiles are they? 

 

[JamesO]

The plasterer did an awful job! Many mistakes in their work, was not smooth on the walls! So they complained and got their money back. £750 he charged! 
 

if you like I will get a photo as someone else has requested. 
 

I will also find out what tile they are. I appreciate your help on this. It’s looking like the ceiling is only going to be prepared if he starts again. But the tiles and units are all in now. They’ve been doing this since September. Doing this though a lockdown as well has been awful 😂

[JamesO]

10 hours ago, Lcfcbisto said:

So yes the boards should be staggered, like a brick bond. You still end up with straight lines but in the opposite direction to the joists which makes it more structurally sound, and stops cracking where there is movement in joists. 
It sounds like like they did not tape the joints (skrim tape) this is a big mistake and is very hard to solve after. Any plasterer would know this and should be held accountable.

the tile problem shouldn’t  be to hard to solve, depending on the tile. If it’s a natural product and the grout has been smeared and not removed properly it can be really hard to get off.

what tiles are they? 

 

Porcelain tiles 

[Lcfcbisto]

Porcelain tiles especially if smooth should be pretty easy to clean off, the chances are they were not cleaned off properly after grouting. You can pick up grout remover from various places, they all sound magical but depending how bad it is they may back a few goes to get it off properly. Places like tops tiles will sell you stuff but it’s probably no better than some cheaper options in screwfix or tool station.

you can also try scraping the worst off but depending on the tile you would be better off using something plastic so you don’t damage the tile. 
as for the ceiling have you got any pics of boarding before skim. 
don't go starting again just yet. Depending on how the boards were fitted it could be a case of letting it settle and crack re taping the joints properly and re skimming.

Another option is a product like fine form, you could clean out the cracks and fill with fine form and then sand it back smooth. This is possible in some areas but I would find the cause before going down this route as it could happen again. 
Feel free to send any pictures of the work to me I’d happily have a look.

 

 

[Trumpet]

57 minutes ago, JamesO said:

Porcelain tiles 

Topps do a decent residue remover which is safe for porcelain tiles, might need a few goes at it though. From experience some porcelain tiles come from supplier unsealed, which can cause cloudiness after the mess of grouting. I’ve been out of the exciting world of tiles for a few years though so wouldn’t know how likely an unsealed porcelain tile is nowadays.

Edited 9 February 2021 by Trumpet

[JamesO]

1 minute ago, Trumpet said:

Topps do a decent residue remover which is safe for porcelain tiles, might need a few goes at it though. From experience some porcelain tiles come from supplier unsealed, which can cause cloudiness after the mess of grouting. I’ve been out of the exciting world of tiles for a few years though so wouldn’t know how likely a porcelain tile is nowadays.

Thanks mate I will pass this information on. Much appreciated 

[Webbo]

I'm not an expert on plastering or tiling but I've picked bits up at work. When you said porcelain tiles I did wonder, there some that need a special grout. It could be that he's used the wrong stuff. 

[Lcfcbisto]

56 minutes ago, Webbo said:

I'm not an expert on plastering or tiling but I've picked bits up at work. When you said porcelain tiles I did wonder, there some that need a special grout. It could be that he's used the wrong stuff. 

Standard grout is fine on porcelain. There are some epoxy resin grouts out there for water proof and high traffic areas. Great products but I doubt they have used that. 

[Nalis]

*Puff cheeks/sigh through lips* ...... its gonna cost you mate

[Dr The Singh]

Buy a new house that's already decorated

[Countryfox]

Whatever you do don't listen to Webbo or Strokes ...   a right pair of clowns ...     oh ! ..  too late !!   

[yorkie1999]

If they're ceramic tiles whatever you use won't be detrimental to them, if they're porcelain, which is porous and basically soaks up moisture and oils, they're going to stain if they've not been sealed with stone sealer, and once they're stained you'll always see it. Try using meths a few times, then seal them.