Lads I need some help on this one. I'm on this other web site called www.askaboutmoney.com and there is a thread on it with a guy asking who's to blain for the floor being f***ed. I replied saying the Tiler should have said it to him that the tiles were warped.

Anyway this other guy comes on saying it was the floor that caused it and the Tiler should have levelled the floor. So I said he cleary doesn't know what he's on about cos he's not a Tiler and that there is 40% of tiles sold warped and that shops don't recommend laying 60/60 porcelain in the brick pattern. Then this clown comes back saying he has plenty of reason to comment on it because 60% of tilers are rip of merchants.

Anyone else want to go onto this site and back me up. a**hole has me realy annoyed now.

Dont get involved, larger pocelain can dish slightly due to size and temperatures it's fired at. Let them argue it out and wind each other up mate.....Gaz

You're right. Something to do with planametric tolerances.

What's this?

I think its to do with the recognised tollrence's in tile sizes, and that after a certain size, you will get some warping

Sound. Thanks again lads.

I went on the site and read the coments. I think this guy just wanted someone to agree with his anger against the tiler and not respect an expert opinion on the given situation. As that was not a dedicated forum for debate on this subject, like this one, it left people open to abuse as I believe he was just venting his anger.
In my experience I have come across differences in porcelain quality big time. The main problems are how the tile reacts after being cut on the water jet machine.
I can have a perfectly flat tile to start with then if I cut a hole or two or maybe a plug socket hole from it, the tile will sort of stress relieve itself and either warp or in the worst cases just break into a million pieces by itself. It possibly hard to believe that a tile will break AFTER cutting, sometimes overnight, without touching it but it does. I suppose if the tiler cuts the tiles using traditional methods and it breaks he possibly blames himself for not getting it quite right but more often than not it will be the tile de-stressing.

Steve

Excellent post Steve, that makes perfect sense.

Cracking info post Steve thanks

Very interesting. I don't have water jet machines here tho. It's either using a small grinder with the montolit disc or the montolit wet saw. Sometimes it does brake with grinder, but only a very odd time.

Is there any info out there about how to prevent the tile destressing or why it happens?

And you're rich about that guy. Just wanted to go off on one at tilers without knowing anything about the tiles.

I believe porcelain tiles are manufactured in different ways and depends on the country of manufacture.
I can have two visually similar tiles from two different suppliers, one will break just by looking at it, the other can be cut like a hot knife through butter.

With water jet cutting the best way to know how good they will cut is by how much the customer paid for them....cheap end NO GOOD......expensive end NO PROBLEM, somewhere in the middle you take a chance.

Please note that the type of cutting I refer to is generally more intricate than just cutting a tile in half or cutting a corner out. A lot or the stuff in my picture gallery is porcelain.

I have seen a perfectly flat porcelain tile curl up like a saucer after cutting a hole in the middle before it kindly broke.

Steve.

have you a link to your picture gallery. i usually use holesaw attachments for the grinder for any holes i need to make. but if the water jet system is better it might be something i'd look into.

Go to the gallery on my website, which is in need of some modernisation.
Please ignore how basic it is and just look at the pics.

Jetline Cutting Limited

I do have a lot more, but I need time to sort through them all.

Cheers

Steve

That's right Danny

BS EN 14411; 2006 Ceramic Tiles, Definitions, Classification Characteristics and Marking outlines the following tolerances for B1a (porcealin tiles):

Surface Regularity

For tiles with a surface >410cms², the maximum deviation from rectangularity (%) related to the corresponding work size is +/-0.6%.

Surface Flatness

For tiles with a surface >410cms², The maximum deviation from flatness (%)

1. Centre curvature related to diagonal, calculated from the work size = +/- 0.5%
2. Edge curvature related to work size = +/-0.5%
3. Warpage related to diagonal, calculated from the work size = +/- 0.5%

Deviations from straightness of sides, length and width, thickness or ceramic tiles etc are also defined in this standard

This is my first post so please go easy on me!

I'll go back to sleep now.



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Good God what did you have breakfast......I need some of that !!

Hi Dave, cracking opener

Steve

Boom Boom!

I think I might need to change your avatar to if you keep those up, Gaz

This de-stressing business sounds interesting. Recently I have done two jobs with (different) 60x60 porcelain tiles and have had some crack at doorways and corners where I had made them L shaped to fit around door frames etc. The crack extends out across the tile from one of the cuts (I hope this makes sense).I originally blamed the joiner for putting on the door stops and/or architraves too tight but after removing all this and lifting the tile they didnt seem overly tight, the tile was well bedded in addy and the floor hadn't cracked underneath!
It's a major pain though, do you think it could crack like a car windscreen(Like when you press a crack with your finger it grows(the crack that is))

By rights, a porcelain tile is as tough as bell metal, only impact damage can crack them. But in light of this evidence it may be de-stressing to blame Andrew.

I'm glad I started this thread now. I think we're all being educated that extra bit. I know I am. Although I must say I've never had the problem of the porcelain cracking after it's laid, more so when cutting.

@daveW, what a cracker man. I'll have to study that for a bit I think.

Just to enlighten you fellas, Dave is our Head of Technical and was our chemist @ Bal...so you know his pedigree.
( and my gaffer )