Help on tiling & coving issues

Ms. Chanandler Bong

Hi all,

I have 2 problems I need a little advice/help on.

No. 1: Boyf tiled bathroom wall & didn't clean the grout off properly afterwards leaving me with this...http://flic.kr/p/bDLdx2
I've tried cleaning it by scrubbing it a lot, with washing up liquid, with vinegar, with a JML Magic Eraser thing, you name it! I've looked online & there's something called a grout haze remover that's available in the States but no-one I've asked here knows anything about it.

No. 2: My sitting room has 60 year old coving which in general is in good shape. Apart from the chimney breast...http://flic.kr/p/brv4ss
There's an issue with the lead on the roof which needs to be fixed. This is leading to water getting in apparently. So the coving basically soaks up any paint I apply & turns it to powder I've applied Polyfilla, PVA bonding & a barrier to stop stains coming through. Nothing worked. How do I stop the coving from disintegrating in front of my eyes?

paddy147

Your photos aint working.:(

Ms. Chanandler Bong

paddy147 wrote: »

Your photos aint working.:(

My attempts at fixing it are cr@p to say the least. Best I can do is a link to flickr...

paddy147

catreyn wrote: »

My attempts at fixing it are cr@p to say the least. Best I can do is a link to flickr...

Flickr or Photobucket will be fine.:)

Ms. Chanandler Bong

http://flic.kr/p/bDLdx2

There's a few of the tiles & a few of the coving

Joey the lips

On the tiles. It all depeneds how thick the grout is thats left on the tile. Call into a tile shop and they should have stuff that removes this grout. Its an acid so cover the bath against spills very well and wear gloves and eye protection.

cnocbui

Having had a leak problem myself - nothing to do with coving though - I would say there is no point trying to do anything to the coving while the leak persists. Get the leak fixed, wait some months for everything to dry out then tackle the decorating.

Ms. Chanandler Bong

Joey the lips wrote: »

On the tiles. It all depeneds how thick the grout is thats left on the tile. Call into a tile shop and they should have stuff that removes this grout. Its an acid so cover the bath against spills very well and wear gloves and eye protection.

It's not very thick at all, literally a very fine layer that disappears when it's wet Had read about the acid on various online forums but didn't want to use it because...well it's acid!
Oh well, him that makes the mess can clean it up! lol

Ms. Chanandler Bong

cnocbui wrote: »

Having had a leak problem myself - nothing to do with coving though - I would say there is no point trying to do anything to the coving while the leak persists. Get the leak fixed, wait some months for everything to dry out then tackle the decorating.

Have a guy coming to check the roof out next week. Would lighting a fire help with the drying out or would it be a Really Bad Idea?

cnocbui

I am not qualified to really answer that. My intuition would be that letting it dry slowly, once the leak is fixed, would be a safer option. Lighting a fire could speed it up and do no harm - I just don't know. Using a dehumidifier would speed drying a lot and would be benign.

c0rk3r

For the grout residue use a product called Lithofin KF Cement Residue Remover which you can get from any Right price tile branch. Removes cement and mortar residues, rust, lime and other hardened dirt layers etc

As for the coving, do as others have suggested. Seal it, wait for it to fully dry then redo the job.

ckinane

I am tiling the side of my Bath with left over wall tile onto Plywood that I secured by a timber frame, Just want to know what is the best method to secure the tile to ply.