Marble floor

Ladywest

Hi all
Just wondering if anyone can offer me any advice on this? I have a marble floor in my house that has been down six years. Within a few months of putting them down, holes started to appear, I contacted the shop where I bought them and he filled the holes with grout. There are now two tiles that have cracked down the middle as well as holes in ever single tile including under the hall table and stairs... Areas that have never been walked on.
I got back into the seller and he sent out one of his employees who is a tiler and he filled some of the holes with a filler product so now I still have most of the holes and I now have filler smeared all over the floor and it will not come off!!
I got back onto the seller and was told that marble is a natural product and this is what happens!
They were so expensive to purchase and to lay and I got a guy to lay them that came highly recommended from several sources so I can't blame him and we have never cleaned them with anything other than water.
I'm sorry about the long post but I am at the end of my tether with the shop! Am I right to expect more from them? I really feel like I have been sold an inferior product!!
Thanks so much for reading

TonyStark

Ladywest wrote: »

Hi all
Just wondering if anyone can offer me any advice on this? I have a marble floor in my house that has been down six years. Within a few months of putting them down, holes started to appear, I contacted the shop where I bought them and he filled the holes with grout. There are now two tiles that have cracked down the middle as well as holes in ever single tile including under the hall table and stairs... Areas that have never been walked on.
I got back into the seller and he sent out one of his employees who is a tiler and he filled some of the holes with a filler product so now I still have most of the holes and I now have filler smeared all over the floor and it will not come off!!
I got back onto the seller and was told that marble is a natural product and this is what happens!
They were so expensive to purchase and to lay and I got a guy to lay them that came highly recommended from several sources so I can't blame him and we have never cleaned them with anything other than water.
I'm sorry about the long post but I am at the end of my tether with the shop! Am I right to expect more from them? I really feel like I have been sold an inferior product!!
Thanks so much for reading

Sounds like this comes under the Sale of Goods and supply of Services. Sounds like the tiles may have not been of merchantible quality. They might argue the tiles were fine and its was the guy who laid them was at fault.

Small claims might be a route, but exhaust it with the shop first. Six years does sound like a long time so they may argue it's wear and tear as well

Ladywest

Thanks for reply! The tiler I got was recommended first by the shop but I made further enquiries about him and he was highly recommended. Will just have to keep after the shop until the issue is resolved. Would take them up in the morning except they are nearly an inch and a half thick!!
I do think that the guy he sent out to fill the holes made it worse so mayby I will just go down that line!!
Thanks

delahuntv

possibly have a specialist call and give their opinion - at least then you will know if its worth pursuing the shop, though statute of limitations may render any argument invalid from a legal point of view, but possibly because you have brought it to their attention befofe the 6 year period and it has not been resolved, you could be ok.


I googled marble repair and www.marblecare.ie came up and loads of infor on problems http://www.marblecare.ie/floor-types/

It could end up as something easily fixed.

Ladywest

Thanks.
I phoned a specialist that they recommended last week so will wait and see what he says. The issue is who will pay for him!! The shop has gone from saying "every issue is fixable" to "well marble is a natural product"
Will just have to keep after them.... Why did I ever put them down ðŸ˜ðŸ˜

davo10

OP when we were kitting out our house about 10 years ago, we wanted marble tiles in hallway, kitchen and utility. They were going to cost a fortune but my wife wanted them. The builder was dead against it, he said "trust me, do not put marble tiles down in areas where there will be heavy foot fall or where furniture will be placed on them. Marble is easily marked and cracked". We listened to him and just put marble in the hallway, porcelain in the kitchen, utility and conservatory. The builder was right, high heals, dropped school bags and hallway furniture have marked the marble tiles while the porcelain tiles in the other areas are like the day they were laid.

Ladywest

Have porcelain in the kitchen and back kitchen and totally agree! Am still going to try my case at this stage there are 1000's of little holes so will get specialist to look at them and see!! Fingers crossed I'll get somewhere with the shop! We left them almost 8000 ourselves and all other family members that have built have dealt with them also so hopefully they might show us some good will..... Here's hoping!!

davo10

Ladywest, did you have the marble floor sealed?

Ours doesn't have thousands of tiny holes but you just reminded me there, after our floor was laid, the tiler had to apply three coats of clear sealant over a 2 day period. He said marble is porous and that the sealant needed to be re-applied every 3-4 years, I have forgotten to do this and must give him a call again.

If you got your own tiler, the shop might claim this is something you should have done after you had them laid.

slimjimmc

Sounds like you have Travertine tiles. Travertine is full of holes which are filled by the factory. AFAIK travertine is softer than marble and needs more tlc but I doubt holes should reopen so soon.

Ladywest

Yep they were sealed when they went down. Got a guy out the end of last yr to clean them and buff and polish them but he said they needed to be ground down to get rid of all the holes.... That would cost 700! He said that they weren't a good quality tile so hopefully if we get another marble expert to call out and see them and he says the same we might have some backing!

Ladywest

Am almost 100% sure they were marble was told that they were and that they were a lifetime job! Plus they were 1500euros just for the hall and cost 800 to lay!

davo10

Ladywest wrote: »

Am almost 100% sure they were marble was told that they were and that they were a lifetime job! Plus they were 1500euros just for the hall and cost 800 to lay!

I hate to say it OP but €1500 is on a cheap side for good quality inch thick marble tiles for the average sized hallway. Ours is not particularly big but I remember paying over €4k including the laying.

New Home

It also depends on the type of product you've used to clean it - anything even slightly acidic will stain and corrode it in the long run...

Ladywest

Our hall wouldn't be massive but it's not tiny either it's prob around 4 mtrs wide by 7 mtrs but def didn't pay anything over 1500!! Will just have to wait and see what specialist says.... Would just love to pull the damn things up they are the only things in the house that we have had trouble with. Thanks so much for all the replies am new to boards.ie but it has been great to get the opinions of others so cheers!