How to fill gaps around sockets installed on uneven natural stone tiles ?

[ronuz93]

Not really come across this issue before , not as extreme anyway .

Installing new sockets on natural stone tiles and they've got large gaps around them due to each tile being different .

What's the best solution to fill these gaps ?

Stone coloured silicone ? Caulk ? Or some sort of gasket?

Cheers

 

[ronuz93]

 

[James]

Ask the stonemason to make it flat?

 

[nicebutdim]

Ask the stonemason to make it flat?

Can't imagine any stone mason was involved in that.

What goes through people's heads?

 

[ronuz93]

Ask the stonemason to make it flat?

These were natural stone split tiles . They're quite fragile. Think I just have to make good of a bad situation with this one somehow

 

[snowhead]

If you do anything you need to explain exactly what you plan to the customer and make sure they understand and agree to it.
It would be best to leave it for them to sort out.

It's got the potential to get expensive if you mess up the tiles with silicone or whatever and the customer then wants you to pay for replacing it all.

The tiling should have been done after the sockets were fitted so they could have been cut close to the socket.
Or fitted a blank in place of each socket to cut the tiles against.

 

[brianmoooore]

Diamond disc in a grinder can take some of the worst offending high spots off. Often do this when fitting switches, etc., and air grills to external stonework. Bought a diamond surface cup grinding disc from the 'middle of Lidl' a short while ago, but have yet to try it out.
Never tried it on internal stonework, but have on a few heavily textured ceramic tiles.

 

[ronuz93]

Diamond disc in a grinder can take some of the worst offending high spots off. Often do this when fitting switches, etc., and air grills to external stonework. Bought a diamond surface cup grinding disc from the 'middle of Lidl' a short while ago, but have yet to try it out.
Never tried it on internal stonework, but have on a few heavily textured ceramic tiles.

Cheers mate , think I'll have to give this a go

 

[plugsandsparks]

Had a similar wall to install 14 featurelights and couple of sockets. I used a Dremel with diamond encrusted points, didn't take as long as i expected as the stone was relatively soft. You can get super accurate with a dremel , client absolved me of all liability and tiler was happy it was me rather than him, lol

 

[Rockingit]

I would say that is someone else's problem, preferably the tiler's. You may well find the MI's for those accessories actually state to be installed on a flush, flat wall. Definitely need to bring the client onboard with it though.

 

[pc1966]

Cheers mate , think I'll have to give this a go

Be VERY careful here. It is easy for hot sparks thrown off the disk to cause permanent damage to other surfaces, including glass, etc, and that could be expensive. Of course you would have PPE for yourself, but really you need to be covering everything within a few meters of the cutting location.

 

[brianmoooore]

Be VERY careful here. It is easy for hot sparks thrown off the disk to cause permanent damage to other surfaces, including glass, etc, and that could be expensive. Of course you would have PPE for yourself, but really you need to be covering everything within a few meters of the cutting location.

Very true! Reminds me of the time when a tiler I was working with was working on the kitchen. He removed one of those pyramid shaped GU10 halogen fittings from under a wall unit and placed it on the worktop while he tiled behind it. Unfortunately, the GU10 was lit, and although laminate worktops are heat resistant, they're not much contest for a 50W halogen in almost contact.
Expensive day for the tiler!.

 

[brianmoooore]

The fashion for those brick sized bevel edged tiles also present a problem when screwing back fittings.

 

[ferg]

Fast fix box and then grout in the gaps where the back box can be seen?
Not ideal by a long way but makes your stuff good and passes on the difficult bit to someone else.

 

[brianmoooore]

Fast fix box and then grout in the gaps where the back box can be seen?
Not ideal by a long way but makes your stuff good and passes on the difficult bit to someone else.

That's what I do with the bevelled tiles if possible. Wait till the worktop's in, then fix the boxes with the centres in the middle of a tile vertically and along a joint horizontally.
Needs a strong fitting, since the fixing screws will be pulling into a gap