In brief
- A low tile rate can mean movement joints were never priced, not that the tiler works cheaper.
- Movement joints are a priced line, not a courtesy: they need a joint width, a sealant and a recorded position.
- Ask for the joint layout, the sealant name and a sample area before accepting the rate.
Contents
Tile movement joints underbidding risks Borama builds because a bid can look complete while the joint line is missing. The rate covers tile, adhesive and grout, which an estimator can count from the drawing. Joints sit outside that count. They need sealant, backing rod, extra labour and a decision about where each line runs. If the bid never names them, the price is low for a reason the client has not seen yet.
Where does the tile bid leave the movement joints out?
A rate built from floor area alone will not show the joint line. A tiler measures the floor, applies a rate per square metre, and the movement joints disappear into the general note "as directed". The bidder's own pricing schedule is the place to test this: ask whether the joint appears as a line with a quantity, or only as a note. A joint symbol on the plan without a width or a sealant type cannot be priced, so ask the consultant for a joint layout with positions and widths, and require a separate line for supply and installation of the sealant and backing rod. If the documents do not have that line, add it to the pricing schedule and send the same schedule to every bidder. Then the comparison is between priced scopes, not between totals that hide different assumptions.
What does the gap do to the tiled surface?
A tiled floor or wall without movement joints builds up stress that has to release somewhere. General practice is to place joints at intervals and at changes of plane, at perimeters, and where the substrate changes, with the spacing and width set by the tile manufacturer's instructions and confirmed by the project engineer. Sealant joints also take up the daily movement of a slab that heats and cools. When the joints are missing, a crack can follow the grout lines, or tiles can sound hollow near a wall or column. On a Borama build, check a room with a large unbroken tiled area and no joint line in sight. Walk the finished floor and look for straight, continuous joints at the perimeter and across the field. If the joints are absent, the work is incomplete even if every tile is laid flat.
How do you catch the omission before you sign?
Read the bid against a joint schedule, not against a total. Ask each bidder to state the joint width, the sealant product and the spacing that the price assumes. A bid that cannot answer has not priced the work. Ask for the manufacturer's data sheet for the sealant and check that the stated joint width matches it, then confirm both against the project specification. On site, ask the supervisor to mark the joint lines on the substrate before tiling starts, and take a photograph of that layout. If the bid is already signed, check what the contract says about omitted items and variations before you instruct extra work, because the route to payment depends on those clauses. A short sample area, tiled with the joint in place, shows the client what the finished line looks like before the whole floor is laid.
What to do next
Send the same written pricing schedule to every tiler bidding on the Borama job, with a separate line for movement joints, sealant and backing rod. Ask each bidder to return it with joint widths and the sealant product named. Compare the returned schedules, not the totals, and keep the answers with the tender file.
Frequently asked questions
Should movement joints be a separate line in a Borama tile bid?
Yes. A separate line makes the joint, sealant and backing rod visible, so a bid that leaves them out is easy to spot before the contract is signed. Ask the consultant to add the line if the pricing schedule does not have one.
Who decides where the movement joints go?
The project engineer or consultant sets the positions and widths on a joint layout, and the tile manufacturer's instructions give the limits. Ask for that layout before tiling starts and keep it with the site records.
What if the joints were left out of a signed contract?
Check what the contract says about omitted items and variations before instructing extra work. The payment route depends on those clauses, so read them first and confirm the position with the client's representative.
Local reporting: this article is written for building work in Borama and Somaliland. Ground conditions, prices and rules differ between places; confirm the details for your own site.