Is this tiling work sloppy?

5 years ago

I went with subway tiles and chose to add a niche as well. I'm noticing these small imperfections that I would like to fix but wondering if I'm being too nitpicky. Things like an angled sliver cut behind the toilet, uneven tiles, one tile is chipped on the corner, and some unclean cuts and grouting.

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JAN MOYER

5 years ago

last modified: 5 years ago

Folks..........................

Dark contrasting grout, unless the best installer in your local area is an invitation to unhappy land

A tile guy, who installs a chipped tile is a jerk

NICHES are the single biggest invitation to un happy tile land ever invented. A gummy goo collector. An invitation to wierd looking cuts, leaks. If you MUST have the D $%^ thing? Do it it a solid surface and match your shower curb, or tone it closely to your tile...SOMETHING.

Okay....? Then we won't have to keep looking at pictures of your dissatisfaction which is almost always guaranteed, as we see no less than a dozen of these every week.

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Comments (25)

km kane
5 years ago
Yeah, that would bug me. Not sure how it can be fixed but to remove and replace
jessupjl06
5 years ago
I don’t blame you for being bothered by these imperfections. That being said I don’t think this is a disaster by any means and definitely does not appear to warrant a tear out.

Maybe raise concern with your installer and request a reasonable discount consistent with the number of issues you notice.
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PRO
Diana Bier Interiors, LLC
5 years ago
Looks very unprofessional to me. If you replace it, also replace the installer.
PRO
Diana Bier Interiors, LLC
5 years ago
last modified: 5 years ago
Further to Jan's comment above, you can use a pre-cast unit for soaps, shampoos, etc., as shown in the shower below. Although it breaks up the unity of the tile, in the big picture of the entire bathroom it's not a big deal. It's clearly not the first thing anyone notices when using this bathroom.
PRO
Patricia Colwell Consulting
5 years ago
I agree this tile setter was not paying attention IMO niches are the thing I always talk my clients out of they are a PITA to tile properly almost always when there is a leak problem it is the niche and contrast gout shows every tiny imperfection for sure . Is it worth a tear out that will be something you have to decide. Usually when tearing out tile that has already beed grouted there is a risk of damaging the waterproofing ( I am hoping the tiler did not do the waterproofing)
tuckerdc
5 years ago
I would not be happy. At the very least, you should call him out on the chipped tiles. Price adjustment???

We all do learn to live with imperfection - for years I could look at a densely patterned wallpaper job I did and immediately see my 'goofs,' though I doubt anyone else ever did.
PRO
Dragonfly Tile & Stone Works, Inc.
5 years ago
It's not a professional tile job. Nothing our professional industry would support. But there are plenty of low cost (I'm not insinuating that you paid "low cost") so-called installers out there that are not actually professionals in our trade. They just "do some tile work" too, and that's what you get. As for the niche, most of our clients request them and they are rarely the cause of a "leak" if properly built. Actually, the vast majority of shower failures is due to a pan failure. Regardless, your niche looks like it was tiled by an amateur. Hire wisely. Sorry you got this result.
PRO
Mint tile Minneapolis
5 years ago
taco shy of a combo plate. agree with dragon
Ron B
Original Author
5 years ago
thanks for the feedback everyone. I'm working with my contractor to fix these issues with the subcontractor who did the tiling. We're testing the niche if we can regrout to white to hide more of the imperfections instead of retiling the entire project. Other issues like the unevenness next to the tub will be caulked over since that was what they originally planned. the uneven floor tile behind the toilet apparently was due to the wall not being a perfect 90 degree angle according to my contractor. I tested this by placing a square tile at the corner and it appears to be the case, though I'm disappointed they did not plan around this. They claimed they put it behind the toilet to be less noticeable, but they definitely should have informed me of this.

Does anything see any issues with regrouting to a lighter color?
Ron B
Original Author
5 years ago
oh also does anyone have any opinion on things like Grout Refresh which basically paint over with a new grout color, as opposed to replacing the grout altogether
chiflipper
5 years ago
Sorry to say, this was done by an untalented someone without a clue as to the basics. Poor layout, bad spacing, grouted "changes in plane" where it should be caulked.
jessupjl06
5 years ago
I am not familiar with “grout refresh” but if it’s essentially paint I would not accept that as a solution. Paint means significantly more maintenance. Any chip in the paint would be very obvious with the dark color underneath.

I would live with the imperfections before I ever thought about painting brand new grout for brand new tile. Just my opinion.
PRO
User
5 years ago
Epoxy grout colorants are a great choice to change grout colors without going through the hassle of removing enough grout in order to redo it. They are permanent, and seal the grout as well.
PRO
None
5 years ago
Jan for President
PRO
Creative Ceramic & Marble/ Bill Vincent
5 years ago
Most of what you've pointed out, with the exception of the sliver behind the toilet, you'd never even see if it weren't for the heavy contrast in the grout. Your installer needed to know that when using a contrasting grout you really need to step up your game. When I first got into tile setting (back when my dinosaur would carry my tool bucket by the handle in his mouth :-) ) I used to love using a contrasting grout, SPECIFICALLY because it would show off the workmanship in the project (or the lack thereof). In this case, something that would have been acceptable (albeit not top notch) , now really should be redone.
PRO
JAN MOYER
5 years ago
LOL....... : ) Matt. I will have Bill Vincent for Veep, thank you.
PRO
Beth H. :
5 years ago
last modified: 5 years ago
Ron, try cleaning off the grout shown in your first pic (the niche). looks like that one corner you've pointed out actually has dried grout on it. (unless it's chipped, and then it should be replaced)

here is a similar niche my tile guy did for someone just so you can compare.

it's a close up shot so any little imperfection will be magnified, but there are no chips and all the grout was cleaned off well, with all the tiles lined up in symmetry.

your guy didn't wipe up the grout all that great. The chipped tiles should never have been installed. The pic against the wall is horrible (pic #2) and I would want that redone.

have you paid in full?
Kim
5 years ago
Hi Beth,

Thanks for sharing. This is Ron posting from my gf’s account.

I already paid 75% of the fees. The tiler came back yesterday to retile some of the tiles that weren’t level and the chipped tiles. He added a white caulking around the shower niche (see photos) but it just looks like a bad cover up job now.

I sent the picture of the niche you shared and told the contractor this is what we’re expecting of him. I am definitely telling him to retile the shower niche or to just remove it altogether. Is it reasonable for me to withhold payment until he fixes the bad tiling situation? I’m planning to give him another chance to fix his work since I already paid so much before firing him.
PRO
None
5 years ago
Looks like he did not use spacers
Dawn Martinez
5 years ago
Absolutely reasonable to withhold payment until you are satisfied, it's actually pretty common in the industry to only get a final payment after a walkthrough and job completion. I always write contracts now with any GC or subcontractor and put in a payment schedule and usually withhold 20% for the end, and state final payment upon acceptance.
Dawn Martinez
5 years ago
Shower nook in my master bath...
PRO
Beth H. :
5 years ago
last modified: 5 years ago
Ron, yes, give him a chance to redo it. on the one he caulked, I still see some mistakes. it also looks like his saw blade didn't cut very well

you can see where I circled the jagged cuts and excess grout.
It's better than it was.

tiling a niche isn't easy, especially when you have to change directions and line up all of your joints

this one, while neat looking, would drive me nuts because the grout lines in the niche don't line up w/the border lines. and, the symmetry is off on the tiles that outline the niche (right side is smaller)
km kane
5 years ago
I could live with the ones Beth just showed; at least the workmanship is cleaner. Your tile guy probably needs a new blade and some grinding stones to lessen all the chips on the edges. Of course, that doesn’t help with the odd layout. So sorry you are dealing with this!
tatts
5 years ago
last modified: 5 years ago
I wish people would just stop watching HGTV and getting artsy with grout. There is nothing wrong with a tile wall or floor making its own statement as a unified field of color. It does not need every tile outlined in a contrasting color. Subtlety is its own reward.

And, as I have noted a jillion times, contrasting grout requires a high level of precision in laying the tile in the first place--something we seldom see in here.