Messy tile installation

3 years ago

I have a wooden window frame and the tile installer didn't cut/align the tie correctly so now it looks really messy against the frame- Is there anything that can be done to fix that or cover it up so its not so obvious. Trying to avoid a redo. Thank you

Featured Answer

millworkman

3 years ago

What did he do, gnaw that with his teeth?

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (16)

cat_ky
3 years ago
Needs a redo. A curtain panel would hide it I guess, if thats what you are wanting to do.
Related Discussions
Total Transformation of a 30-year-old Derelict Apartment into a Groovy
Q
Comments (30)
Groovy Baby! Love it! I think if you are going to have a strong look like this, you have to go the whole hog to pull it off, otherwise it just looks like a bad take on a 'theme'; you nailed it, very well done!
...See More
Terrace revamp
Q
Comments (9)
I love your design I have a similar terrace that I always thought to install a trellis, but was never sure how it would look and yours looks great. On the floor a wanted to install the interlocking wood squares, but I'm afraid that they are too high maintenance. Any comments?
...See More
New black tiles with stain / Grout haze
Q
Comments (7)
Hi Thrishna, looks like you've put quite a lot of effort cleaning it already. Have you already tried the following: • Oxygenated bleach • Warm water • Coarse scrubbing brush (like an old toothbrush) • Towel • Lemon • Grout sealer TIP: Cleaning coloured grout should be done with special care. Bleaching agents (like chlorine bleach) can discolour and harm the coloured grout. Fortunately, oxygenated bleach does not contain corrosive chemicals and is safe to use on all grout. For those impossible-to-remove stains, you might want to consider: A commercial tile and grout cleaner A coarser brush (avoid using metal bristles, though, as they can erode the grout) Grout stain-proof If after you’ve tried all three, the stain is still hanging strong, you may have to resort to removing the old grout and replacing it with new. I got the above tips from our article "Household Headaches: How to Clean Tile Grout" here: https://www.houzz.com.sg/magazine/household-headaches-how-to-clean-tile-grout-stsetivw-vs~33806355 It's quite an extensive guide, so you might want start out with the lightest options?
...See More
Should I keep this design or remove/change it?
Q
Comments (4)
I would suggest include them into a storage unit and perhaps you could hang a TV on one side and storage on other side. Removing it will affect the flooring possibly (depending on how it was installed in the first place) Do contact us if we can help you any further with more design options. All the best
...See More
PRO
Charles Ross Homes
3 years ago
Our practice is to remove the trim before installing a tile backsplash, then reinstall the trim after the backsplash is complete. That way you have a nicer, more finished look.
s s
Original Author
3 years ago
Yes that would have made more sense .. but now what .. complete removal or are there stains that will cover up the area .

It does appear that way milworkman does it not
Fori
3 years ago
If you must avoid a redo and want to make it less obvious, use a blue Sharpie. Or if you have scraps to practice on (although ideally you'd have grout to practice on), see if you can find the perfect color nail polish. Don't use the brush it comes with. Toothpick maybe.

Of course a redo would be best but for most of us it's just not practical.
s s thanked Fori
PRO
Joseph Corlett, LLC
3 years ago
After he pulled the apron, he should have used a Japanese pull saw to notch the stool, slid the tile behind, then reinstalled the apron. I'd make him do it over. That's awful.
s s thanked Joseph Corlett, LLC
s s
Original Author
3 years ago
Thanks Fori . Nail polish may work cause it's think and glossy like the tile .which I'm.goig to try as an option if I can't redo

I have asked for a redo though. Joseph Corlett can you please explain in layman terms . A stool and an apron probably mean very different things to us .

Thanks guys
Fori
3 years ago
A redo would be best...if they can do better. The stool is the flat part (that we call a sill but isn't technically) and the apron is the part against the wall under it. In older homes window trim can be embedded in plaster and drywall and who knows what else so removing it is not always an option...

Some tile guys CAN cut tile pretty well and don't necessarily have to dismantle your window trim.
PRO
Charles Ross Homes
3 years ago
ss,

Tile setters are not interior trim carpenters and interior trim carpenters are not tile setters. Your remodeler/GC is responsible for removing the trim prior to installation of the tile and reinstalling it. Removing the trim would have avoided not only the issue you're focused on, but the large grouted joint under the apron, which you will likely find to be objectionable at some point. Get your remodeler to fix both. If that remodeler is you, chaulk it up as a learning expense--that would be yours not the tile setter's.
ptreckel
3 years ago
Do not touch ANYTHING with nail polish.
Kyle
3 years ago
@Charles Ross Homes

At what point should we expect the tile installer to stop and let the homeowner know that without removal of the window trim it aint going to be pretty.
Jennifer K
3 years ago
The tile installer won't stop (unless they are really customer-focussed). They come in and do the job. That's all. If the space is insufficiently ready, then you get the kind of job you have. If they stopped, they'd be out a day's work and no one would pay. If they continue when another trade is "at fault", then they get paid twice if you decide to fix it.
PRO
Charles Ross Homes
3 years ago
The tile setter--and any trade for that matter--doesn't get paid when they are not working. Once they are on site they want to work to completion without interruption. They can't simply stop what they're doing at one job site and then go to the next job for a couple of hours and come back. There is a lot to mobilizing any trade. Trips cost money.

Knowing the correct order of operations and getting each task completed on time is a big part of how remodelers/GCs add value. When homeowners act as their own remodeler/GC they're likely to get "educated" on a couple of things and that "education" will come at a price. For what it's worth, I've been doing this for a couple of decades and I pay for my "continuing education," too.
s s thanked Charles Ross Homes
PRO
Classic Connecticut Homes LLC
3 years ago
I will agree that it is poorly done.. I disagree with the level of deference to the tile setter. Subs don't run the job and when they do - that's the work you get.

We don't know if there was a trim carpenter onsite but if there was popping that apron and notching the casing could easily have been done while he waited. Literally 10 minutes worth of work and it would be done by the time the tile setter was done setting up his saw.

More importantly why didn't the tile setter communicate what he needed before he came onsite ? "This is what I need before I can come on the job to install the backsplash." If he can't communicate or he choses not to it is not my problem if has to wait once he's on the job that's on him.

And if that work is acceptable to him you don't want him on your job anyway.

On our jobs we say it all has to get done. And the guys and the crews that get the repeat work, and the price they want, work together to get it done.

We do not allow for a culture of prima donnas.
Jennifer K
3 years ago
>We do not allow for a culture of prima donnas.

If I lived in Connecticut, I'd probably hire you. But that doesn't change the fact that communication among subs is a rare and valuable thing.
PRO
Charles Ross Homes
3 years ago
It's not clear who was managing this project nor what other trades may have been on site at the same time nor whether the tile setter had any relationship with other trades if they were. I don't think the tile setter had an attitude, indeed I think he made a good faith effort to cope the tile with the tools available to him. The outcome is a management issue, or more correctly stated, a lack of management issue. If a professional remodeling contractor was hired, they need to be held accountable.

Messy tile installation

millworkman

Comments (16)

cat_ky

Related Discussions

Charles Ross Homes

s s
Original Author

Fori

Joseph Corlett, LLC

s s
Original Author

Fori

Charles Ross Homes

ptreckel

Kyle

Jennifer K

Charles Ross Homes

Classic Connecticut Homes LLC

Jennifer K

Charles Ross Homes

COMPANY

EXPLORE HOUZZ

CONNECT WITH US

Messy tile installation

Comments (16)

Related Discussions

s sOriginal Author

s sOriginal Author

COMPANY

EXPLORE HOUZZ

CONNECT WITH US

s s
Original Author

s s
Original Author