For a tile cut, that's not too bad, however, perhaps you should have specified some trim molding that would have covered it.

I would see if they will come back and use a schluter trim piece.

Trebruchet, you have way more experience than I do, but I don't think those edges look good at all. I just scoped out all the cuts in my kitchen backsplash and two showers and I don't see a jagged one anywhere. If these were at an inside corner they might not be as noticeable, but these appear right on an edge in plain sight.

xc60's trim looks great in a contemporary context, but I don't think it's very vintage looking.

Why can't tilers use sharp blades and get clean cuts? I don't think that's too much to ask.

If I did this myself I would be ok with it, but if I paid a professional I would expect better results. I would call them back and explain you've been trying to live with this but it is just not acceptable and see what they can offer. Everything can be fixed or made to look better. Good luck!

Thanks for the thoughts on this. What I don't understand is why so many of their cuts were nice and smooth - completely smooth - then these highly visible ones are so jagged. Posted a pic of a smooth cut on a corner.

RemodelNewbie123:

Are you sure that's a picture of a cut tile?

Are you sure that's a picture of a cut tile?

That's what I was wondering. How does the opposite side of that tile look?

It looks(wider view would help) like a factory edge butting up to the bullnose piece. The installer should probably invest in a rub stone or a new saw blade.

We just recently finished putting up our own tile in our Master BR. It was the first time we had done any tiling other than installing backsplashes. Nearly every single tile my DH put up had to be cut (unfortunate consequence of using 12 X 24 tiles), only one column, ie 7 out of 80+ tiles didn't have to be cut. Of those, we put up perhaps 2 or 3 tiles that had a little chip out of them, we weren't ecstatic about using non-perfect tiles, but were willing to live with TINY imperfections rather than wasting the whole tile.

In your case, it looks like those aren't particularly large, or expensive tiles, so I would think that 'wasting' those terribly chipped ones wouldn't be too big a deal. To answer your question. It is NOT that big a deal to chip those ones out and replace with properly/acceptably cut ones. However, before having the same guy do it, I would ensure that he is even capable of creating a nice smooth cut. Our first two tile cuts were unacceptable to us (not as bad as yours), so we went out and bought a much better quality tile saw. I think if two newbies can do it, a professional should be able to. (Note- ours were porcelain unglazed tiles, so that may be a factor).

Our DIY master bath remodel has some cut glazed ceramic tiles that look this way. Overall, I find they are not that noticeable because we used white grout and white tiles. I'm not sure how I would feel if I had hired out the tile work and it looked like this -- so I'll be watching to see what folks say :-)

Thanks for the thoughts on this. What I don't understand is why so many of their cuts were nice and smooth - completely smooth - then these highly visible ones are so jagged. Posted a pic of a smooth cut on a corner.

{{!gwi}}

Pic didn't show up. So, if they are CAPABLE of nice smooth cuts, I would ask them to redo those visible jagged ones. Not a huge deal. Trust me! :>)

I've never had something come off the wet saw looking like that... I'm wondering just how old their blade is or if they used nippers maybe. If it's something that continually gives them problems maybe they should be making cut with two passes - one to get through the glazed finish and a second one to cut through the rest of the tile.

I'll have to go back thru my TCNA book....but I've always adhered to "Grout joints should be 3x the size variation from smallest to biggest tile" 1/8" variation would require 3/8" grout joint.

@Stone Tech,

You're right, that's the grout line for a 1/8" size variation. Duh.

Still, the point is that from what I can see from the pics, the job is incompetent.

Hello again. Thank you all very much for your comments. The tiler did come back, take a look and say he'd redo if we wanted; he added some grout so it doesn't look quite as bad. We're working on our punch list and I'm still on the fence about asking him to chip and replace those tiles.

Regarding the variation in grout width, I believe its because the walls were so uneven. We had big problems with the rough carpentry in that room and our GM had to do a lot of kludging with drywall to get as straight as possible.

Here's what the tile guy said about why the cuts were jagged and others he did were not: The crisp cuts were done with a "clipper" tool that snaps off a clean cut. He said they prefer to use that when the can, but when they are cutting off a small section of tile they must use the wet saw, which typically produces a jagged edge and especially when cutting of a small portion of the tile.

Interestingly, I went to the Tile Shop (chain store with own-brand tile only) where we purchased the tile to ask their opinion, and their installations had lots of the jagged-cut tile. They presented this as standard and expected. (It is glazed porcelain.)

I have learned through this process that I'm on the picky side - OK, I want things to be done well, or at least as well as possible - call that picky if you like. This is a big investment for us and I want things to look good. Still, I am surprised that this type of jagged cut would be considered a standard practice.

I think it is poor work. When I put in 4x4 tiles I did both score and snap cuts & wet saw cuts. I don't think there was a difference when I did it. I also took a tile filing tool to all cut edges and finished the cuts to even out the glaze and ease the edge.

With a decent saw (not the $68 ones from Home Depot) and a good blade, you will NOT get the chipping you see in your pics.

Even with an EXTREMELY brittle tile, a pro will mask it with blue tape and make the cut without chipping. I question their expertise and/or their tools......