Susan, no one's perfect. Give him the chance to fix it before you pass judgement on him. The credit card test is still as valid today as it was a few years ago.

Ugh, by fixing it, do you mean, Bill, busting out tiles and resetting new ones? OMG...he would literally have to bust up most of the floor since it's a small bathroom.

Actually, looking more closely, there are only 2 spots where the corners are raised up enough for me to be concerned that they may chip. My concern is that if he removes the tiles and resets, that the grout (QuartzLock2) will not blend together (old and new) and you'll be able to see it was a patch job. Of course, it HAS to be in the middle of where you walk.

It just MAY stand out, for a week or two. But sooner or later, it WILL blend in.

My husband and I just went down to the basement to see what is under that area because the 2 spots that are the worst are in the same basic area (a foot from the long wall). There is an iron beam that runs exactly where the problems are. I am assuming that the floor is partly raised there and it caused the tile guy some grief in getting the edge to lie completely flat. Should I just chalk it up to that or was there something he could have done to compensate for that factor?

Although you understand why it happened, that doesn't mean it's right. It should've been compensated for, if by no other way, then by lifting those tiles around them. Unless there were some extreme problems with the subfloor (in which case this should've been addressed before the first tile went down), there's no reason for severe lippage problems.

Well, I talked to the installer on the phone who admitted that he knew the exact place I was talking about. He said he did everything he could to feather it out but that was about the best he could do under the circumstances with the bow in the floor from the iron beam that ran in that area. He also said running the tile on the diagonal exacerbated the problem. He also had to make sure the tile ended up even along the edge where it joined the laminate flooring. He said he adjusted it as best he could but ended up with that slightly raised corner.

I told him that he needed to have told me about that so that it didn't surprise me. Also, I said that we need to talk about any issues with a floor before he lays tile in case there is a better way to do it under the circumstances of my floor. He had mentioned that if it had not been on the diagonal it might have been a bit easier to hide.

Does this sound logical? He assured me that if there was ever problem with the flooring, he would stand behind it. He also said the tile was very high quality so he didn't believe it would ever pose a problem.

Yes, it does. It's much easier to beef the edge of a tile, than bring three others up to meet a diagonal corner. If this is close to the doorway, he may have a point about meeting the other floor, but still....

I'm not there to see it, but I still have a hard time believing there wasn't some way he could've done this better. As for any problems, the problem would be with the tile breaking. It'd be from the discomfort of someone sliding their foot on the floor, and catching that corner on the sole or heel of their foot.

Thanks, Bill. Sounds like you are giving him a bit of the benefit of the doubt. He seemed sincere that he really tried to work on it and got it as best as possible. Luckily there is a rug in front of the vanity and I think most people will walk on that instead of on the bare tile. Unfortunately, it's not under the rug and I dont want to feel compelled to always have a rug there.

In any event, when he comes to do the kitchen, I will talk to him about this type of thing. Fortunately, the floor joists are I-beams under our kitchen so this should not be an issue there. If I only knew all this when we built 14 years ago....

What's the credit card test? Thanks.

Thanks mongoct, I believe I'll try the second version. :)

Darn.

For clarification though, let me add this...the goal is for lippage to be LESS than the thickness of a credit card.

I added that because someone could build a "grout ramp" between two tiles and the card could ride up the ramp from the low tile to the high.

I did the credit card test on my newly installed polished porcelain tiles, 12" by 24", in the kitchen floor. I have over 50 spots and corners that did not pass the test. Does this mean I have to retile the whole floor? What happens if the contractor refuses to fix them?

You should start a new thread with pictures

I'm having a very similar issue with my floor tiles. My builder stated that a tiler was unavailable during the construction of my house and said that his builder will do my tiling. He reasurred me that he was very good.

Well job is done and there is lipping everywhere. He has tried to replace the worst ones (6 tiles.. making no difference) and regrouted everything but I'm still not happy. I haven't tried the card test yet but I will. He just keeps telling me "my tiles may even be worse then these, they are within standards" (he does not have polished porcelain with a rectified edge!)

Is this normal?? Do I have an unreal expectation that he should rip them up and start
again? They are not all bad, but by replacing one, I feel it will cause
lipping to the one next to it etc.

Please help :( I dont know what I should accept and what I have a right to demand.

Antoinette - It would be best if you started your own thread. This thread is from 2010.

Mongoct, is the grout "ramp" a good thing or a bad thing to have?

bad, the grout will eventually chip and leave you with an obvious lip. I'm not sure how to start a new thread.

Top of every sub-forum there is a couple of boxes at the top, one for the title and the other for you question or explanation.

Antoinette did you resolve your tile issues? Did the tiler replace a few tiles or the whole floor?

The customer that drives contractor's to different profession's.