I didn't read anything "snippy". When you post on a world wide forum and ask for comments, you have to be prepared for all the comments. There are several obvious problems in that photo, as Hollysprings points out, and I think it does the OP a favor to clue them in about problems the sooner the better.

-Babka

The drain slopes , you just cant see it in the photo. Maybe not 2" but close to it. behind the tiles are dese board (waterproofed gyproc) as well as 6mm poly and insulation. The waterproofing goes well outside the shower, and in fact the tiler also used pool sealant around any drywall joins as well as kerdi board all around the base of the shower stall.

Thanks for the comments - Not looking for building code stuff here, just marble tile suggestions.

Appreciate the info Zoo - the floor still needs a polish and cleaned up. After a coat of white paint looks a lot better and not as brown.

Im curious how you would make better cuts in that niche holly?

There are only 2 cuts for the back wall, and an additional 3-4 on each side of the wall. Considering the size of the tile, how would you do different?

You say poorly planned but you give no advice as to what you would do better. Strong criticism with no actual help. No wonder people see your comments as harsh.

If it had the required 2' of drop to the drain, then it would be so steep a slope as to be dangerous to stand on in a wet environment, and would be outside the max 1/2" per foot slope. The correct approach would be to have it removed and redone correctly. You have the potential for flooding your home. As built, the shower needed a curb to contain the water.

The amateur planning of the tile niche to not coincide with the factory tile edges, as well as the poorly done and non standard corner cuts show that the your tile person has no business doing this project. Coupled with the technical aspects that are incorrect, and the suspect description of the materials under the tile, this is nothing but water damage waiting to happen. Water damage that your insurance company most likely will not pay for, since it does not meet code.

Your tiler needs to remove his work. He doesn't need to be the one to do the redo, since he appears incapable of doing it correctly. Aneducated DIYer could do better, that's for sure.

And the first suspect in your marble changing color, given all of the other issues, is the incorrect setting material was likely used.

Where do you see the tile edges not correspond to the niche? The bottom tile is a floor tile which accents the niche area. is that what you're referring to?

Suspect description of materials under the tile? I guess you don't know much about waterproofing showers then when i speak about kerdi board and waterproof membranes including pool sealants.

I love how people on the internet can asses someones work and assume it'll be water damaged in a matter of months when they don't see it first hand. I'm not saying you're wrong holly, but this professional tiler that did work for us, has done work for 19 years. Maybe it doesnt look like it from the angle in the picture or the unfinished grouting that took place after this pic, but assure you he is better than your average DIYer.

Incorrect setting material for marble - so you're saying the grout was at fault? Again, not looking for criticism here, but advice.

Appreciate the input though. You sound like a very likeable person.

This post was edited by tdub111 on Thu, Oct 16, 14 at 9:06

"When you post on a world wide forum and ask for comments, you have to be prepared for all the comments."

Posting on a forum like this may invite all types of comments, but it doesn't excuse them. To borrow from the classic album "Free to Be, You & Me": some kind of help is the kind of help that helping's all about. And some kind of help is the kind of "help" we all can do without.

If the floor tile is marble and if it was recently installed, then it might be moist from absorbing water from the thinset. As it dries it should lighten up a bit in color. And when it gets wet it may darken again.

Natural stone. You get what it gives you.

Thanks for the posts .. let's keep the thread on point of the actual question.

Here is a link that might be useful: Link to shower installation method.

Presumably the sample was viewed in a different setting and it probably had a light color backing and perhaps different color grout. All that, plus the lighting in your room and how the surrounding tile reflects are going to effect how the tile appears. For the record, I like how it looks with the wall tile. After everything is in, it might be possible to try different types of light bulbs and paint color to bring out the hue that you desire.

I am not an expert so I won't comment on installation but I agree that the prominent cuts in the corner could have been done more attractively or could have been done in a less prominent way.

This post was edited by deee on Thu, Oct 16, 14 at 10:07

I think what Holly is saying is that she believes that the right edge of the niche should have lined up with the joints above and below it - creating one long line of grout. That being said, the niche can only go between the studs so you have to work with what you have.

As far as the niche tile job goes, I cannot tell from this photo if the interior niche tile is bullnose tile or cut tile from the wall tile. If it is cut tile, perhaps the exterior tile should have had a lip overhanging the inside of the niche, so that the interior tile butted up against it, so raw edges didn't show facing outward. I found a pic of horizontal tile with a niche.

[Contemporary Bathroom[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/contemporary-bathroom-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_712~s_2103) by Chicago Interior Designers & Decorators Habitar Design

Dee - thanks for that. i painted the room last night and it's definitely looking a lot better. We still need to polish the floor and tile in the room so I'm hoping that'll change things up a bit.

Zoo - nice pic, and great point. In hindsight I would have done that. i didn't even really notice it until you pointed it out.

I'll post a better pic of the room later.

Here are some newer pics after last night's quick paint job.

@hollysprings: "The amateur planning of the tile niche to not coincide with the factory tile edges, as well as the poorly done and non standard corner cuts show that the your tile person has ..........."

What vitriol! Your behavior is typical of the anonymous bully.

We 'know' your home is perfect.

I'm sorry, but Holly is right about the shower construction. It's an accident waiting to happen. Was mastic used to set it?

I think hollysprings is correct also.

Building code is there for a reason, and better-than-code is usually--better.

There's a mis-alignment also (circled) that looks--not so good. The row of verticals there at the top looks odd, but that's just my taste. The mis-alignment looks like a lack of precision.

and here also (circled). Does that look correct?

If an installer is going to accept money for a job, then they had best do that job in a professional, code compliant manner. It's why people pay a pro rather than DIY. And it's why the OP should demand a better job. They should have received the job that they paid for.

I don't think there was an issue over whether hollysprings is right or wrong.

If it is redone, I would put full tiles in the inside corner, and work on the niche situation. Is there a reason it is located like that? I think the corner cuts would have looked better on the ends, like a frame. He should have guided the project on layout issues, unless you were insistent on those things.

In my opinion the corner looks like an "ooooops"......

I'm so sorry to have to agree, but that tile work looks awful. I hope you make them tear it all out at their expense and do it right. Really sloppy work.

When hollysprings says so decisively that this is a flood hazard waiting to happen, I would take that very seriously. S/he may be a bit harsh at times, but s/he knows wherefore s/he speaks. When GreenDesigns agrees with that assessment, that would definitely make me get in an unrelated expert to examine the work to date before you go any further. Hopefully this work is permitted so the local building authority can have a look too. Whether or not there are perfect tile matches, etc. is something only the OP can decide if she can live with, but the question of codes and floods is a whole other category.

Exactly a shower enclosure is to help keep water in, not function as a water dam!

Please hold your installer accountable for the structural issues, and the aesthetic ones. It gives the industry a bad name when you have installations like this. Unfortunately, I'm all too familiar with "I've got 20 years of experience and how dare you question me about how I do things". I deal with this frequently, and it's a difficult position to be in when you have an installer that needs educating. Just because someone has been doing something a long time, it doesn't mean that they've been doing it correctly.

Some are open to learning a thing or two. And some are not. Those guys who don't pull permits and get inspections are usually more of the latter, because they've only worked with folks who are for some reason afraid of pulling permits and having inspections done. They get enabled in their incompetence. Don't be an enabler here!

I read Houzz's site as well and there are good posts about redoing a bathroom, including tiling and waterproofing...
I can't speak to the quality of what is behind the tile--but from what I have read and come across in the real world--
much of the problems with using tile in shower comes because tile might be chosen based on aesthetic qualities--color, finish, style, effect--and cost of course w/o considering the over all dimentions of the space to be tiled and how the two finite objects work together--
Some spaces with tile styles require way more cuts because of the dimensions of the area and the sizes of the tiles, the grout lines, the layout of the pattern...
I don't know that the misaligned tile rows are as much bad tiling ability as not laying out the tile pattern along the dimension lines to plan for cuts and grout lines...of course some people would say that poor preplanning for those factors is bad tiling...
I too find those inexact grout lines problamatic--because I am a little OCD--
but it might be more about just "winging it" , a lack for preparation--
"bad" tiling encompasses also issues with lippage, uneven grout lines, using the wrong grout entirely, poor choice of tiles when you deal with color variation and natural stone and need to balance variations in tiles for appearance, not sealing your product property, and many others I am sure.

We bought current house from people who contracted for its build, chose all materials, and could provide oversight-- and I see many things I would have been more concerned to have corrected during construction before it was too late--
there are several different flooring materials--not my overall design choice--
I have a stained wood border/backsplash on two sides of my kitchen sink area vs the subway tile of the backsplash---that is not ideal and I have no clue as to why they chose to do that...
Some of the showers have a busy tile effect requiring lots of cuts because they chose 12x12 tiles vs other formats--probably bcuz of price point--

My point is that we bought the house in spite of what I consider mistakes--for some of the better aspects of the house--
BUT if I had been here and been able to stop those problems I would have...

I don't want the OP to feel that we are ganging up on her--
maybe the slightly "off" grout lines aren't that important to her...
I do think the newer photos of the shower/tile look more pleasing to me as far as the color of the floor tile...

As to the "waterproof/slope/quality" of the shower overall--
time will tell...and maybe the OP will repost...

" ...and maybe the OP will repost... "

If I'd posted a simple question about tile color and then heard back that my entire job was crap and needed to be redone, I'd likely be completely stressed out to say the least, too stressed out to come back and here and respond to all the negative comments about the shower's construction and how awful everyone thinks it looks. It's likely the OP was completely happy with the way the tiles lined up and the way the shower niche looked until everyone else pointed out reasons she should hate it.

I think it might be a case of "you don't know what you don't know". I'm just beginning my research on tiling a shower and have read about planning for tile cuts and how to build a niche. I am actually avoiding a tiled floor because of horror stories I've read here. Before Hollysprings pointed out the issues, the niche and corner looked poorly planned to me with even my rudimentary knowledge. I would be grateful to learn on this forum if my tile job was botched even if I was only asking what soap looked good on my niche shelf. Advice here is free, and who really cares how people word their responses when the advice is good.

Jelly: I am with you on this one. I was planning to post my remodeled bathroom when it's finally done (which may be never) but I have now decided not to because of these unthoughtful responses to a simple (totally unrelated) question.

"Jelly: I am with you on this one. I was planning to post my remodeled bathroom when it's finally done (which may be never) but I have now decided not to because of these unthoughtful responses to a simple (totally unrelated) question."

Same.

Oh, come on. Why would you think you'd get negative responses to a reveal? That doesn't happen.

Having experienced the disruption of a washer flood last year, if I were the OP, I'd be thanking Hollysprings. I believe there can also be mold issues with a niche that's not constructed properly. Poorly planned cuts can be an indication of other shortcuts taken. So Hollysprings was abrupt. Abruptness does not equal rudeness. Some people don't abide by the "rule" that you only address the specific question, especially if you can save the OP a lot of future grief. Is that written into the forum rules somewhere?

My response to this thread had nothing to do with Holly's "abruptness." I've been around here long enough to know that expecting Holly to be any other way is like expecting rain to not be wet. He seems to get a pass on how he words his posts and I'm used to him so he doesn't bother me.

It just seems that after his post, others jumped on the bandwagon, pointing out numerous reasons for the OP to start freaking out about her shower installation. What, for instance, indicates that the niche has construction issues that are going to lead to mold?

"I am actually avoiding a tiled floor because of horror stories I've read here."

I'm surprised there is anyone left in the tile business at all, as according to GW, a good tile job is about as rare an occurrence as Holly being sweet. I've seen horror stories on GW on just about every single topic of home improvement there is. No reason to single out tile as the only thing to be afraid of!

I'm singling out tile because I know how important a well-constructed shower is. Apparently, so does Hollysprings because he bothered to alert the OP to potential problems. I respect his knowledge and experience and am not overly sensitive to his delivery. Others posted to reinforce his opinion. I doubt everybody is just being a bunch of old meanies.

For those who now are hesitant to post their reveals:

If people don't care for what you did, mostly the response is silence, not expressions of disdain. I had a lot of crickets for my choice of a sensor faucet in the hall bath, which I actually knew would be the case before I posted - the majority of folks here just wouldn't do it. I posted anyway because I really love that faucet (still!) and there will be folks in the future who will wonder about using one. A search will bring up my photos and they'll know what I did, why, and how it turned out. Who cares if the other 90+% wouldn't choose that? Nobody is going to trash your bath because it isn't their style, and many will look and say, "Hmm, that's an idea!" So do it. I always like looking whether it's what I'd do or not.

This shower was a different story. It's still under construction and has serious issues. Wouldn't you want to know if it was yours? I would. I might cry, but I'd want to know now rather than later.

I like the color of the tile floor--looks like it matches its surroundings just fine.

I think it's unfair to categorize hollysprings et al as being know-it-all bullies. I for one am eternally grateful every time Holly, GreenDesign (in this thread) and many others (rollie, Renovator8, BrianKnight, worthy, millworkman- just to name a few) chime in when they see problems. Highly knowledgable GW contributors offer amazing amounts of advice and insight for free. True, it is sometimes not solicited, but to knowingly allow someone to pay a lot of money for contractor work that is going to cause them problems in the long run would be misguided compassion to say the least. They've chimed in with bad news for me several times since we started building in June, and because of that we have avoided some serious problems. If I could buy them all a drink, I would.
OP, don't despair! It's a setback, yes, but fixing problems now during construction is so much easier and you will be so much happier...and don't disappear from the forum! It's not always tough love around here. :-)

It's not rude to shout "fire" in a crowded theater when there IS a fire. No matter how many people become upset that they miss the end of the movie. :)

No one need to be hesitant in regards to a reveal. If someone doesn't like someone's taste, there's generally no comment on the aesthetic choices. Everyone finds something nice to say about something, or they don't comment at all.

Now if someone posted a reveal with an electrical outlet in the shower, for instance, THAT would get a few responses advising an instantaneous callback to the electrician. There would be a lot of castigation of that electrician as to skill and experience as well. It wouldn't reflect on the person hiring that professional. Just as in the remarks on the installer's (lack of) skill in this thread doesn't mean that everyone hates the tile choice of the homeowner. Far from the truth! (Beautiful tile!) People are just concerned with the homeowner personal and property safety. As well as her being "taken" for the labor fee when the labor wasn't worth paying for.

I agree that there does seem to be a different protocol for reveals. If the OP had stuck a door and fixtures on her shower and posted a reveal thread, she would likely have heard nothing but glowing compliments.

Oh dear, you guys. I don't know that the OP ever said there was a hired installer...

"I don't know that the OP ever said there was a hired installer..."

Per OP: " ... this professional tiler that did [the] work for us, has done work for 19 years"

Of course, it could still be the OP or their spouse or friend or son or father ...

Unless the OP states they want to limit the discussion and are not interested in hearing other critiques - which this OP did ... some time ago -- I think projects are open for comment. I don't think you can draw a universal line here on input. Some would want to know, some maybe not. Personally, I think it is responsible to point possible construction problems out. I don't think it's necessary to be rude about it. And those who read here frequently know the DIYers or those who didn't hire a GC can take a beating on their incompetency; or otherwise, we are accused of and beaten down for hiring the lowest bidder we could find. Because how else could this have happened.

On delivery, where is Mr. Rogers? What would he think of our neighborhood, lol.

This post was edited by snookums2 on Fri, Oct 17, 14 at 23:33

Oops, missed that. Thanks, jelly- I feel better! I was worried there that folks had slammed a DIY the OP was really proud of.

As to the color change in the floor tile, that has been answered. The thinset underneath changed the marble's color as the tile absorbed the moisture. We've seen plenty of examples where the marble remained dark or looked splotchy since each tile will act independently in how much it absorbs. One person tore it all out and went with a different material because of this.

Regarding the aesthetics, that is entirely dependent on your opinion.

The shower pan design, did it pass inspection?

Well, I'm back .. for punishment or for info either way ... I never received any email updates on this thread so wasn't sure it was getting any attention or updates .. wow my surprise!

Where to start .. well, we didn't hire a CG - which was a bit of a mistake in planning our back bathroom and car port area that was converted to a room - but nonetheless we're learning as we go, as many people do in their first reno.

I'm not going to get into why this was converted into a room, we didn't do it, but the previous owners did. They had a leak issue in the room so we fixed it last year. This year we decided to take care of the room itself, and had no ideas what we wanted. We added radiant floor heating, raised the ceiling 2 ft (in the room not the bathroom because of joist limitations, ect), and had roughed in plumbing (without really thinking of a pre-fab shower pan or custom tile and custom glass - this was one of our costly mistakes). Not having a CG - or asking questions ahead of time - cost us. But we're happy with what we have.

Now onto the work itself ... behind the walls are DensShield with latricrete HYDRO BAN and HYDRO BANî Sheet Membrane taped seams everywhere ... the grouting lines and tiles were vertical at the top because the house isn't square, and in fact neither are the walls. You'll notice in the picture the tiles get larger on the inside of the shower than they do on the outside. My tiler recommended the lay the tiles that way since the top row would then have a small piece which would be larger on one side than the other. A tapered subway tile Vs what you see now wouldn't have looked as good. So I took his advice.

The shower pan he built as well and is in fact sloped 1.5" to the drain from where the glass will start (installation next week) - 2" actually to the inside of the drain.

Anyway, we're happy with the job with what he had to work with, tile, colors, ect.

The room was painted last night and once the toilet, sink and stacker washer/dryer are in, i'll re-post with the finished color and product - no matter how much criticism.

This post was edited by tdub111 on Fri, Oct 24, 14 at 12:35

Sorry, i should have said .. behind the tiles are ....are DensShield gyproc with latricrete HYDRO BAN and HYDRO BANî Sheet Membrane taped seams everywhere. Can post pics if you REALLY want. :P

The shower pan he built as well and is in fact sloped 1.5" to the drain from where the glass will start (installation next week) - 2" actually to the inside of the drain.

It slopes 1.5" over what distance? Code requires a slope of 1/4"-1/2" slope per foot. Your slope appears to be much steeper.

Dekeoboe points out why this appears to be unsafe and poorly planned.

"It slopes 1.5" over what distance? Code requires a slope of 1/4"-1/2" slope per foot. Your slope appears to be much steeper."

If the slope is 1.5" from the glass to the drain, as you say above, ...is it really 3 to 6 feet from the entrance to the shower which would approach meeting code? Your shower doesn't appear to be that large in the photo. (and that is what caught my eye when you first posted). That would make that a REALLY BIG shower. OR is the whole room a "wet" room, which measures the drop from the entrance to the bathroom, not just in the shower itself. If your drain has a 4" plate it looks (to me) as if it is only about 18" from where the entry door will be.

Even if you aren't having it permitted/inspected, code requirements are there for good reasons. So are standards practices for tile professionals.

Have you stood in there? Will you be toe-dancing in the shower?

No one here is trying to be MEAN...just trying to point out obvious problems so you can do something to correct them early on before you spend more money. You hired someone who should know better regarding the drain and the placement of the tile and niche. Please don't take offense.

-Babka

Sheesh, people were harsh.

Come on guys, the tiler has to work around the niche that the framers have made for him and make the best of it. Looks like he did to me. Yes a clever framer/planner/architect/designer could have designed the niche including drywall to fit the tile size better. But, how often is that really done or a tile change made by the time it is tiled?

Those of you nitpicking about the lines not all lining up, look more closely. The narrow edges of the tile do not exactly add up to the longer side even with a grout line adjustment. It is geometrically/physically impossible for the grout lines along the vertical/horizontal border to all line up.

I think the slight differences in color of tiles will be much less noticeable with the shower doors in place and I think the small floor tile in the shower is lovely and they do all go together.

This shower looks better than my shower by far. I hope you are enjoying it by now since I do see your original post is over a month old by now.

lafdr

Not harsh, IMHO. An experienced tile installer would've seen the problems and adjusted for them. A niche can be reframed with blocking. Walls should be squared (or almost) before tiling. My first shower back in '78 was not square so the tiler did chicken wire and mud to do the job correctly. It is not nitpicking to expect someone you PAY to do a better job.

-Babka

I don't claim to be an expert on this topic, but what I don't like about this tile job is the corner: The majority of the project has long, lean tile . . . and then the corner tiles are cut short, making what had been a streamlined, contemporary look . . . cramped.

I know that when you hang wallpaper or do a painted stencil, you start in the corner to which the eye is naturally drawn -- you want that spot to be "right" . . . and in this case, the tile installer seems to have started on the edges and worked towards the middle, which seems illogical.

Second, the niche seems wrong. It's crowded into the already-problematic corner, and it's a "tall" item in a "wide" project. It seems to me that the niche should've been wide to match the tiles.

In a house, there are things that aren't "just right" but you can live with, and then there are things that aren't acceptable. I would not be happy with this tile job and would talk to the installer about a re-do.

However, I LOVE the shower floor! Great tile choice. I'd have liked to see this tile carried up into the niche.

this must be the thread that won't die...