help on tile!! should we insist on a redo?

13 years ago

Contractor just finished setting the shower/bathtub surround tiles today. Grout job is tomorrow. Need your help in deciding whether the tile job is acceptable. And if not, what to do about it.

Tile issues: Some vertical seams not aligned. Some tiles stick out further. See link to photos below.

The contractor had pointed out that our walls (circa 1960's) are not ideal/flat due to the studs/framing. This is the cause of the tiles bulging out in various places. The contractor has tried to float tiles to make them flat.

The contractor mentioned that -- because of choice of thinset -- to redo these tiles, you'd have to take off the entire wall including the backerboard.

Is this common or are we being too critical?

Should we insist on having the contractor redo the tile job?

Here is a link that might be useful: Bathroom Tile

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (4)

bill_vincent
13 years ago
I don't know-- maybe I'm not seeing or missing something, but other than the fact that the glass listello sits in from the bullnose next to it, I don't see what's wrong there. You're not going to get the listello to line up with the tile, and as for that one piece of pencil liner in the listello (the last pic you posted), that's just they way they come-- some pieces thicker than others. In addition to that, it's mounted on mesh. If you're talking just that one piece, there should be no reason why he can't pop it and replace it. But if that's the way ALL the strips are (and many times they are), as a contractor I used to do alot of work for used to say, that's the beauty of rustic tile. I WILL say, though, that if the installer saw that condition, he should've brought it to your attention. But like I said-- unless I'm missing something there, I saw nothing wrong with respect to workmanship, other than the glass being recessed from the tile next to it, and that's not really a big deal, although it's not really right.
0
vitamine
Original Author
13 years ago
Thank you, Bill for the quick reply.

The vertical seam misalignment I'm bothered by is the vertical line between the large tiles above and below the glass and pencil tiles.
0
Related Discussions
Shower being tiled as we speak - should this bother me?
Q
Comments (37)
Nails versus screws really does not matter. You need to know if: 1) a waterproofing material (usually 6-mil sheet polyethylene plastic) was put on the walls before the cement board was installed. REASON: Tile and grout are not necessarily waterproof. Water can get through the grout, trust me, and through the cement board. Cement board is not damaged by water, but water can pass through it. When it does get through it you want that wate to hit something waterproof...like ployethylene...and not drywall, which will wet crumble, and fail. If you have no barrier like poly behind the cement board, then you have a code violation. Plain and simple. 2) Same with the half wall. Cement board, tile and grout will not keep water from getting to the framing beneath. You need something more. That wall will rot out. That is a code violation. 3) Will there be a topical waterproofing like RedGard put on the cement board that makes up the niches? If not, you'll be admitting water into those framing bays. Rot. Mold. And yes, without a barrier you have yet another code violation. 4) If you stand on the floor membrane, is it sloped to the drain or is it flat? If flat, you have a code violation. Creating a slope with a layer of mud will give you a preslope, but that still does not cut it. A membrane sitting flat on a subfloor is a code violation. And again, in your very first picture, that flap of membrane that is flapping out in front of your cement board? That needs to be behind the cement board, and the (non-existent?) poly sheeting behind the cement board should lap on top of that membrane. What dies that add up to? Yup, another water intrusion point and yet another code violation. I hope this works out for you, but I'd also use this shower a lot when you move in so any problems with it occur while your homeowners warranty is still in effect. Keep an eye on the curb, on the walls and on the ceiling below for any signs of water damage. ALso keep an eye on the floor tile itself, if it ever starts drying unevenly, that's yet another warning sign. Oh, and using cement board instead of greenboard? That's nothing to be overly proud of either since using greenboard as a tile backer in a shower is also...did you guess...a code violation. Greenboard was prohibited as a tile backer over two years ago. Best, Mongo
...See More
Help! Bad cabinet installation - what can/should we do?
Q
Comments (45)
@jellytoast and others who point out that basically I’m not qualified to act as my own GC and am not saving money by trying to do so: There’s truth to that. Ultimately I’m responsible for not verifying the install was plumb and square, and you have a valid point. I knew the installation itself was critical, and I knew the cabinets need to be square. I totally dropped the ball on verifying that they were. On the other hand, as Sammy pointed out, some GC’s are no better than what I wound up with. This could have ended up a non-issue, or the same way – or even worse. In any event we’re dependent on (1) our own knowledge + information from the GC or (2) our own knowledge + information from the installers/tradesmen. When we bought the house 2 years ago we hired a GC to install hardwood floors (in ½ the house) and to handle what was going to be a much larger kitchen remodel (bump into the garage and tear down another wall instead of keeping the same footprint). It was a really bad experience. First, we paid a premium for sub-par hardwood floor install/finish. Had I learned more on my own about HW floor install and finishes rather than relying on information from the GC and his sub we would have done the floors differently. It was a disappointing and costly mistake. I learned there are risks with a GC as well as without a GC, and that hiring a GC doesn’t guarantee desired results. We did get a bid from another GC to handle the scaled-down kitchen redo this year. Ultimately we weighed the risks vs costs in either scenario (GC vs no GC) and decided to GC ourselves. This isn’t the right decision for everyone, but I still believe it was the right decision for us despite the situation we’re dealing with. The KD came out yesterday along with one of the original installers and an install project manager. The project manager recommended tearing out the counter that has ½” shim, and install the cabinets correctly. Also tear out the crown moulding where it’s bad/ugly and re-do. All doors that have cosmetic imperfections will be replaced. At this point we are satisfied with the proposed solution, although it’s certainly not over. I can’t say how much I appreciate all your comments and help! Thank you!!
...See More
Should contractor redo bathroom tiling??
Q
Comments (37)
this is one of the worst jobs I've seen recently. sorry, but if you pay him for this shower, you're nuts. he is a GC, not a tile setter. big diff. any tile setter who knows anything will know you do NOT grout between the floor and bottom tile row, or any of those corner walls. any change of plane requires 100% silicone caulk (which comes in every color to match your grout). Grout is not waterproof. the bench is just bad. horrible. I doubt it's even waterproofed correctly. The fact that it's crooked says a lot. does he expect you to accept this? someone already mentioned this. look at tiles on top. 1/3 layout. now look at tiles on bottom of bench. 1/2 layout. I mean, WTH?? Was he on crack when he did this? point this out to him and ask him wtf. Besides the lack of continuity, this slant is a joke. Does he think water should just roll down to the right? Is the bench seat even slanted downward to allow water to drain off? the cutout around the water spigot?? just horrible. ditto the slivers of tiles and wonky layout. The floor tile should have been done first, and then you bring down your wall tiles on top of it so you don't get that large gap between the two. here's mine so you see what I mean i know this shower is larger, but proper tile layout is the same. again, larger view of mine. do you see the difference w/yours now? I don't know what he charged you, but even 100 bucks was too much. Call in a reputable tile setter (an actual tile pro, not a GC) and have him come out to give you his opinion and estimate to redo it. Your shower is a fail and you should not accept it. And no you aren't being picky. only a mental patient would think this looks good. Your GC should be ashamed of himself for doing this work AND taking your money for it. Please let him read all these comments. I'd love to hear his response.
...See More
Should we have this repoured?? HELP!!
Q
Comments (15)
For me now everything is just general knowledge, acquired somewhere along the way. I couldn't tell you from where anymore than I could produce a medical receipt from 1988. But research concrete curing times. There should be plenty available via Google. Concrete is weakest when it is fresh. You could pound a nail into it with a hammer a few hours after it's set up. But a month later .... no way. Imagine how easy it would be to pick surface rock out of the concrete when it's fresh. That's what the saw blade will do. Cutting fresh concrete is going to be much easier for the saw blade, and consequently the operator. But it's much likelier to damage the concrete by pulling off bits near the edge. I don't think a knowledgeable, high quality concrete person is going to saw-cut exposed aggregate until it's sufficiently cured. The dilemma of waiting too long to cut control joints is that the concrete can crack from internal stress in the curing process. As a guide, here is a remark from the first web source I explored on the subject: "If the edges of the sawcut ravel, dislodging aggregate, then it's too early to saw. Continue to saw at regular time intervals until the cut edges show only minimal raveling. When this happens, the slab is ready for sawcutting.
...See More
Stacey Collins
13 years ago
Do you have light colored grout? If so, once it's grouted, you will not see that mis-alignment so much, because the seam won't be so high-contrast...
0
MongoCT
13 years ago
Yeah, the only "significant" layout thing I really see is the mis-alignment of the vertical seams in the tile above the glass to the tile below the glass.

While it's not horrific, it is there, and it has nothing to do with wacky walls.

The last photo, that single piece could have been shaved down if needed so it wouldn't stand proud of the others. I don't necessarily like that. He should be able to pop that out and reset it or another piece in its place.

Everything else may not be the prettiest, but there's really nothing too crazy.

But this brings me to another point, which is excuses. If the walls were wacky enough to result in the contractor admitting that they caused his efforts to be thrown off, then either correcting the walls before work started or the idea that the walls would throw off the installation should have been addressed by the installer before work began.

It only takes a few minutes and a few dollars in materials to string and straighten an out-of-plumb wall.

I think grout was mentioned by someone. Grout will blend things, especially if the grout is a color similar to the tile. A highly contrasting grout (black for example) on the other hand will accentuate the tile mis-alignments, etc.
0

help on tile!! should we insist on a redo?

Comments (4)

bill_vincent

vitamine
Original Author

Related Discussions

Stacey Collins

MongoCT

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

help on tile!! should we insist on a redo?

Comments (4)

bill_vincent

vitamineOriginal Author

Related Discussions

Stacey Collins

MongoCT

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

vitamine
Original Author