Is all the tile installed yet?

I'd ask him to pull it down & find someone else to install it. Too many inconsistencies. Is the overall pattern of the tile correct?

I would have him pull it down and find a professional to install. That isn't a professional job. Is the tile supposed to be a random pattern, like most linear mosiacs? Or did you want it like that?

Oh, no question, that's a tear-down. He should pay for the replacement tile as well. The thing is, he doesn't see anything wrong with it, so I have no idea how you're going to get him to live up to his responsibilities here. As romy points out, you absolutely need a new installer.

If this contractor also did the rest of the kitchen and he considers this acceptable, I'd be very concerned about the rest of the kitchen.

One wall of tile is installed, the other wall we wouldn't let him do once we saw this.

I think the overall pattern is correct. The way the mosaic is laid out on the mesh it seems to line up like that instead of random. Now that you're pointing it out though, I think that might be one issue that was subconsciously bothering me. That does seem to be the way it was intended to go though.

We did start looking at other installers (our general contractor for the kitchen installed this round) but when I realized what a pain it will be to rip it all out and wait a month to get the next guy in, and started to wonder if I was just being too picky. I'm glad I'm not the only one who sees the issues though.

Tomorrow we plan to request he removes it all, hopefully this doesn't become a major battle. Thankfully the kitchen is almost done.

This seems like a recurrent theme on GW: the contractor doing a substandard tiling job versus having a professional tiler do it. Although, we also see quite a few DIYers install a perfect backsplash.

Yes, that's just unacceptable. The GC should have had a professional tiler do the job. I fired one of my GC after he had his guy add my electrical wiring. It added an extra $2000 of costs in electrical for an electrician to work around what the GC did.

Considering his guy's per hour charges at $85/hr, I was livid.

Go for a professional who does nothing but tiling. It is an specialized skill.

That guy's a hack. You can tell him I said so.

NOT professional! Looks like something "Dad and the Boys" put together on a Sun afternoon when they'd have preferred to be doing something else!

Agree with Anglophilia>looks like "Dad and the Boys" put together after a ball game and too many beers.

I can tell from the close ups that some of the tiles themselves, the shape in which they were formed, is the problem. This is why mosaics scare me! You can clearly see in that second picture that the tile itself is wavy. If you do it again, I would order even more extra tile than you normally would, and inspect each individual piece before installing!

Is the tile wavy as it looks in the 2nd picture or is that photo distortion?

The 'tiler' should have caught any of these problems he was having at the outset and not continued to install them. It your GC sees no problem with this install, I would be very concerned about any other work he was doing or overseeing.

Just for future reference, when chosing your installer, make sure he's comfortable with the material and can customize it if necessary. Keep in mind that those mesh sheets arent always perfect. Your installer should be able to fine tune them by cutting out an individual tile now and then, and properly aligning and spacing it himself. Also, you might want to chat a little about the repeats, and the edge, and how you want that finished. Good luck!

For tile people it is not a pain AT ALL to remove, especially since recently installed. Take it down, you did not pay for that shoddy work. Good luck.

I agree with everything eam44 said. In addition, check your walls--if they aren't completely flat, you tile will stick out on the edges. Imperfectly aligned mosaic sheets and out of plane walls aren't the tile installers fault, but he should have discussed those issues with you, prior to proceeding with the installation. The uneven edge cuts are on him.

Did this tile come from a big box store? If it did, then the fault does not lie totally with the installer. Looks like you need new tile, to me.

Thanks to everyone for the input. I appreciate it.

The tile itself isn't actually wavy, it does look like it in the photo, but doesn't appear that way IRL. We've had this tile since the job started, and he had always said it would be no problem installing it.....apparently not. At this point we may be thinking of getting completely different tile for when we have a professional install our backsplash.

Overnight our undermount sink that was installed last week dropped out of the countertop. Apparently yesterday he removed the supports because "light sinks don't need them". Its not even a light sink...its a giant kohler, the second we fill it with water it would be insanely heavy (it was empty when it dropped out). So, needless to say, I regret hiring this guy.

I'm reconsidering even having him remove the tile from the wall...I'm not sure what other damage he could do. Not sure if I can find someone else soon though.

Didn't the pipes break when the sink fell out? What a nightmare.

It is worth the wait, if necessary, to get these item completed properly. Never accept such inferior work because you want to wrap up a project. You will always regret it.