Hello Mike Dempsey,

Some areas of that tile job are bad. Grout is forgiving in some respects because it removes the dark shadow areas. Not grouting is fine, just as long as when it is done, it is done correctly in all aspects of grout application.

Karen

Sorry should say unfinished and not grouted above.

Horrible job IMO, looks like they didn't use any spacers... also the mosaic chosen is kind of blend. I would suggest something with a bit more character or color.

the subways seem ok,,,they might have lugs or self spacers. that pony wall edging,,,,that's a no. what in the heck is with the huge space between the front tile and side edging piece? what does he think he's going to put in the 1/2" space? He used the bullnose on the left side but not the right? the space on the right (#3) doesn't equal the left. I wouldn't accept that.

as for the mosaic strip, it's a sloppy job. some of those pieces should have been straightened out and spaced properly. that's laziness on his part. Or, depending on what you were charged, it may be what you paid for.

BTW, use a light gray grout, not a dark one. dark grout will not look good against those mosaics. use Warm Gray by Mapei.

here's mine. (I had to go and remove the niche tiles and reset them myself because they were crooked)

I suggest a "matching" grout. ANY deviation will be glaring if you use anything darker than the various shades of white. Perfection is achieved by making sure the walls are plumb / true / level, purchasing rectified tile, and hiring a Pro with lots of references. A "perfect" tile job is expensive in both materials and labor.

PS In the second pic down - Is that bare wood in a niche???

This bathroom renovation was part of an overall house renovation. I asked for subway tile that wa larger than the standard size and he picked one out. He got one that did not have bullnose so that edging is some of that Schluter trim. I complained about the part where it seems he put to pieces of it so it is wider. He is trying to say it won't show so much when its grouted. The piece of wood in the niche is I assume just to hold tile because he said he was going to put some marble tile pieces on each side of the niche..

Hi Mike,

Agree with Beth on the mosaic and the subway portion.

Also live on the east coast, what has your contractor been doing for the past 3 weeks? Is he working on something else in your home?

Mike, on that little wall that faces out, the right side grout will be wider than the left. tell him it's going to look ridiculous. Why wasn't the Schluter edge used all around this little wall instead of those incorrect liner pieces? bad choice.

if the guy knew what he was doing, he could have laid out these tiles much better so he wouldn't have any large grout lines. (an no, nothing is going to disappear when it's grouted. Certainly not his crooked tile pieces. those need to come off and get redone). Don't pay him until he fixes things.

I have tiled 8 bathrooms in rent houses. So not a pro but not bad. I always want to jump off the roof at some point but after grouting I am ok. Grouting makes it look so much better. I tour a lot of model homes to get ideas for finishes on my rentals and the workmanship on new and spec homes isnt flawless. Rehabs are probably more difficult because the old framing isn't straight, etc and tilers have to work with what theyre given..backer board install etc. Your tile should be symmetrical everywhere with even width of grout lines. It doesnt look bad to me. I can kind of see where the grout space on the side wall appears larger on one side but It is hard to tell anything from a photo. I absolutely agree with the pale gray grout recommend.grout shoulnt pop unless...well never really. Also, I Disagree with the schuler edge as I think they are a tad ugly. And it is true you get what you pay for most times...i am good with my jobs but labor was free. Lots of mistakes in this job but unless you look its all okay.

the potential is there, but the lack of not using the spacers ruined it.

Go with a light color grout! A stark contrast is going to play up all the differences and little flaws in the tile work.