I'd say if they don't give you a percentage off of what you've paid, dispute the charge with the cc company. How much was the tile in relation to the labor?

I love all the insight from you guys. The fireplace build out was 13k including all materials. the fireplace was about 2k and tile 3k, I'm not sure exactly how much he paid, but thats the msrp. What percent should I ask? what is fair? I'm frustrated he sanded the tiles and used wrong adhesive, I'm concerned I may have issues in the future with tiles coming loose? falling off? I want to ask for a warranty.

There are two issues with mastic. One is that it stains porous stones, like limestone. You may begin to see stains as the installation ages towards a cure.

Two is that mastic cures by dehydration rather than chemical reaction like thinset does. Large stone tiles, even porous ones, don’t allow enough air in the middle to allow the mastic to dry out. That can exacerbate the staining issue.

All you need are a copy of the mastic specs to circle and hand to the contractor. Then ask for a redo with a different team. He must be allowed the right of an attempted correction.

I was thinking at least around $3K - that would cover the tile.

you won't start to see the staining issues from the mastic for maybe a month or more. They weren't supposed to use it. you have proof from acrylic pro that they used the wrong stuff. That alone allows you to have a to over.

Did you tell them that acrylic pro was incorrect and should not be used? if you did, what did he say?

ask these guys if they going to give you warranty for any stains, or issues resulting in adhesion. get at least a 2 year guarantee. on a signed contract.

But seriously, you need to stand up to them. get someone w/some balls that can do it.

They owe you new tile, and a new install w/proper materials. period, end of story. if they won't do it, do not pay the rest of the money. In fact, even if they do agree to do it, do not pay them a dime until it's done correctly. and make sure they use the thinset mortar that the tile manufacturer recommends.

however, if you're too afraid to be confrontational, then ask for a discount and walk away, knowing that your 10K was spent on a half ass install. Up to you what you want to take. I'm not being mean, i'm being honest. If you bought a new car and wanted it a certain color with exact upgrades, but they gave you a slightly used demo, totally different upgrades and color, would you accept it? Same thing here. It's your money, don't forget that.

Taken directly from their website. They are giving you the info you need to force the issue. Force it.

cook kitchen,,i already posted the specs from the pdf file, above in an earlier comment. The OP saw it.

"I only paid them Half, should I ask for a a percentage off?"

Yes a % off would, the 50% you paid him already, then he completely demo's the entire mess for nothing and you agree to not sue him and not post the pictures and backup storey on his social media pages. And then you hire the job out to a prpfessional......................

Adhesive/mastic/etc., is a very particular issue. We had a very good sheet vinyl installed in our kitchen; it had no pattern, just an overall flecking of shades of blue. Looked great with the new maple cabinets. A few months later it started to change color a bit. Eventually we could see the arcs of the troweling of the adhesive telegraphing through. They had to replace it because it was the wrong adhesive. Expensive lesson for the dealer.

Not sure if this was mentioned...I'm too lazy to read everyone's comments..
If your lighting is directly over the wall, it will highlight every imperfection and cast shadows. Move the lighting away from the wall to avoid this.

People always say its the walls and it rarely is the issue. It would be an issue if you were installing thin glass tile with mastic which shows the walls flaws.

When using a mortar or thinset the setter has the option of using a larger trowel or to spot set. Spot setting is using large spots of say thinset in the corners and middle. This is done by old time stone setters as it allows them to level the stone and eliminate lippage. Today we have plastic leveling systems but they also need a larger trowel size to allow the tile/stone to be adjusted to each other. To simplify if you set in 1/1/6 mastic vs 1/2 thinset/mortar you have that much less adjustment available.

Mastic should not be used end of story that is a lazy uneducated tile person. Those stones are heavy and mastic takes forever to dry especially when combed on thick. As already noted above this is why the slippage is showing up later. I doubt staining will be an issue with that stone.

To me that is a redo especially at the price of that tile. They probably spent more time sanding/polishing then it would have taken to pop them off and redo. That to me speaks volumes about that setter.

Light angle does accentuate slippage. Look at Porcelanosa they have thin tile in larger sheets that are better suited for your application.

Do you guys think it would unreasonable of me to send the GC the link and ask for his feedback before I decide to ask for a redo or percent off?

Not certain you should send this link to the GC. How he/she would respond to this is not predictable, I know some who would respond "I don't work for those people and I'm not having a bunch of strangers on the internet telling me how to do my job". I would stick with the manufacturers official product information. Also, if you do decide to take a discount don't count on any future warranty offer, you have no way to know if they would honor this. Best to assume that this will be the last time you will ever see them.

Dude, if pretending they are your bad kids that just broke your grandmother’s crystal, and tramped red paint all over your house, doesn’t do the trick, then let your other half tear them a new one. And don’t have kids. Because you will need to be “mean” and in charge. You don’t seem to have an assertive bone in your body. You are not required to be “nice” to folks trying to rip you off.

Meelas. what is your issue? You've asked for advice and gotten it 30 different times. we are all telling you the install is incorrect. the tile company is telling you it's incorrect. Acrylic Pro told you it's incorrect. Are you really this passive with your money? It's 13K. You would rather wave bye to 13K rather than stand up to a few hacks that don't know what they're doing?

No you don't send him a link. you call him or speak to him and say, "it's incorrect as per specs". no, you don't take a discount. You get them to replace your tiles and redo the entire thing, and advise if they can't get the tiles plumb/flat, hire someone else.

I seriously do not understand people who hate to tell someone they've done an incorrect job and will not pay. Seriously, what is the issue?

OK last attempt. I'm going to approach this from a different angle. Meelas the young person in your profile photo is playing below the fireplace wall and a piece of marble falls hitting that child causing a life threatening injury. All due to the incompetent contractor. I bet you would be mad enough to confront the contractor at that point. Unfortunately now you can blame yourself as you knew it was inferior and allowed it. Get the point!!

creative tile....very good point. well said.

Do you have a spouse who can help you with this.

I hate to drag in lawyers, but if you don't have the personality to go up against these guys (not all of us do and that's OK) then get a lawyer. As soon as you acquiesce to them, they've got you on the run and you'll be paying full price as well as paying them for their time in dealing with it.

Ok you guys are right I sent him an email asking for a complete redo. I don’t want to risk injury to myself or guest from a tile falling off etc.

thank you all for your guidance:)

Yeah, a lawsuit would be more expensive than a complete re-do. You were smart to pay him the first part on a credit card and to withhold the last part until you were satisfied. Many of the commenters who post here have a big problem and they've already paid the contractor. Stick to your guns!

Concerning the GC, a positive indicator is that they have only billed you and received half of the cost. Most hacks would never allow this type of situation, they always make sure that the client is well paid up so if a problem occurs you have little or no monetary leverage over them.

no tile expert, but the second pic you posted it looks terrible, corners are not even straight.

following. I agree with Jane their attempt to sand down the lippage didn't work very well

If you read all the comments you will be up-to-date on what`s happening here.

Yikes, that sounds really frustrating. Glad you're asking for a re-do. It's a huge pain now, but down the road you'll be so happy you got it corrected.

Keep us posted!

Well I have an update, I requested a redo, He declined and now our lawyers are talking. I'm not sure why he would like his work is acceptable.

I hate that you're having this trouble. A mention of the legal liability if one of those large tiles falls off and injures someone might be part of the discussion that gets him to move.

I have another update and wondering if anyone has experience with this, my contractors lawyer wants an independent inspector come by and look at the job, to me its obvious there is discoloration, areas of rough patches from sanding the wall to make it flat, they guy used incorrect adhesive....what is the purpose of an independent inspector? Is there some way he is trying to get out of redoing the wall? What should I do to be prepared for this inspector? My lawyer said let them come and inspect he will verify the inspector and make sure he/she is legit. I just don't understand the issues, I'm prepared to take him to court.

I don't know if the rules are different in your jurisdiction, but in the jurisdiction in which I live, if a lawsuit were filed the court would permit the contractor to have an inspector of his choosing inspect and evaluate the work...and then you would likely be advised to have an inspector of your choosing do the same...and on and on. If that's the case where you live, and the faulty work is obvious, sounds like you can save yourself time, expense, and headache permitting the inspection now. If you don't agree with the inspector's evaluation, or for some other reason are unable to reach an agreement with the contractor that resolves the issue, you could then proceed with your lawsuit.

I agree, let the inspector come, but see if you can get a tile installer that you trust to be there at the same time. In any case, video the whole thing.

The independent inspection is an excellent idea. When I do these types of consultations, I compare the manufacturer's or the industry trade association's specifications (or both) to the job in question. The beauty of this is now he's not arguing with you, he's arguing with AcrylPro. Tell the inspector you'll be responsible if he needs to do a bit of destructive testing.

Ok, youre right, and I have an email from Custom builders stating why acrylpro should not have been used, and if we have to do strength testing I can tell the inspector he'll also be liable

"and if we have to do strength testing I can tell the inspector he'll also be liable"

Joe said,

"Tell the inspector you'll be responsible if he needs to do a bit of destructive testing."

If it fails its being redone on the tile setters dime.

I would verify the credentials and certifying body of any inspector selected before allowing that inspection to proceed. https://www.ceramictilefoundation.org/find-certified-tile-installers  CTEF also has training courses for inspections, but I don't think they have a certified inspection program at this time. The CTI designation should be enough to qualify an Expert.

the fact that you have Acrylic Pro stating it's an improper install is great. why are these idiots even disputing this? let the independent come. but make sure you have an A-1 tile setter on hand, or, your own inspector you've paid to come at the same time the 'independent' is coming. Are they picking the independent ?? it has to be agreed upon by both parties. So let them come and make sure to show them your Email from Acry. Pro.

following..

I just got an email from realstone systems, the tile manufacturer stating which adhesive to use for a warranty and the contractors lawyer just filed a mechanics lien on my property! This really pisses me off, he hasn’t even finished the other projects! He still has to wallpaper a wall, patch painting and redo a window glass install he didn’t match properly because I didn’t tell him which glass to use...my condo association isn’t happy about that! And just look at the discoloration!!

What are you showing us in that last picture of the tile?

The discoloration, the one I’m holding up is a sample, acrylpro contaminants go trough pourous stone and discolor

Don't worry too much about the workman's lien. Anyone with a filing fee and the right forms can file a lawsuit, the first test is whether or not the judge will hear it.

Thank you for the calming words, idk to me the work is obviously shoddy! I hope a judge would feel the same way

I think he or she would. Video, photograph and take notes on everything. You want to be (and can be) more prepared than the contractor is. It gets a judge's attention.

Sigh...When it comes to legal stuff (and medical stuff btw) the words of one my instructors always comes to mind:

"If in doubt, document, document, document."

and my favourite,

"S/He who has the most documentation = Wins!"

" idk to me the work is obviously shoddy!"

TO ME, TOO!! I wouldn't let this guy tile my dog house!

Looks like a shoddy job to me.

Two things that get me. Are the spacers made of folded paper? Why are they spacers randomly placed throughout the tile?

Looks like the job was done by what we refer to as a "quick shot". Guys that go to work for someone in a specialty field such as tile or flooring and after six months or so thank they know enough to start their own business and go out bidding on jobs when they cant tell you the difference between grout and quickset.