Drywall screws holding a receptacle and switch in place. I hate that.

Removing the old backsplash and prepping the wall is an essential part of getting a professional quality job done. I feel like it went wrong from the beginning.

I have never heard of someone installing over existing splash before. This went wrong from the very beginning.

I am actually surprised how well it looks knowing that the surface wasn't prepped correctly.

Hold up. He installed this tile OVER existing tile? I have never... Note for anyone else reading this. NEVER allow a tile contractor to install new backsplash tile over old. Lazy. Our industry is in desperate need of quality trades.

Can I ask what the tile installer charged? Did he suggest that it would actually be preferable to remove the existing backsplash or did he actually RECOMMEND that you don't remove the previous backsplash and why? Did you consult with the installer regarding your tile selections in advance and did he advise you regarding the finishing and transition pieces that would be recommended? Did the installer do a take-off prior to your ordering and provide you with the quantities needed? A professional tile contractor would have had all the above discussion and more.

It does sound like you didn't get a professional. We wouldn't tile over other tile and I would question, at the very least, did he treat the surface with an anti-fracture membrane? He would need to resurface to receive the new tile. The whole thing sounds quite unusual. Hope you get some resolution. Hire wisely is our only real advice. And there are definitely quality trades out here. You have to do the homework, be willing to pay for quality, and wait to get on their schedule.

Total junk. Will have to be torn off and carted to landfill.

I'm currently having a similar 'freak out.' Brand new house and we invited our tile guy back to do the backsplash. We got electricity last week and turned on the cabinet under-lighting to our horror saw this rickety mess. My tile guy swears it's the tile and I'm waiting for a response from the tile shop. I've calmed myself a little by reading other Houzz posts that say in fact it is what's to be expected with natural stone. It's completely unnoticeable with the under-lighting turned off. Suggestions: if possible move your under-lighting more to the front of the cabinets. See if your tile guy can replace the snaring tiles with other ones.

I'm wondering if the houses I've looked at for inspiration have reworked the lighting to make their backsplashes look more favorable??

“I hired a contractor who had stellar reviews on Thumbtack to install a kitchen backsplash.”

I keep hearing horror stories about contractors sourced via Thumbtack. Thumbtack makes money by charging service providers a fee for each bid. You have to think that given how busy all the trades are right now, the only ones who would need to find work through a website like Thumbtack are the ones who can’t get their own referrals. And the reason they can’t get their own referrals is because their work is poor and/or they are too inexperienced to have built up a client base.

You would do much better to look at reviews of tilers on Angie’s List, and/or to ask your tile store for referrals.

What a mess! There's no saving that. I'm sorry to say, but a whole redo is necessary to fix that. I would not let this guy do anything else ever again. Lesson learned.

What to do. Well, how much did he charge & how much damage was done?

I would ask him to reimburse you the whole amount in a certified letter where a signature return for proof it was received. Put a date of 10 business days to get money back. If he doesn't respond, the next step is small claims court, if it's below $5k. Or higher an attorney. Do not let this guy get away with this & continue to do this someone else. Absolutely, horrible job & a judge would probably side on yours.

In the future, get referrals from people who actually had good work done. Get estimates. if price is too good to be true, it's a red flag. Cheaper is often subpar work & ends up costing way more than the higher estimate to fix.

Mistakes happen, but there's always a solution. A valuable lesson for future endeavors.

I am sorry you are going through this. Consider this a lesson learned and try to move forward. Not fair but much in life is not. Good luck to you.

@Jen Hey, THAT is one of the worst tile installations I've seen. I am so sorry but no, that is a very unprofessional install. If the tile was that bad, he should have refused to install it and regardless of the tile, this job is just bad. What material is it exactly? And if it is natural stone, even less of a problem to install it. The primary variances you see in natural stone tile are in shade. If you have a piece, lay it on a flat surface and take a picture of the edge of the tile (straight on) laying on the surface and post it. I wish there was some way to get rid of these hack tile installers. Sorry, but for those of us dedicated to the professionalism of the industry, it makes us just sick to see this.

I'm curious ... why are Angie's list referrals superior to those on Thumbtack? Personally, I wouldn't use either, but I'm still curious.

Thumbtack recruits contractors to PAY for a listing. In other words, these contractors are looking for work and willing to pay for it. You don't want the contractors who "NEED" work, especially right now when the best are booked out months.

Angie’s List and Home Advisor are now one and the same. And they charge the contractor for bad leads, with no real recourse. No good contractor wants anything to do with any of those type of referral sites. They get their business from word of mouth.

Original post was in August, folks. And OP was a drive-by poster who never returned.

Yes the original poster left but some new questions from others were posted.

"Angie’s List and Home Advisor are now one and the same. And they charge the contractor for bad leads, with no real recourse. No good contractor wants anything to do with any of those type of referral sites."

The Cook's Kitchen - I do not agree. Angie's List charges service providers to advertise on its site, which is different from Thumbtack and Home Advisor which charge a fee to the contractors in order for them to bid a job. On Angie's List, the contractor can choose not to advertise, and will still be listed on Angie's List, and still have consumer reviews for other consumers to see.

I've found numerous contractors on Angie's List and have had very good experiences with them. There was only one that wasn't as good as its reviews. I think I've probably used 10 contractors over the years from Angie's List, so 1 in 10 isn't bad odds. Thumbtack contractors seem often to create bad experiences.

The number of people with the connections and ability to get good contractor referrals (like you have) is small, especially with new homeowners. Sometimes referrals from neighbors/friends lead to bad experiences. Referrals from relatives are always a bad idea. Not everyone has a designer, or is experienced in knowing signs to look for in a good contractor. Angie's List helps those people.

im not a fan of this self leveling tile system but its great for hacks with no skill. its sad to see such bad work. also...home owners need to understand that tile will look rough like this if 1) you buy cheap tile because cheap tile usually is cupped. 2) an install has to be on a smooth surface. old plaster is the worst. if that is the sub surface and its wavy then it needs skimmed w drywall mud or just cut out and replaced with new drywall to insure the tiles will lay even.

Shannon, I think you missed my point. They are not separate companies. They merged into a single company, and are integrating their business practices.

AL continually lost money, and never made a profit, although it somehow maintained a decent reputation with consumers. Home Advisor, formerly Service Magic, has always made money, but had a poor reputation with everyone. Which is why they rebranded in 2012. That new ID could not hide the same old business practices behind the name for long. Now with the AL buyout, the company is hoping to buy a better reputation, but still do business the same old way.

I know I've brought to life an old post, but I think it's helpful when searching for advice on topics like this @ci_lantro

@Dragonfly Tile & Stone Works, Inc. and @Michael Masters - this marble subway tile was $17.65 sq ft. I went to a tile shop vs. Floor & Decor because I was told the tile is much better quality, and at double the price of its F&D equal, I expected a much smoother surface. At a total project cost of $3000 I don't feel as though I cut corners to save money.

This is the same installer who did a good job on my wood look tile flooring throughout, so I invited him back. In my case, he was a personal referral from a local home builder and not from Angie's List. I'm feeling like an idiot now and extremely tired of the poor workmanship from mostly every sub. Is this just Florida?

Jen Hey, sounds like you did all the right things but unfortunately your installer was not skilled with this type of installation. We are shaking our heads. You shouldn't have to live with that. Send the photos to your tile supplier and to the manufacturer: https://tarmakusa.com/contact/. Ask them what they think. I can assure you this is on the installer. And not to bash the trades in Florida but we belong to multiple tile groups and we hear about this problem there. We also know there are good craftspeople everywhere. Surprised he was able to set your floor acceptably. On behalf of our industry, we are so sorry.