For "just tiling and grout" I'm sure you could find a low end around $6 a foot just for labor. More typical for a basic installation by a quality installer would be $8. The high can be anything depending on the complexity and size of tile used, the pattern, etc. $20, $30, $70 a square foot. Standard 3-wall tub surrounds are in the 60+/- sqft range.

I’ll play. And I appreciate the education. I wrote in another thread that getting it right is one way, but getting it wrong is thousands of different ways. Like every time someone builds something idiot proof, a better idiot evolves to sabotage that too. I don’t have the experience with the 1001 different ways of getting things wrong. Just maybe the usual 20-30 that I see on a regular basis. So honestly, some of what is happening in that picture, I’m not really sure what is going on. Other than the better built idiot wuz here. To me. It looks like the drywall wall (A) (that should have been demo’d!) was so out of plumb, that some wood scraps (D) were used to sorta frame it in enough plumb that they applied cement board to that scrap. With insufficient support and the wrong fastening schedule no doubt. Did they try to glop in some thinset in between the two layers? (B) Why? I don’t get this construction at all. Nor do I know what C is doing, unless it’s some sort of Bubba shim. (E, F, G) is a freaking wood curb not even properly covered by the waving in the breeze pan liner and some thinset. That’s an abomination that I do have experience with. One thing I don’t see is the pan liner up the wall in that weird sandwich construction. Nor do I see any poly there either. Or anything red, green, or orange. I’m on a phone, so none of the images will enlarge too much for me. (Excuses, excuses.LOL!) Let millwork and others play before posting the teacher’s key.

If you feel the quality matches the price point you payed and the quality of tile professional and the contract details you got then its not the worst ive seen. With tiling every single thing comes into play, starts with quality tile itself and hiring someone who can select and source quailty tile and help you not purchase bad tile Then A properly qualified and skilled professional to prep right, the proper time allotment to do the job well, expert layout skills, quality materials throughout and following the proper industry methods and standards, lastly having the correct type of tile related contract to protect yourself. All of this comes at a premium price point . Who did you hire how much effort and time did you put into that and how much did price factor into the result we see here.? who bought the tile and how did they inspect the shipment of tile ? who signed off on the material and the layout, joint size etc..it goes on and on.. No issue with letting it set for a month in a cold home and yes a poor tile job with bad tile and dark grout will look worse than a matching grout.

The tile done in the second picture of my first post is actually 6 x 36 wood look porcelain tile ( a different company though). It is laid the same way as mine. It is was done by the main tiler and looks beautiful. It is 1/8 grout lines no lippage at all! I would post a picture of it but it is all covered up right now. I was harsh about the second guy helping him because he had already cut a lot of corners with other things. He wasted a lot of tile getting cuts wrong - which the other contractors themselves were complaining about and bringing some to my attention. Some really bad cuts I noticed he tried to pressure me in to accepting - when I almost caved another one came to me and confirmed it was not good. He basically tiled my kitchen and left the molding on the wall. On top of that all the cuts against the molding were jagged. Like one part would up against the molding and the farthest was .5 to an inch. When I asked what would happen with it he was just answered that it would all be filled in with grout. Dark grout that would make it stand out even more. EDIT :: Here is the link to her tile: https://www.lowes.com/pd/CERAMICAS-TESANY-Tahoe-Gray-Wood-Look-Porcelain-Floor-and-Wall-Tile-Common-6-in-x-36-in-Actual-5-82-in-x-35-29-in/1000379225 Maybe her tile - despite being larger, allows it. If that's the case, I can wrap this around my head and get over it. However, if hers is similar to mine and the good tiler is able to do it without lippage in that layout with smaller grout line - I would like to go for it. EDIT:: Is this another possible solution. When they relay it Would relaying it to overlap in thirds instead of 1/2 help. I am not to particular about that if it will help me get the smaller grout lines.