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Wow! No advice but that is absolutely terrible! I'd be livid!

What the $^%&!!! This can't be a tile pro. If it is....he shouldn't be. That kind of tile will be difficult to remove and redo. Hoping a tile guy replies soon. If the rest of this job is that bad...maybe better to gut and redo the whole thing. Yikes.

Ok, we all need to find out where this guy lives.

That was not done by tile professional.I’m sorry you’re going through this, but that is going to have to 100% be re-done. Not with that guy either.

i wish i knew how to help you but i can't come up w/ anything!! anything you try to do is gonna look tacky.. but ya that tile guy needs to find a new profession lol

Hopefully you did not pay this person in full... I can't believe anyone would think that was acceptable tile work.

I'm not a decorator, so others are welcome to contradict me -- but IMO you have the wrong tile for a kitchen there, and DEFINITELY the wrong contractor.

I suggest you deal with this fast. It'll have an effect on the value of your house. There aren't many decor-related things that will put me off a house, and I'm not fussy about kitchens, but if a realtor took me into one that had something like that in the kitchen, the place would have to be REALLY exciting otherwise.

Thank you for the feedback everybody. I have not paid him yet but I dont know how much to withhold for this work. I have about 35 sq.ft of backsplash.

Good. Do not pay for this. Pay $0 until it's ripped out and done correctly. You could do a better job on your own!

Agree with David. If you redo it...consider something simpler with your oak kitchen. Linear mosaics were trendy for a while. Considered out these days. Sorry....just trying to help and it might lower your re-do costs. Linear mosaics were kinda pricey....unless they've come down.

A backsplash cost installed is between $800-$1500 for basic ceramic tile and pattern in my neck of the woods. Cost of tile, pattern complexity, number of cutouts...etc all change the price. If I had to say, $1200 is average.

At this point the best I can offer is to go to Lowes or Home Depot and find the "metal pieces" display where they have aluminum strips, metal rod, punched metal sheets, etc and find 1" L angle aluminum - the thinnest you can find, and cut it to match the height of the tile and clear silicone it into place to cover the corner.

Otherwise -it's a complete rip out and do over.

The above MAY disappear enough that you can live with it.

Just_janni, those pieces are supposed to be installed BEFORE the tile goes in.

zmith, Janni isn't talking about tile edging (Schluter, etc.) She's saying to use some basic aluminum stock to cover up the mess. Right angle pieces, etc. There are displays of various metal trims in various lengths, colors, sizes in every home improvement store.

Usually when people post on here about "bad" installs, it looks terrific. Congratulations (I think)....yours truly is bad. Wow.

Sheepla, hahahahahahhaha! Almost spit out my coffee ^^^reading that^^^

Raise your hand if sheepla is your new hero.

*raises hand*

zmith, Janni isn't talking about tile edging (Schluter, etc.) She's saying to use some basic aluminum stock to cover up the mess. Right angle pieces, etc. There are displays of various metal trims in various lengths, colors, sizes in every home improvement store.

Ah, ok. I misunderstood. The Schluter corner trim is what should have been used here in the first place.

Thanks again everybody. Can somebody refer me to a good contractor who can fix this ?

The fix is a complete redo with different material. Your location is needed in order to advise about locating a real tile professional. Expect to pay between $1500-$2500 for a real professional to do this job. Plus demo of the old and repairing the substrate.

https://www.ceramictilefoundation.org/cti-certified-tile-installer-alpha-listing 

Thanks. Location is Naperville, IL.

https://www.zeemaps.com/map?group=1819547

Sorry OP - that is a complete ripout and redo. That installer had NO idea what he was doing.

I did a better job than this the first time I installed tile in my own home. Was the installer already drunk when he showed up for work, or was this after his 6-beer lunch?

Even if you weren't installing Schluter strips, it's possible to lap the corner joints and have that look clean. You also have a lot chipping on cut edges, which means he used the wrong type of blade for the cuts. And the grouting job leaves me speechless.

I'm sorry, but most, if not all, of this has to be torn out and redone.

hello all, revisiting this issue. How should I negotiate with the contractor and finalize the agreed upon payment ? I dont want any legal trouble but I dont want him to fix the mess he created either. I would rather go to a licensed installer. Any advice ?

No payment. I'd never pay anyone a dime for that mess. You need to rip it out and redo it. Why would you pay him? It's a complete hack job. Show him this thread.

Umm...you hired someone that was not licensed??

yes, somebody recommended the contractor. Lesson learned. I had signed a paper with agreed amount to be paid. That is my concern. I want to negotiate with that contractor and close out.

I would pay him to rip out the tile and smooth out the wall behind it, or just cut out and replace the drywall if he wants to be paid.

How much did you spend on the tile? I ask because I would include that information when discussing his “payment.” For that matter, how much did you agree to pay for the install?

Which I doubt he will do. The material (tile and grout) costed me about $400. I got an estimate of $1600 plus material from a licensed contractor to redo the backsplash.

I understand. How much did you originally agree to pay this man for his installation?

The agreement was for 6-7 different tasks. The backsplash was one of them. The last payment I had to make was for 3K but the redo is going to cost me as much, I want to negotiate accordingly.

If you don’t have an itemized quote, then you really should insist on one from here on out. The re-do is going to cost you half of that amount. Right now you are out of pocket $400.00 for the tile (are you interested in a different tile, because now is the time), the cost of labor, which you do not know and have already paid for, and the cost of demolition.

My recommendation for moving forward is to agree to have him return the wall to its original condition if you trust him to do this, and subtract $800 from your next payment, $400 for your tile, $400 for the installation you already paid for. Chalk the other $800 up to the cost of doing business the way you’re doing it. But in the end, choose numbers that you think are fair.

It is never easy negotiating this kind of thing. I hope you get out of it what you think is fair.

Yes, I need to get an itemized quote going forward. Thank you. Appreciate your advice.

How should I negotiate with the contractor and finalize the agreed upon payment ? I dont want any legal trouble but I dont want him to fix the mess he created either.

I had signed a paper with agreed amount to be paid. That is my concern.

Any updates? When you signed that paper, it was understood that the work would be done in a workmanlike manner. Hopefully you didn’t pay this fool one red cent. I know I wouldn’t; I‘d let him sue me.