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Building a Home Bathrooms

Fixing a tile screw up?!

3 years ago

So the granite installers made a shower threshold as wide as they could with scrap they had. Carpenter, rather than adjusting the framing, went ahead and tiled. He then apparently saw he didn’t have enough width with the granite to tile the front of the curb, so he just slathered on tons of grout or mortar or some combo. I think it looks weird and worry how it will wear. He says adding a tIle face won’t work because granite curb is too narrow. What do we do now???

Featured Answer

PRO

Joseph Corlett, LLC

3 years ago

Ditch the scrap or use it as a riser to cover the grout job and install a properly sized and pitched cap please.

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Comments (25)

K H
3 years ago
I’m not a tile expert but that looks awful. I would google search tiled showers with granite curb and see if you can find what it should look like. Hopefully some of the pros will offer suggestions and photos of the correct way to do it! That is frustrating!
K H
3 years ago
I would request a redo. They probably should have carried the wall tile there or kept more granite for that part! Here are some examples on google of either. I would be so mad. Hope you haven’t paid them!
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The biggest problem I see, is that either you told him, or you thought you told him. Big difference. Hanging all of this on him, without knowing specifically what was said, probably isnt going to go over very well. If you decide to change it, its gonna be costly, for whoever gets to pay for it. I do agree about the countertop on the dining room side being a problem. With that said, if it were mine, I'd: Assuming they are framed cabinets, then, you could leave the uppers as they are, have the cabinet guy trim 1/4 inch off of each base scribe in the range opening. This would pull the base to the right 1/2 inch, allowing you to at least have a half inch overhang on your counter, and the counter would line up with the upper above, regardless. Typically, I try to line the countertop up with the upper anyway, and not worry about the base lining up in these types of applications. I think it looks better when ending tile, backsplashes, wallpaper etc. That seems to be the easiest fix to all of the problems, without having to rebuild 3 cabinets this late in the game.
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oc, that might work. Get a paint to match the grout, paint the offensive tiles, and then scrape them when it is time to move out? I think scraping with a single edge razor blade might work better than a solvent. Do you think the tiles should be treated or primed in some fashion before they are painted? The area that is needing covering is about 6' x 6'. It is a basic solid color ceramic tile that was broken. The shards were then arranged in a pattern depicting the symbol. It is really amateurish looking.
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Lindsey_CA
3 years ago
Go onto Instagram and do a search for tilemaestroco. He's a pro who does incredible tile jobs. Ask him what to do.
JAB
Original Author
3 years ago
A follow up - first, just wanted to clarify that this issue is on the inside of the shower - the installer tiled the outside of the curb without issue. We used a tan schluter trim on the interior edges. His proposed fix is to tile the inside of the curb where there is currently the weird lumpy mortar, and then run a matching piece of tan schluter trim on the top edge where it meets the granite curb. Thoughts?
just_janni
3 years ago
He needs a properly sized piece of granite for the threshold.

and if this is his idea of a fix (the "slathering") then I honestly wonder about the rest of his work.
Hemlock
3 years ago
That look horrible. Totally unacceptable.
millworkman
3 years ago
Whenever someone does crap like that it immediately makes me think if he cares that little for the visual, what the hell is underneath the tile......................................
JJ
3 years ago
Wow. Add this photo to the "tile installation lol" folder.
JAB
Original Author
3 years ago
Thanks everyone. I was able to order a replacement piece of granite an inch wider so this can be ripped out, and the sides of the curb can be tiled...... never a dull moment. It will delay things a month or so, but hopefully will be done right!
K H
3 years ago
Better to get it done right. It is tough to wait on things but if you left it like this you would stare at it every time you took a shower and wonder why you didn't wait!
JAB
Original Author
3 years ago
In fairness, it was out of character for this guy - he’s done very nice work on other components, and had been so careful with the pan and wall tile etc... something just went screwy there.....
User
3 years ago
What lurks underneath that? My bet is a pan liner over 2x4’s with nails in the curb.
JAB
Original Author
3 years ago
Pete, I'm attaching photos I took during the construction, and you can tell me?!
User
3 years ago
And that’s exactly what it is. A cheap pan liner over a 2x4 curb, with penetrations in the curb. Murder scened with inadequate red guard. It will rot out about it‘s anniversary. Your guy doesn’t know how to build a shower properly.
JAB
Original Author
3 years ago
Do others here agree with Pete? I hope not... We are in a rural area working with a tiny crew during tough circumstances - invested a lot of blood, sweat, tears and money in the project....
PRO
HALLETT & Co.
3 years ago
'murder scened with inadequate redguard' Pete is a wordsmith. Rubber pan liner seems worthless when punctured by screws...
JAB
Original Author
3 years ago
last modified: 3 years ago
Is our rubber pan liner punctured with screws? When I look at the photo, I don't see that... I see screws in the backer board? Thoughts?
PRO
HALLETT & Co.
3 years ago
The pan liner has to go up and over the curb, they then screwed the backer board through the liner (same on the backside?)
User
3 years ago
Complete redo. With a different guy. One who owns and knows a TCNA manual.
PRO
User
3 years ago
Wood thresholds are not acceptable on my builds. I have a good tile sub though, who I’ve worked with for many years. She runs one of the cleanest and most efficient sites around. Maybe your builder does not have a good tile person. Or he doesn’t know much about tiling.

Unfortunately, you as a consumer are going to have to educate yourself, as this will turn into a contract dispute to get this redone the right way. Start at the Ceramic Tile Foundation, and read everything. Good luck!
PRO
Jeffrey R. Grenz, General Contractor
3 years ago
Carpenters don't tile, even if it looks like wood.

The skill required by many trades gets underestimated.
PRO
Mint tile Minneapolis
3 years ago
last modified: 3 years ago
That installation does not meet TCNA, ANSI, UPC, nor MFG instructions. I suggest a full stop and redo with A proven tile professional. Your future self will agree.
JAB
Original Author
3 years ago
I appreciate the insights, but I think maybe you guys have never worked in a rural community with a population of 1000 people and a tiny group of local workers who have all known each other and worked together forever — AND in a pandemic where it is literally impossible to get anyone to do anything. We started our project last May — took months and months to line up anyone!!
cpartist
3 years ago
And how long will it take you to line up people when the shower fails and there is a major water leak with mold behind the shower wall?

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