I have read so many discussions on penny tiling, and the huge issue of visible lines between the sheets; that it also may be an issue for your tiling job. I suggest you do a Houzz search 🔍 for penny tiling issues.

Woooooo boy. Get yourself prepared for a fight with your contractor. Others will be along shortly to tell you what is wrong and how bad it is for sure, but I can tell you that it doesn't look like there is any waterproofing done in there which means a total tear out and re-do.

Once it's tore out, please pick a different tile. There aren't many "professional" tilers that know how to do the penny tile.

Penny tile was the incorrect choice for the level of contractor team that you chose. They can’t even get the absolute basics right for a standard 12x12 tile install. Much less a 20K all penny tile installation large shower. None of that is built correctly. The screw schedule. The lack of proper taping. The lack of waterproofing. The lack of basic anything approaching shower building skill.

It all has to be redone. With a better, more QUALIFIED team.

Zero waterproofing. Thank goodness for the tile selection otherwise you may not have known until a couple of years from now when your walks were rotting and full of mold.

Your contractor is lying, grout will not fix this, but as mentioned by others, you have bigger problems to deal with.

Durock isunaffected by water according to the manufacturer who does not require it.

It's pretty hard to get a good penny tile installation where seems don't show thru. Am seriously doubting that grout will solve the problem here.

True Joseph it is unaffected by water but not water proof, water will still pass thru it as it is not a water barrier at all.

A good tile installer can Install penny with no problems. You don’t have a good installer.

They just lined up the sheets, which is what you cannot do with these pebbly tiles -- they have to be offset/wriggled around so that the pattern is continuous (or with actual pebbles, the joins have to be adjusted at the seams one pebble at a time). This will look even worse with grout.

My tile pro said he staggers the sheets AND picks off and hand-place many tiles to make sure all the spaces where the grout is going to go are the same/uniform.

But he also waterproofs properly which appears not to be done in your case. Read about waterproofing (on here, John Bridge, manufacturer’s instructions), so that when you demand a re-do, you can speak from a base of knowledge.

White lines before grout CAN just indicate there was a little more thinset on that edge. To my eyes, in your photos it looks like this MAY be the case, at least in some spots. To confirm, take a 4' level and lay it along the tile line diagonally. All tiles should line up, across mosaic sheets, with the level and be evenly spaced. Do this everywhere it looks off, and go both directions (diagonally up to the right, diagonally down to the right).

The lack of waterproofing does concern me.

From a waterproofing perspective, what needs to be done that does not seem to have been done? When I talked to my contractor this morning, I asked if it had been waterproofed and he insisted that it had.

Have him describe in writing the process of waterproofing that he employed.

There should either be a sheet of plastic between the cement board and the studs, or a waterproofing membrane painted over top of the cement board. The photos show that you don't have the latter, which is the most common.

Some people think that the cement board is the waterproofing. It isn't. Cement board doesn't get moldy or break down when it gets wet, which is why it's used as a tile substrate. But it doesn't keep water from getting through to the wood studs behind it. That's why you need the plastic behind or the membrane on top. To keep the studs from rotting.

The redguard on the seams makes it seem like he didn’t put plastic behind the cement board. If the redguard was required it would need to be over the whole surface.

Personally I find that to be the wrong choice of tile for such a large space. Penny tiles are hard enough on a floor let alone all that wall space. As the others have commented, there is also the issue of waterproofing. Good luck!

There is no improper waterproofing on this job according to the manufacturer of the Durock.

So sorry this is happening to you. It is possible that the adhesives are showing through in odd spots making it look like things are really bad.

No grout is going to fix how the tile is laid in your second picture. The pennies are almost even with each other instead of being staggered.

I understand the attraction to a penny tile, but I wonder if this is just too much - can they really get it right...

^^^^ WOW I had never zoomed in. Yikes

@ Joe always stirring the pot :)

It's so confusing for us non-pros when the pros disagree about things like waterproofing.

This from the USG Durock website:

Should USG Durock® Brand Cement Board Panels be waterproofed in wet area use? Water does not affect USG Durock® Brand Cement Board, however, TCNA guidelines recommend the use of a waterproof membrane in wet areas.

maybe you should stop commenting on trade specifics youre not qualified to comment on ?

If USG says that their cement board doesnt need a waterproofing membrane, (they don’t say that) then why do they make a roll on membrane that specifically mentions being used over their cement board in wet areas? https://www.usg.com/content/dam/USG_Marketing_Communications/united_states/product_promotional_materials/finished_assets/usg-durock-brand-liquid-waterproofing-membrane-submittal-sheet-en-CB817.pdf

"maybe you should stop commenting on trade specifics you're not qualified to comment on ?" I don't know if this is directed at me, but I've never commented or given an opinion on this other than to post what the manufacturer says. Like other homeowners paying pros for professional results, I want to understand what is the correct way to install stuff so I know I'm getting my $$ worth and will not end up with a tear out in a few years because it was installed incorrectly. Obviously, based on all the tragedies posted on these boards, we cannot always rely on the people we hire. Even the very experience pros here disagree on what is correct. We don't all live in markets where there is a vast choice of tile pros and finding 'certified' installers isn't always possible in many areas.

It is a tad confusing but evidently in the professional world there is a difference between waterproof and water resistant. Evidently waterproof which is what these cement boards are means that they won't disintegrate in water but they aren't water resistant which is when something repels water.

Perhaps the confusion is that "water proofing" is used to describe what is actually water resistant - e.g. water doesn't penetrate and it is an impermeable shield. So a water resistant "shield" of some kind needs to be applied in conjunction with the "water proof" cement board for a tile shower according to TCNA which are the experts in terms of constructing tiled showers.

Water can permeate the cement board but it won't "disintegrate" - however it definitely could wick through to whatever it is attached to and cause issues.

I am not a pro by any means however I am a lawyer who had to "interpret" ambiguous commercial language :-)

The professional tile industry is working on developing resources for consumers to assist them in better understanding the requirements of professional tile installations. The National Tile Contractor's Association is hoping to have their new website, with a section for Consumers, up and running in April or May. Many industry experts are involved in this committee. The vast majority of tiled shower installations meet industry standards BUT there is definitely a problem with unqualified labor performing this work and resulting in failures. A detailed guide on "leaky showers" will be among the resources available. This is the conclusion of the message from that document (it's much more lengthy and specific than this): "It is important that you seek the help of an industry QUALIFIED tile professional who uses tile industry standards and approved best practices for shower installations and strictly follows the material manufacturer’s specifications and instructions.

It’s helpful to understand this about showers: A properly constructed shower manages and directs all the water that flows through it to the drain, and nowhere else. The shower “fixture” needs to be water tight, utilizing one of the two basic types of showers: a "Water In, Water Out" shower system, which is constructed with a clamping ring drain and waterproof shower pan liner or a "Sealed System" which employs a bonding flange drain and a waterproofing membrane that extends to the shower head. Both systems require that the walls, seats, ledges, niches, and curbs be treated with the appropriate waterproofing product. If the waterproofing, drain components, or any part of the shower system is not installed properly, is damaged, punctured, or compromised during installation, a leak can and will result in failure.

PLEASE NOTE: Beware of the claims that a leaking shower can be eliminated by using grout or caulking repairs/replacement or the application of a sealer or coating. These actions will, at best, provide only a temporary fix. Beware of individuals and companies who are NOT insured, licensed where required, or certified by the tile industry. Wisely consider, interview, and hire dedicated tile professionals who have received proper training and have experience in the process of providing a long-lasting and trouble-free shower installation. A qualified tile professional will perform work in accordance with the Tile Council of North America (TCNA) HandbookMethods, American National Standards Institute (ANSI) Standards, and the manufacturer’s written instructions."

That will be a welcome resource for consumers, for sure! And maybe even for some of the uneducated installers that don't know what they are doing.