How disappointing! That type of tile with a bit of wavy unevenness probably takes quite an experienced installer. Especially as we lean towards darker grouts these days… it just emphasizes any mistakes but that seems very very messy. Ugh

Your next step is to post pictures of how they waterproofed the shower because if he messed up so badly with this, I'm guessing he messed up with properly waterproofing the shower BEFORE the tile went on.

Additionally it appears he did not make sure your walls are straight and it appears he might not have buttered the whole back of the tiles.

BTW: You can't just tear out a shower floor and retile because tearing out the flooring compromises the waterproofing (if any were done.)

Good thing you haven't paid this guy. If it were me, I'd fire him and find a competent tile pro.

Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.

Why would you let the contractor continue after he admitted that he wasn't up to the task?

Get rid of him and hire someone competent to start over.

Wonky edged hand made tile will have all different sized grout lines. Black grout SHOUTS that out loud, at 100 dB. The wrong color grout choice emphasizes the normal and predictable consequence of the tile choice.

What isn’t normal is the overfilling of the grout and it’s use in corners which should be caulked. And that likely means that nothing important underneath was done correctly either. Like the waterproofing.

What type of portfolio and references led you to hire this guy? Did you check the online database register of contractors to see if he is actually licensed? What about get a copy of his certificate of insurance? What due diligence occurred prior to hiring? What did he charge you? Certsinly not tge 27K natiinal avwrage. Except, that fugure is for a mid range project. Not upscale, with luxury materials like marble and hand made tiles. That’s double that 27K mid grade aversge remodeling costs.

Cpartist, unfortunately I don’t have and can’t get any photos of the shower waterproofing. Thanks for mentioning that. I’ll ask him about it. I am planning on walking through every step of the floor before anything else happens. Most likely I will hire someone else 😩

https://www.ceramictilefoundation.org/homeowners-guide-to-hiring-qualified-tile-installer?hsCtaTracking=a225d16e-c8b5-4bcb-85ee-3db5944d7e26%7C975a0ee8-c1b2-4a20-a5a0-c2b01471a8f4

https://www.remodeling.hw.net/cost-vs-value/bathroom-remodel?y=2022

A tear out and redo with the luxury materials you want, and the actually skilled labor that you need, will easily top 60K. That won’t be salvageable.

Yes ask him how he waterproofed and write it down and post here so the pros can let you know if it was done properly. I'm guessing no and if it's a no, that is a complete tear out and redo. Sorry!

Somewhere on this board is a thread where there's a link to how to hire a tile pro that was written by one of our tile pros.

I didn’t have a problem with the size of the grout lines in the shower. I wanted the look of handmade tiles. I had an issue with the size of the grout lines in the flooring.

I hired him to work on my house before, gutting the attic, refinishing the entry closet, fixing baseboard and I didn’t have any issues with his work. I’ve seen pictures on his company’s Facebook page of other bathroom tile jobs and they all looked great. I hired him feeling confident in his skills. That’s why I’m so disappointed and confused.

What a disappointment, I feel for pain.

"I hired him to work on my house before, gutting the attic, refinishing the entry closet, fixing baseboard and I didn’t have any issues with his work."

For tilework, whether in a bathroom or for a kitchen backsplash, you should always hire someone whose sole job is laying tile. That should be all they do every work day - just tiling. Not someone who does carpentry and handyman work and oh by the way can do tile. So start over, and seek out a contractor who is a tiling contractor only. You can go on Angie's List to find names, or go to the tile store where you bought the expensive marble and ask them for referrals.

I would choose a lighter grout color for the re-do. As Verbo said above, tiles with the irregular handmade look need lighter grout, even with the best tiler.

For tilework, whether in a bathroom or for a kitchen backsplash, you should always hire someone whose sole job is laying tile.

^^^THIS! When I was building my house, I found my own person to tile who only did tilework and who knew all about waterproofing, etc.

13 Questions to Find the Right Tile Installer, by the National Tile Contractor's Association, Consumer Education Committee: https://cdn.ymaws.com/www.tile-assn.com/resource/resmgr/pdf_files/Final_13_Qs_Brochure_Handout.pdf?fbclid=IwAR0qnyjkBKnuVb5HjTSCYZJhfrS70vBtl4sOeteUt2rX5IEv06tef5emjJE

@Dragonfly Tile & Stone Works, Inc. - while those questions are really good, the reality is that today the good contractors have more work than they can handle. If you bombard the tiler with all those questions they will not bid your job, they’ll move on to the next client. I would boil it down to just a few of those questions from that list that you feel are most important to ask the tiler.

If you feel uncomfortable asking a lot of questions, then 6, 9, 10, 11, 12 and 13. But in reality, someone who follows TCNA standards, shouldn't have a problem with you asking those questions because they are true professionals who take pride in their work and are not afraid to answer those questions.

The "Questions" are meant to be a field guide, to assist consumers in understanding the important qualifications. Our research indicates that some consumers (understandably) lack knowledge and experience when it comes to hiring qualified tile contractors. Some of the questions would likely be answered with basic research. The best Pros in the industry respect that a potential client has educated themselves. The worst will run for the hills as an expectation is being set that they might not be able to meet. Better yet, the more the consumer is educated and expects quality work, the greater the pressure for a contractor to seek the training and credentialing needed to perform the work to industry standards. It has to start with established expectations. And to your point, M Miller, while at this moment all trades are busy and consumers should plan ahead and be prepared to pay for quality that lasts, that is another piece of advice. And cpartist, #1 and #7 are extremely important in our experience. Speaking to #1, too many people without dedicated tile experience and training, and #7, experience with basic tile formats but not necessarily the tile chosen, like glass, natural stone, large format, etc. are resulting in problems. That being said, the vast majority of tile installations are meeting standards. We hear only about the "problems" on these forums...they are real and if consumers and the industry work together to expect qualified labor and results, we can continue to progress for the benefit of all. Truly appreciate the comments.