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Acceptable Penny Tile Install?

Hank from Chicago

last year

last modified: last year

Hi,

I've seen and read a lot of penny tile installation stories on Houzz, and now have my own. This installation job was done professionally by a tile subcontractor in a bathroom remodel. To me it looks "ok" - seen better, seen worse. The black grout highlights the seams. Seeking opinions: would you accept this, or insist on a re-do?

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Comments (8)

kudzu9
last year
I think the tiler did a good job of laying the tile, especially considering that your walls are not perfectly plumb. The problem is the grout: a matching grout would have hidden the flaws you are seeing.
millworkman
last year
I agree with kudzu9. Looking at it the first time I thought it would look better after grouted, guess black was a poor choice for grout color.
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Although this could be much better, I think it's exasperated by the fact that it's a dark colored tile with white thinset. Although I don't know that it would solve the problem, I have a feeling that alot of that would disappear if a matching grout were to be used.
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OK, I guess I could do a good deed and connect you two if you're interested. Not sure you can message a regular user but you can message a pro. If you both agree, click on my profile and I believe a message box will appear on the right. Just title it "connection" and leave me a message like" please connect me to Shannon/ssdarb" with your respective emails. I can email you both with the others email. Always happy to connect people to good tile pros! Incidentally, I have no use for your email addresses and will delete your messages after. I guess there's always a way!
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What are your sub-floor materials now? Also I am concerned with your basic level of knowledge and the complexities of building a proper tile base in the shower and waterproofing under the tiles. I hate to sound discouraging, but tiling a bathroom so the installation doesn't leak and fail subsequently is one of the most complex projects you can take on. The forums here are full of horror stories concerning people who were supposedly professional tilers who screwed up, and it's a project you will come to regret as a DIY-er if you don't have much experience with this (as I suspect is the case from your questions). I'm not trying to insult you, but I am trying to save you from having a mess on your hands. Tiling a bathroom is much more complex than tiling elsewhere in your home.
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just_janni
last year
The tile is okay - the vertical installation is good and plumb (tracking a consistent row of tiles down both corners - and it's pretty good) but the horizontal is problematic.

As someone who is working hard to minimize grout in bathrooms, I simply don't understand the choice - especially on the walls - at least the floor has an anti-slip function..

And I certainly don't understand the black grout choice when there are so many known issues on how it accentuates any imperfections.
kculbers
last year
Penny tile is a difficult tile to install. Lots of commentary on this issue. Grout on penny tile should closely match the tile color to hide imperfections. Its best to get a tiler familiar with the nuances of penny tile installation.
chispa
last year
I would have it re-tiled with a different tile. Penny tile is beyond this guys ability level.
Kate
last year
I believe you stagger the joints/seams so it’s more difficult to see a grid. Not bad and would have been better had you selected a matching grout.
artemis78
last year
It's not great, but the grout color is absolutely magnifying the issue (and also making the whole thing pretty dizzying to look at). I would probably have it redone with a different tile/grout choice, but not sure that should be on the tilesetter's dime. A lot will depend on what you agreed to--did you choose the grout color? Did you ask about the tilesetter's experience with penny tile, which is notoriously tricky to install properly?
Mrs. Beasley
last year
It’s sort of reminiscent of the dance scene in flashdance.

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