Now I'm more confused than ever. Do you mean that if it was sealed before it shouldn't be done again until the old sealer is removed? What happens if you reseal something that has been sealed with a different product? Do you spray acetone on, wipe it on? I'm not a technical person at all and I have tried to read the websites on caring for stone and I am really totally learning disable on these types of subjects because I can't follow at at what they are trying to say. Anything you can do to help me understand this will be greatly appreciated.

If they replaced the tile and the coping then you are right. The tile waterline should be near perfect level as they should have leveled the tile as they installed it then they should have come back and flaoted for the new coping. It sounds to me as if they just installed the new tile along the top of the bond beam thinking it might be level which in fact when they removed the old coping they also removed the old porland cement used to float for the original coping. I would definatly have they either fix this which in this case would mean retile and recope the pool again. Or as Mike said request some form of compensation. Good luck with this. And Happy New Year

Agree with Mongo that you should consider a more rectified tile. Any variation of facial dimension or wedging will impact how closely the tiles can be aligned and yes, must be compensated for by a larger grout joint. We like Adex Neri tile for this purpose (as ONE example), and while not available at big box stores, it is not an expensive tile AND (very important for us and our clients), it has many finishing pieces available for a very tailored and custom look. Here's a link to Adex: http://adexusa.com/portfolio-item/adnz836-neri-field-tile/ Second point, the grout selection must meet the specifications for the tile and the installation. It is true that sanded grout requires thicker grout joints, however there are newer high performance grouts specified for wet areas AND can be used with 1/16th grout joints. There are several but we prefer Laticrete PermaColor and they also have a Laticrete Select specified for this application. Here's a link: https://laticrete.com/~/media/marketing_information/permacolorsellsheet.ashx Obviously the surface prep is important for any installation to obtain a flat and even tiled surface. Keep in mind that professionals will have different products they are comfortable with. Specifying a 1/16th" grout joint is not unreasonable for your installation as long as the tile you choose is appropriate (flat and rectified with minimal facial dimension and uniform size), the appropriate grout is used, and the installer is qualified (as Mongo stated). That being said, we have never installed a subway tile with more than a 1/16th" grout joint. Our clients, like you, would never accept the appearance (nor the excessive maintenance). Here's a tub surround we just completed with Adex subway tile, 3x6. Good luck with your project.

@ Melissa...If you were to test you slab TODAY you would find the moisture levels would be extremely high. Please be aware that your flooring experts who ran the test BEFORE putting in the tile *might have shown a lower level of moisture. That is NORMAL if the concrete was bare or had carpet over it for a few weeks/days before the new tile was installed. You will find out (either in court or from your attorney or via a building engineer who deals with soil conditions) that a moisture test is ONLY GOOD for the DAY it was taken. The moisture level tested on THAT DAY is a 'snap shot' in time. Like a photo of a sunset. The photo lives forever (the numbers on the moisture report) while the sunset slips away into darkness (like water draining from a bathtub). It is ENTIRELY POSSIBLE (and I am not making this up) that 2 weeks after your slab was 'capped' (again...porcelain is a cap...it does not allow water to go anywhere but through the grout lines = ground salts sitting on your tiles) that a second moisture test would have shown your slab had turned from "OK" for tile to "disastrous". And in court/building law, if the contractor/installer can PROVE that the numbers were ACCEPTABLE on that day....they are not responsible for issues that came later. Sorry...I know...that's nasty to hear...but that's the way it works. Now if you had a second set of numbers that stated a HORRIBLE water level in your slab on the DAY they started the install, now you have a condition that makes them responsible. But again, a wet slab that does not show itself on the day the contractor measured it means the contractor could not REASONABLY have anticipated high moisture levels LATER. Your ONE SAVING GRACE is the fact that the numbers were "too high" for wood but were "OK" for porcelain. This could be a false statement. Porcelain tile and thin-set have MAXIMUM moisture ratings. Any amount of moisture above the thinset's rating = flooring specialist needs to tell the homeowner to STOP the flooring install and to CONTRACT a wet-slab specialist to do the $5/sf fix (see below). That is your one leg you have to stand on. You will need to have a building expert make such a statement on paper and you need the actual number the installer came up with (and the test used) and the name of the materials (thinset is EXTREMELY important). You will need to have all of this documentation in your hand when you sit down with the lawyer for your first visit. The only other thing you could try would be sump pumps to drain the water from underneath the slab. That is often needed in settings like yours. Florida has water tables that sit higher than peoples above ground pools! Other than a sumppump addition, this is a complete redo. The tiles have to come up, you have to engage the use of a wet slab/wet basement expert and have them come in a seal your slab from above. That includes shot blasting the surface (old concrete doesn't like to hold onto sealants). Then they will add 1-2 coats of epoxy sealant (usually 2...especially when it is this bad). They might have to use a primer (either before or after the sealant is put down) and then they have to add a microtopping of new cement over top. Once the top layer of cement has dried, you can then move forward with new flooring. But to get this to work PROPERLY you have to do the entire house. Cause if you miss a spot that has carpet on it, all that back-pressure is going to POUR into your carpet. And then you have another mess on your hands.