If the cap was installed correctly there would not be any need for wood trim under the cap. Pull the cap off and the wood and begin again.

Thank you Beverly! I’m fairly certain he has glued the cap down. 😞 But I’ll see what he says. The top edge of both kneewalls (there are actually 2 in the room now) were not cut cleanly across the top when shortened (they were full walls cut shorter), hence his desire to add that trim, to hide the uneven cuts. I didn’t question that when he said thats what he planned to do. I liked the idea in theory but its the execution that falls short.

You can pick up stone cap at Floor & Decor if you've got one near by.

Thats awesome Beverly thank you so much! Its over an hour drive I think but there is one. I only learned about it after Id already purchased my tile and ordered the custom shower pan and wall caps, but wish Id known about it earlier. I just discovered he did a crap job installing pvc cove trim where the shower pan meets the floor tile, thinking that would look nice and help protect the floor. The shower pan is low profile so I guess theres some concern about leakage etc. Ive not yet had a glass enclosure firm here and am anxious to hear what they have to say about some of these things hes done.

Of course the top of the wall isn’t perfect. Float the wall with drywall mud up to the cap. If he was stupid/ distracted enough to use wood trim inside the shower what else did he do?

Hallett & Co, thanks so much for your suggestion. I dont know why he didnt just do that! Well everything else looks ok but I’m not a good judge. I did add another complaint in a response below, which is the crap job he did adding cove trim to the front of the shower pan where it meets the tile. Mind you this was a VERY expensive shower pan, custom size low profile from Onyx Company, so its very distressing to have it cheapened by this shoddy trim work. I think he thought the cove trim would help in case of water leakage there. Ive not had the glass folks out yet to see what they say.

Hi Cynthia, wow certainly sounds frustrating. I’ve been building for almost 3 decades, and I’ve seen all the stuff. AnyWho, definitely could be improved by removing those wood pieces, they just don’t belong near the shower. I think you could still work with the strip of marble/granite that you have there on the knee wall.
If you decide to get rid of the wood, I would use 3/4” X 3/4” aluminum “L” strips. It would finish off really nicely,
and it’s waterproof.
They have kind of a satin finish on them and are available in a few metal colors.
Now that I think of it, perhaps it’s something your shower door person can do for you, they probably all size strips of aluminum that they use for their shower door tracks
:-). Darren

Thanks Safely Build! Hopefully its an easy fix to remove the wood. And the cap, I think a white cap would look way better. But I’ll keep the metal L strips in mind as an option. Although I’m very concerned that hes likely glued the wood trim to the tile with construction adhesive which is not going to be an easy removal. Still must be done though. I will insist. Even I know wood (painted pine) has no place in a shower.

HOw was the shower waterproofed?

As Hallett said if he was stupid enough to put wood trim inside the shower, what else was done incorrectly? You have gorgeous tile and this looks like someone who doesn't know what he's doing which means if it wasn't properly waterproofed, your shower will be a mess in a few years.

cpartist, et al. Thank you all very much for taking the time to help me sort out these issues. A glass company is sending someone out this afternoon and I'm anxious to hear what he says about the wood trim in the shower. Not to mention the fact that having it there will be an issue for them to install the glass nice and flush with the side wall. My contractor said he would remove it and I know that will open up more cans of worms but whatever. I could share a few more concerns I have about his workmanship but I won't. What have I learned from this? I think I'm through trying to save by hiring individual contractors, even if they have received glowing recommendations in the neighborhood. A reputable kitchen & bath company although much more expensive, might have been a better option.

Do you have photos from during construction showing the waterproofing?

I am not going to comment on the wood part but who decided the tile for the shower both field and accent? The field tile looks like it is warped somehow they needed to be done in a 1/3 offset since the lippage is horrendous . Unfortunatly 2 yrs is too late to do much about the piece but IMO that is minor compared to what I see with the tile job. I too wonder whater the waterproofing was . Can you tell us at least what color the walls were before the tile was installed .

Patricia et al. He used Durock for the shower walls. I have no pics but I saw it. The glass people just left and my contractor will meet with them hopefully tomorrow to rectify the issues with the wall cap. There isnt a problem with the field tile installation. Yes its somewhat wavy and irregular but its rustic so its supposed to be. My photos seem to really emphasize the irregularies of the tile. Annie Selke Artisanal Series from the Tile Shop. I worked with a tile designer at their Gaithersburg MD store. The decorative border tile was made by me. They are tile blanks, glazed and fired, with ceramic waterslide decals sourced from Stoke-on-Trent England, and fired again. Im a successful ceramic artist and I dare anyone to criticize those! 😂

1. https://www.tileshop.com/products/annie-selke-artisanal-white-ceramic-wall-tile-3-x-12-in-496070

Patricia et al. He used Durock for the shower walls. I have no pics but I saw it.

Most Durock is not waterproof. How did he waterproof the shower? That is the concern. If he didn't do anything else. How did he tape the seams? What type screws did he use? How did he water proof the floor and tie it into the walls?

Why we're concerned is because if he didn't even know or understand that wood in a shower is a big no-no, how would he know to waterproof correctly? You may have a major mold problem in a short time if there was no proper waterproofing. Tile and grout are NOT waterproof. In a properly waterproofed shower, you could use the shower without ever adding a tile.

The decorative border tile was made by me. They are tile blanks, glazed and fired, with ceramic waterslide decals sourced from Stoke-on-Trent England, and fired again. Im a successful ceramic artist and I dare anyone to criticize those! 😂

I think the tile is beautiful and don't listen to Patricia. She only likes large format bland tile for a shower. She insists EVERYONE should do it her way and she also insists everyone needs to use 4000k lighting.

Cpartist Thank you for your kind response! I dont know what he did other than the Durock. Time will tell if I end up with the issues you describe down the road. I could have had him use Schluter products but it wasnt in my budget and I trusted him to do the job correctly based on tile jobs he did for other clients. Of course, if done incorrectly they wont know either until the future. The shower pan and cap were custom made solid surface materials by Onyx Collection. Aside from the field tile, the singlemost costly item in the reno. I did not want the maintenance a tiled floor would require and I couldnt go with a standard size shower pan due to space limitations in the room. I have no idea what if anything he did to waterproof under the shower pan.

I dont know what he did other than the Durock.

Ask him how he waterproofed the shower. In detail. Because what you couldn't afford right now might be triple the price when the studs behind the shower are rotted and have mold, and/or the water is dripping into other rooms.

I do believe the shower pan itself is waterproof. That I'm not as sure of but the walls I do know before tile is put on needs to be taped and sealed with something like Redguard or a similar product.

Cpartist - Oh yes Ive heard of that sealer! Back 2 yrs ago when I was first getting into considering tile I read a lot. I recall discussing sealer options with an installer. I looked on the Onyx website at shower pan installation instructions and its installed right on the subfloor, no sealer. What I paid in product I guess I saved in labor since of course a tile floor and curb is considerably more costly to install. At this point the barn door has already been left open so if he did not seal the backer properly and there is a problem down the road I’m not sure what recourse I’d have except to take him to court and try to prove incompetence or negligence. I believe I’ll ask him about that in front of a witness. 😉

You'd be better off pulling the tiles now if he didn't waterproof properly because he'll be long gone if you go try and sue him or you'll have no recourse since it will be too late.

If the shower was properly waterproofed, you could shower in it WITHOUT it being tiled.