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NWMR: Bad Tile job? Anyone know anything about tiling?

NicoleWINicoleWI member
in Working Moms
We had a tub surround tiled today and we are not happy with it. The tiles are up and thinset but not grouted. We aren't sure what to do but before we fire the guy and try to remedy this, I want to see if the jobimage is as bad as we think. I do not have pics.

First, he said it was OK to leave drywall at the very top couple feet of the wall. The rest has backer board. We wanted backer board all the way to the ceiling but he had already jointed it and insisted it was totally okay, so we went with that even though we were not pleased. How big of an issue is this?

We have 10"x20" ceramic tiles and 2 strips of glass tile border (mesh backed).

The grout lines are inconsistent. The spacers won't fit in some spaces and fall out of others. There's an unusually wide grout line in the very middle of the tub wall at eye level.

He did 4" strips of glass tile instead of the 6" he was supposed to do!!

When you run your hand over the glass tile, it's totally wavy and not at all flat. He said he had to build it out with thinset, but he also said it would be flush. It's very uneven when you touch it; visibly uneven in some spots.

There seems to be little to no grout space left in much of the glass tile strip. It's supposed to be 4" tall (really, supposed to be 6, but he cut it to 4") and it's really only about 3 and 5/8 tall on the wall. The glass tiles are right up against the larger border tiles and also right against each other in places. This does not seem right to me.

How bad does this sound to you?

Do you think it's possible to get the tiles off or would we have to buy all new tile? I have never DIY tiled anything so I have no clue. Thank you.

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Re: NWMR: Bad Tile job? Anyone know anything about tiling?

  • DiveFrogDiveFrog member

    My apologies on your situation. I had a huge post written in response and I lost it, but bottom line you need to stop now and do over.

    Grout does cover a multitude of small mistakes and imperfections, but if you don't like the layout now, you won't after grout. Waviness will NOT change and it will make the tile job look horrible. Most importantly if the foundation (backer board) is not correct then water can ruin everything in no time. It is possible if you have high walls that drywall would be ok, but it has to be high enough that no water, or significant moisture will reach it. Grout is porous and water and drywall obviously are not a good combination.

    I will be honest and say that reusing/resetting tile will be extremely difficult. I won't say impossible because maybe a tile pro would have some better knowledge/products/tools to make it possible, but in my experience (tiled 4bathrooms, kitchen floor, 2 countertops, and 1 table) you would be better off starting with new tiles.

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  • jaymiegerardjaymiegerard member
    Sounds to me like it's as bad as you think. Sorry! I know that bathroom work is very expensive (we are getting 2 bathrooms redone at the moment), so I would definitely say something.  I agree w PP that you'll probably have to start from scratch.  You may well have to hire someone else.  Look at your contract to see what your rights are.

    I am a perfectionist with a tiny margin of flexibility.  When I look at a tiled wall, I want it to be evenly spaced, flat and beautifully done. If there are a few minor imperfections, it's ok, but only if I have to LOOK for them.  Tiles are supposed to be flat and even.
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  • Pips09Pips09 member
    Honestly, it sounds prettty bad. I would not have him finish the job. You will probably break a lot of the tiles while removing them, but you are going to be living with this tile job for a long time, you want it to look good.
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  • bullybuttbullybutt member
    DiveFrog said:

    My apologies on your situation. I had a huge post written in response and I lost it, but bottom line you need to stop now and do over.

    Grout does cover a multitude of small mistakes and imperfections, but if you don't like the layout now, you won't after grout. Waviness will NOT change and it will make the tile job look horrible. Most importantly if the foundation (backer board) is not correct then water can ruin everything in no time. It is possible if you have high walls that drywall would be ok, but it has to be high enough that no water, or significant moisture will reach it. Grout is porous and water and drywall obviously are not a good combination.

    I will be honest and say that reusing/resetting tile will be extremely difficult. I won't say impossible because maybe a tile pro would have some better knowledge/products/tools to make it possible, but in my experience (tiled 4bathrooms, kitchen floor, 2 countertops, and 1 table) you would be better off starting with new tiles.

    My SO does this for a living and what you are describing, it sounds like a botched job by an amateur.  I agree with PP.  Hopefully you are only out a little bit of material cost, but I would kick that contractor to the curb and tell him to find a new profession.  We put backer board all the way to the ceiling in our bathroom where our shower is.  If you do find a new contractor, leave the current tiles and whatnot in place.  Give them a reference as to what you do NOT want.

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  • LoCarbLoCarb member
    If kitchens and bathrooms sell a home you don't want to skimp on product or labor in these rooms. I would ask him to discontinue and find someone with credentials to finish the job. If you don't have experience I don't think these rooms are the place for DIY. Sry, I know it's expensive.
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  • Karla CSKarla CS member
    edited November 2013
    I'd see if you can work with your contractor to get it fixed before he goes any further. Let him know you're not happy with the job, what you'd like him to do to correct it, and that you expect it to be on his dime. Review your contract. Just let him know you're giving him the opportunity to correct any mistakes and live up to the contract before you leave him a critical review on the more prominent sites. If you can salvage the job with this contractor, financially, you'll be much better off. (But you're NOT better off if he continues to do a half-assed job.)

    We just wrapped up a kitchen remodel, and we found our contractor on Angie's List. They're the top reviewed and have one of the higher ratings on the site. There were several issues where they messed up big time, and it took a ton of self restraint to not yell at them the way I wanted to and instead very rationally explain what we had agreed to, our problems with what they had done, and what they needed to do to get it done to expectations. In a couple circumstances, I went above our project manager and straight to the owner of the company. I didn't feel right just flaming them in a review or moving to another contractor without having a discussion first. At the end of the day, the work was redone, at no additional cost, and we have a beautiful kitchen. 

    It's stressful, but speak up - sooner rather than later!
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