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teresa_spry95

What would you do?

Teresa
vor 7 Jahren
Remodeler started from a corner of back wall at tub and didn't plan ahead so now not only is everything off center but this ugly sliver in shampoo box and who knows what we will be left with when he hits the ceiling. He has been working on this for two days now and I just found out you are supposed to start from the center and that is why it looks off. He is already upset we made him fix the shower box to be closer to our inspiration pic and made him at least line up the sliver. Should we just let him keep going, concerned it will get worse.
Hervorgehobene Antwort
  • calidesign
    vor 7 Jahren

    It's not a big deal, and the lines won't be as noticeable once they have been grouted. You will also have bottles in the niche so it's not something that will stand out.

    Kommentare (46)

    • CLC
      vor 7 Jahren

      I feel like this dilemma is happening every few days on here -- subway tile with the same shower box design, and they aren't happy with how the tiles line up.

      Sorry, I don't really have suggestions as I have very little knowledge in this area, but I will bump this up so the experts can chime in.

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    • mhlmusings
      vor 7 Jahren
      Be sure to use white grout - these issues will recede.
    • miss lindsey (She/Her)
      vor 7 Jahren

      I'd be annoyed. The course lines don't match up because although he turned the bricks on end to create a frame like the inspo pic, he put that dumb little piece in the middle of the frame and then put the dumb little piece at the bottom on the back of the niche.

      But calidesign is right, you won't see it much with bottles etc. in it.

    • Teresa
      Ursprünglicher Verfasser
      vor 7 Jahren
      Thankfully I had planned on white grout he wanted me to do gray. I just worry that side walls may end up crooked if he is not measuring things out correctly. Hate to keep paying for an incorrectly done job and have to watch like a hawk on how he manages the window now. I don't want slivers everywhere lol. He was also a real jerk about fixing the pieces.
    • Teresa
      Ursprünglicher Verfasser
      vor 7 Jahren
      I had him recut the left and right edges of shower box in a much better manner and asked him to at least make the darn sliver line up properly with the rows. Now that he has thrown a fit though I really just want to cut him off. This tiling (we demoed the wall) a floor demo and putting in a new bathtub(required because he put a giant chip in ours) has taken two weeks and no end in sight for finishing the tiny room.
    • PRO
      Beth H. :
      vor 7 Jahren
      Zuletzt geändert: vor 7 Jahren

      oh hell no. no amount of grout will make that look better. he should have split the difference w/top and bottom so they had equal tiles. this is a poor layout. She is paying money to have this done. why would anyone say, "oh the grout will make it less noticeable and the shampoo bottles will hide it. " Seriously?

      ln this case, I would have suggested a solid shelf from another material for the niche.

      that's what I put in mine. I would also suggest you do a different tile for the back of it or have him remove those and start in the middle so you don't have a sliver at the bottom.

      this is why you hire an actual, experienced tile setter. one you pay good money to do your tile work. My guys took the better part of the day to figure out the proper layout for my shower. I was also looking over their shoulder to make sure I liked their decision. They already knew to start in the middle and planned ahead to see how the tile would end. both sides of the shower wall are equal.

      this herringbone took them 5 hours to layout (outside) to be sure it would go up correctly. because it's a 3x5 and the tiles are a weird metric length, the bottom could not equal out on both sides.

      I don't know what this guy is charging you, or if you want to settle for this work. Up to you if you want to "hide" the issues w/your bottles. if so, deduct some money. Normally they charge 175 or so to do a niche.

      and why didn't he Redgard all of the CBU? why just the seams? weird.

      you have 3x6 tile. it's simple math to see where the tiles will end.

    • PRO
      Beth H. :
      vor 7 Jahren

      did he even slope that niche? put a level on the bottom shelf. water should be able to run down and out. if it's level, then he didn't and water will sit

    • Teresa
      Ursprünglicher Verfasser
      vor 7 Jahren
      I was told only the seams per hardiebacker board instructions...? He assured us that he was a skilled tile worker and we were referred to him by a friend and his friends. Paying $1k I believe.. for the tiling and backerboard (bought tile, grout and mortar ourselves). Claimed he was throwing in the niche for free, thought that was suspicious or maybe just odd from the beginning.
    • Teresa
      Ursprünglicher Verfasser
      vor 7 Jahren
      I will check the slope in the AM good call, I got so flustered I forgot that. I really don't want to just hide it. This was meant to look perfect like he said, for resale soon. Worried if I have him pull all the shower box stuff out to fill with the mosaic tile we had considered he will just butcher that also.
    • Teresa
      Ursprünglicher Verfasser
      vor 7 Jahren
      Love your herringbone Beth I had actually wanted something very similar to that but was talked out of it and now I see why, probably wouldn't have been able to figure it out. Why do people just feel the need to recommend everyone they had contact with rather than truly stand out professionals.
    • PRO
      Beth H. :
      vor 7 Jahren

      ok. 1K is very cheap. Yes per hardie you don't 'need' to Redgard the whole thing, but most pros do. It's cheap insurance. I can assure you, based on this job, he is no skilled tile worker. If he is, he failed math. Even you knew enough to start in the middle so the sides would be even. what does that tell you?

      rip out the niche, if you can without breaking the waterproofing, and either do it correctly or do a different back. If would be hard for him to screw up some mosaic type of tile. penny rounds or hex for example. do you have a piece of marble or granite you can use for the shelf? You could buy one 12x12 piece of tile and cut a large piece for the shelf. just polish the front edge. It's easy enough to do.

    • Teresa
      Ursprünglicher Verfasser
      vor 7 Jahren
      Afraid he will flip out. He actually wanted to do a marble ledge but I pointed out the design I had asked for did not have one and he said he could do the design so I made him return the marble ledge.
      He nearly yelled at me today, when I made him fix some of the niche, almost like saying he should demand more money. It was very uncomfortable and I will be left at home with my kids to deal with him all week if we let him continue.
    • PRO
      Beth H. :
      vor 7 Jahren
      Zuletzt geändert: vor 7 Jahren

      has he done the sides yet? since he redid the back wall, hopefully the sides will even out correctly. do you have bull nose pieces for the ends? you don't have to settle for the niche. show him correctly done boxes and ask why you have to settle for less. see what he says.

      here is one done right, and the second one is the other option I mentioned (notice how they are sloped)

      screw him and his attitude. tell him you won't pay him a dime if he doesn't do it correctly.

      he's trying to bully you because he knows he's incompetent.

    • PRO
      Beth H. :
      vor 7 Jahren
      Zuletzt geändert: vor 7 Jahren

      wait,,,he wants to demand more money for you expecting him to do the layout correctly?? when he gave you the price of 1K, did he say that price was for the 'half-ass job'? if you want the really good tile work, that will be 500 more?? did he specify that??? no? yeah, didn't think so. he's an idiot. fire him. no one needs to take crap from someone they're hiring to do a job. for him to fly off the handle at you AND make you feel uncomfortable to be alone w/him, is a red flag. Did you sign a contract?

      his border around the niche isn't that bad. it's the back wall that's a fail. and if he failed to slope it, he has to redo that bottom shelf anyway.

      if it makes you feel better to get a second opinion from real tile pro's, post what you said about his attitude and pics of his work over at John Bridge Tile Forum. I love those guys over there. they won't hold back and will tell you straight out what's what.

      head over to the tile forum. Advice

      http://www.johnbridge.com

    • Teresa
      Ursprünglicher Verfasser
      vor 7 Jahren
      So we measured up and it appears he will be left with a 1 inch wide tile at the very top at ceiling, any opinion on if we should go with that or end six inces dow with bull ose and paint above.
    • wantsideas
      vor 7 Jahren

      I would not let this person finish the job. You mentioned resale. As a potential buyer the cosmetic blunders here would be a red flag to me that the most important part of the job, the waterproofing, was messed up too. Sorry you are going through this Teresa. It sounds like you already know you need to fire him.

    • miss lindsey (She/Her)
      vor 7 Jahren
      Zuletzt geändert: vor 7 Jahren

      I'm concerned about how sacred you are of this guy. Knowing only your side of the story, I say get rid of him. You can't have anyone you're scared of in your home, and your kids will pick up on the vibe too.

      I put up with a contractor who made me really uncomfortable until my tween daughters came to me in tears about how upsetting he was to them. He was gone the next day. Should have listened to my gut...

    • Snaggy
      vor 7 Jahren

      You are paying him ...He can not talk to you like that ..tell him to take a hike !!

    • Teresa
      Ursprünglicher Verfasser
      vor 7 Jahren
      I think we have settled on having him finish the shower and so we don't have to argue as much over what if anything he is owed and we could start showering. We will not let him finish the rest of the room walls and floor though. As I don't want him to butcher anymore of the room and I am sick of feeling like we need to hide off in a separate area of our home to avoid him.

      He came in late today and got bitchy about us telling him how we want the window area done. I got pissy back and said something to the effect of it can't be done right how we expected it as the whole wall was started off center.
      We just don't want to pay more to have someone else continue his crap job or even more to have them tear it down and start from scratch and then fight him on money
    • Teresa
      Ursprünglicher Verfasser
      vor 7 Jahren
      Thank you all for your input and wish us luck on the next few days.
      I should have trusted my gut when he creeped me out by picking up my toddler daughter for a hug on our second meeting and avoided discussing pattern and layout.
    • PRO
      JudyG Designs
      vor 7 Jahren

      Small claims court might be an option for you…go talk to the Clerk of Court and bring your pictures, etc and see if it is the way to go.

    • Sammy
      vor 7 Jahren
      Zuletzt geändert: vor 7 Jahren

      Tell him you've decided to go in another direction and have therefore decided to put the project on hold. Thank him for his work and say goodbye. No further explanation is needed. DO NOT LET HIM COME BACK INTO YOUR HOME!!!!!!!

    • tedbixby
      vor 7 Jahren

      Teresa- I'm guessing that probably if you let the guy go and rehire someone else that person will probably want to start completely over or not warranty the work due to the fact he will not know how well the waterproofing was installed. If you are fine with putting more $$'s into it or not having any type of warranty then you should let the guy go. If not, then you should put together a list of what you are not happy with and what your expectations are to correct it. When he comes back to the job, calmly tell him that you need to talk to him before he starts the job. Firmly go over your list with him, give him a copy and ask him does he feel that he can complete this to your satisfaction based on your list. If he agrees ask him what he plans to do. If you are unhappy with his reply, adios him.

      I would suggest if possible, for you to have your husband (or a male) with you when this discussion takes place. It may even be a case that you call him this week-end and tell him not to show up Monday but that you want him to come over when your husband (or male) is available to discuss the shower before he goes any further as you are unhappy with the work so far.

      Sorry that you are going through this but it probably won't be the last time.. just remind yourself that it is YOUR money and you are the one that is going to live with it. You don't want to be mad every time you look at the shoddy job. Good luck.

    • Teresa
      Ursprünglicher Verfasser
      vor 7 Jahren
      I just don't know what we would pay him if we let him go and started again with someone else. He has worked on it for like a week with the backer board work and I feel like he thought he was doing good work so I don't feel right not paying anything.

      Money is an issue as we really didn't have money for this in the first place, our shower started crumbling apart though. Then we though we should just refresh it all at once. My husband can work on the rest of the room himself though just the shower is intimidating.
    • PRO
      Beth H. :
      vor 7 Jahren
      Zuletzt geändert: vor 7 Jahren

      Teresa, what Ted said is right on. Don't like the fact that he picked up your daughter like that and refused to go over tile layout. That's just plain weird. No way would I let my kids out of my sight w/him. I may be overreacting, and maybe not.

      As for the money portion. tell him to stop and give you the price for the work done. but also say because if his layout errors, you will not be paying for the working around the box. deduct cost of materials that you will have to replace. Tell him you are not happy with the work and would rather not continue.

      you and your husband can attempt to finish it. most of the difficult portion is done. laying those tiles isn't that hard. Go to John Bridge and read and watch the videos. Get a good thin set (do not use mastic, pre mixed stuff) and just follow directions. you can rent a tile saw for 40 bucks. Can you handle the rest? It really isn't that hard. if you feel you can't, get a recommendation somewhere for another tile setter and have them come and finish.

      I would absolutely not let this guy continue.

      as for your 1" sliver at the top, Is there a chair rail piece or some type of pencil liner in this white that you can use? you could actually run the liner further down so that it looks like it's part of the design. then you could end w/your finished, full piece, at the top.

      (also, this niche has the same error as yours only at the top of the box. this is what yours would look like if you grout it. This particular box layout is horrible. the tiles should have been continued as if they were part of the layout on the wall. tiny slivers on the edges. bad job!)

      you see how they did the top? or below, if you ran this accent further down, it would eat up the space so that you could do a full tile at the top. or you could run this closer to the ceiling, all the way around. up to you.

      Teresa, also, did you determine if there is a slope on the shelf bottom in the niche?

      if not, then even more of a deduction from the payment.

    • Bruce Crawford
      vor 7 Jahren
      You're getting good advice from Beth, Ted & others. Your guy may be able to cut & set tile, but he doesn't plan before he starts. My tile guy is true artisan & he wouldn't let me see that. He'd fix it on his own. But it woukdn't happen to him b/c he plans. Pace Beth, we used basketweave in back of niche. Also, is that window centered on wall? If so, he's really off. Look at grout lines on course below bottom of window. They're not equi-distant from corners.
    • Susan Davis
      vor 7 Jahren

      Maybe I am off but it looks like the niche tiles line up perfectly with the running bond of the wall tiles......looks fine to me.

    • PRO
      Beth H. :
      vor 7 Jahren
      Zuletzt geändert: vor 7 Jahren

      Susan, this looks fine? really? the small slivers at the bottom look good ? The tile laying isn't the issue, it's the lack of planning that resulted in bad tile cuts. plus I'm still wondering if this box is sloped.

      I don't like the way he did the small, middle border pieces. He should have cut his tile at equal sizes like seen below.

      there is more than one way to do this. perhaps looking at well done boxes will show you the difference.

      this box has even tiles all along the outside of the box. compare to the above one.

      this one continues w/the running tile on the outside. this is proper planning of your tile layout. OP tile setter didn't know how to do this. That's why it looks like crap.

    • Bruce Crawford
      vor 7 Jahren

      Susan is right that the grout lines line up, but it still doesn't look as good as it can. I think Beth's suggestion, whoever does the work, to put a penny tile, or some other tile w/ small pattern, over that on back of niche, is best easiest, least expensive solution.

    • Bruce Crawford
      vor 7 Jahren
      Zuletzt geändert: vor 7 Jahren

      I was just browsing through a marketing "magazine" by Joanna of "Fixer-Upper" that was included w/ another one we get. She has article on subway tile. I took this pic w/ my phone of pic in article that shows differences, & why Teresa's tile is disconcerting to the eye. In Joanna's pic the border & side tiles keep the same grout lines as do the ones on inside & wall. On Teresa's, the border & side tiles are helter-skelter.

    • mramsey
      vor 7 Jahren

      I hate to say it, but it might be better to get your husband to deal with the guy. There are some men who just won't take direction from women and as infuriating as it is, sometimes a "work around" saves time and energy. Personally I would have fired his ass a long time ago!


    • Teresa
      Ursprünglicher Verfasser
      vor 7 Jahren
      Well we let him go, let him keep the payment for prep work done on the rest of the room but cut him off at that and thankfully he did not fight it. Now we have to decide if we can figure out how to tear it all down and start fresh or if we should continue with the mess he left. With husband working full-time it could be weeks more (2-1/2 so far) without a shower/bath but not only are we nervous to try again and low on budget but also received no calls back from other remodelers we tried :(
    • PRO
      Beth H. :
      vor 7 Jahren

      oh man. so sorry you have to go through this. but really, be glad you caught it early. you have no idea how many people are in your shoes but have a completed, grouted shower,,,,,that was done completely wrong and they have to tear out the entire thing. Small consolation, I know.

      Did you ever post over at John Bridge? I know they have recommendations for their pro's in lots of states.

      you said he fixed the sides so the tiles are even? basically all you have is the box and the other walls? Are you confident everything underneath was done correctly? you may not have to rip down the cement board. try and pull off the tiles around the box if you can. IF not, maybe just tear it down from where the seam is and put up new from there. And you can purchase preformed niche boxes and just insert those. they are tile ready.

    • Teresa
      Ursprünglicher Verfasser
      vor 7 Jahren
      I did not post over there as of yet.

      Also kept neglecting to answer that the shower box ledge was sloped yes- also that is one of the premade niches, an awkward size 16 by 18 or something...

      Everything under seemed fine underneath as we had it all down to the studs with tub removed. He sprayed some mold areas with a mold killer spray keeping it wet for awhile. Hopefully that is acceptable and safe? New insulation and then the hardiebacker board around, greenboard just outside.
    • PRO
      Beth H. :
      vor 7 Jahren
      Zuletzt geändert: vor 7 Jahren

      I would like to see the green board (and do wish he would have used the cbu all the way to the outer edge of tub. maybe he did and the camera angle is off), waterproofed w/redgard. those seams should be taped and mortared first. Are you tiling inside that window or just around it? Is it vinyl or wood?

    • Bruce Crawford
      vor 7 Jahren

      I think in dispatching him you have saved more in your mental well-being than you lost in your financial well-being. Your husband may have to take sponge baths for a while, but in the end you'll have something of which you'll be proud for years. Worst case, if you can establish all the wall prep & waterproofing was done properly, you could re-tile yourselves. Tile work is all about the planning you do before you set the first tile if underlayment correct. I suggest establishing if the niche & window are both centered on wall. If both are, great. You can't move window. If it's not, check if niche can be centered on it to preserve grout lines so you don't get zig-zag betw. the two. You've come this far. Let this be a set-back, not a permanent regret.

    • Bruce Crawford
      vor 7 Jahren

      In looking at your most recent pics, it appears both window & niche are centered. That'll make recovery easier. Minor point. When we had our front bath tub/shower surround redone, our tile mason (I call him artisan) cut piece of plywood to put over tub to protect it. Your guy put some tape & craft paper, which doesn't protect porcelain in tub. Subtle differences betw. tile mason & guy who can set tile. I can post pics tomorrow, if you wish.

    • PRO
      GannonCo
      vor 7 Jahren
      Zuletzt geändert: vor 7 Jahren

      Wasn't a question on here about the waterproofing of this bathroom?

      Anyway he laid plastic barrier behind cement board. That is waterproofed as per MFG. He then used red guard on the seams but I would have zero idea why he would think this is needed? I am assuming the seams have thinset and tape not just redgaurd.

      Tiles are a certain set dimension and your niche is also a set dimension. What should have happened is he should have told you that those tiles do not work with that niche. Honestly you should have then had a niche built to fit those tiles. I think on the niche you made the mistake as he was telling you to use a marble ledge that is about 3/4-1" high when set. This would have eliminated your sliver of tile.

      I say it on here all the time just because you love a tile it does not mean it fits your application. Tiles sometimes just don't work in certain application. That said subway tiles will always have a small piece here and there it is just how they lay out in a standard 60" tub ad an 8' ceiling. You probably have 2" and 5 1/4" or so tiles on that back wall on each alternating end with 3x6 tiles. You will also end up with a at least 1/2 tile on top. They are set for every 60" tub.

      Measure the difference on each side? When caulked and wrapped into the next wall you would have lost the majority of the so called misalignment. The niche went between studs so it is a non movable piece. He aligned his work with the niche and that is what caused the outer tiles to be different sizes.

      I think people on here like to attack every job. I am not sure this one was that bad where for $1000.00 he needed to be fired for his work. I hate niches for all the reasons above. Unless he was given freedom to start moving studs to align that niche I don't see what you wanted him to do? It also look like your window isn't centered either. He had to establish a center and he choose what would work best with those tiles.

    • Teresa
      Ursprünglicher Verfasser
      vor 7 Jahren
      He framed out and put in the window and niche so they are centered at least :)
      If he had started tiling pattern from the center though all of the grout lines would have been centered which would have made the ledge and top surround of window and niche look much better. If he had not started right at tub the tiles in the niche may have been placed differently and avoided a sliver. I did very pointedly ask him to let me know which of a few choices he was most comfortable using there as while I had a favorite (all white) I also had a couple mosaic options I would have been happy with.
      I was afraid to have him use the glass one though as I found it recommended to have a certain thinset that he didn't know about.
    • PRO
      Flo Mangan
      vor 7 Jahren
      As you know by now, this person doesn't have the experience or skill set to do this work. Since you are staging home for sale, go forward with simplest process possible. Make it easy on yourself. Make it look as good as you can. No glass tiles. No penny tiles. Keep it simple. Best to you.
    • Bruce Crawford
      vor 7 Jahren
      Zuletzt geändert: vor 7 Jahren

      I agree w/ Flo's approach w/ 1 possible difference on the simple plan. The area betw. your window & niche are where you wil have the most intersecting lines. It looks like it's ~1/2" too narrow to run 3 courses of full sized tiles betw. them. It might be a place to run a course of narrow, contrasting tile like Beth showed last Sat., or do a band of penny tiles or small herringbone tiles. If my hunch is right, it'd not only be an accent, but also like it was designed that way. Then you could have narrow tiles, if need be, where your field tiles meet the tub & ceiling.

    • PRO
      Cusano Construction Company Inc.
      vor 7 Jahren

      He laid out full tile from tub which always looks better, you can just simply add to the bottom of niche so you have full tile running through bottom of niche. Sometimes you do have to make adjustments to accommodate the space. Not a huge deal, just lack of communication and planning, things moving a little fast and know one paying attention.

    • tcf1
      vor 6 Jahren

      I want to order a solid quartz piece for ledge of 12 x 12 schluter shower niche. My contractor told me to order 12 x 4 but want to confirm that this is correct. I thought it should be cut a bit smaller than 12 inches to allow for putting it in. Have to order this quickly. Any help would be most appreciated.

    • Denita
      vor 6 Jahren

      Post your question in a new thread so others can see it right away and respond. Make sure it is in the bath area so you get professionals responding

    • owana123
      vor 6 Jahren
      Wow! Fire the jerk!
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