What tha'? I never heard of such a thing. Was that stated in the contract? $2,211 also sounds like an awful lot of money for installing back splash but I guess it depends upon where you live. wow.

I was silly and didn't get a contract. I trusted the guy as he was recommended by someone I know (mind you, she only used him to build raised beds). I believe a normal price for the backsplash would have been around $800. I am only just getting used to not having a guy around and perhaps this shows.

Did you have him use an unusual grout? I am sorry for your recent loss. 9 hours to clean anything seems....crazy. My L shape kitchen's subway tile was about 50 SF. Was around 800. Not too challenging.

I could buy 2 nice tile saws the cost of cleaning his tools.

It was regular old grout and it hasn't been done properly imo. He also hasn't sealed the tile (and won't be invited back to do so). Nightowl, thank you for your kind comment re loss.

Sorry but I wouldn't pay him. How many square feet of tile is it and was it a difficult pattern?

cleaning and organizing is definitely on the clock, but it shouldn't take more (or less) than an hour per day.

$35. but I have never seen anyone so slow. Just plain tile with a square of hexagonal tile above the range.

Also, Just over $200 of that was for painting some carpentry he did so the tiling cost was actually 1,800 or thereabouts. The carpentry was on another bill. I miscalculated there.

2200 bucks for an average backsplash for a sub par job is ridiculous. why wasn't the price agreed upon ahead of time? and there is no contract or anything that signed or agreed upon?? Do not pay him if you think it's unfair. the cleaning the tools thing is absurd. you clean your tools on your own time. you also don't pay anyone by the hour because they will take their sweet time. Do what nidnay proposed. The guy is feeding you bs and ripping you off. get a friend or male relative their for support if you need it.

What was the total price he charged you? And for how many hours?

9 hours for cleaning? The bloke wouldn't be in business long. He's taking a chance.
In written form, you need to tell him that is extreme and unreasonable, and if no amounts were settled at all, tell him you expect a final amount of x.
Be aware of the wording. Any uncertainty, I think/feel/prefer/want to discuss/want you to explain... will not help. State it as a fact, it is unreasonable, and state what you want as a firm and rational expectation.

In future:
Always have a contract, and read it, don't just sign.
Settle the price for everything, and don't pay for such work by the hour.
Have everything documented.
Sketch out designs, and sign them off.
Do your homework. Find out about the correct pros, and get references to pros.
Do your homework on the job itself. Get an idea of what should be done and how, common problems, etc.
If you're unsure whether you're capable, get a friend who knows about the field to help.
Get a good designer to help, try not to get one like your tiler :)

Is he licensed? If unlicensed, your state will have a maximum he can charge per job. In my state it’s $1,000. Plus without a contract you have all the power here.

In Connecticut you can get all of the money back from a fund the licensed contractors pay into

My GC for the condo had an attorney with a financial background as manager who presented a bill that accounted for every hour in 10-15 minute intervals and it did include Everything including Moving the Truck, and at least 15 minutes a day recording the accounting for the time the subs spent which they had to turn into the manager. I knew I was paying for all of this but it was disconcerting to see every breath accounted for. The guys who did most of the work would fudge and do some of the loading and unloading and accounting off the clock so I wasn't paying full rates for it.

I charge for driving to your job. Hell, I charge for talking to you on the phone when you first called. It's the only thing I have to sell. My rates are triple this guy's.

your tool cleaning time is probably a third of his?

Ask for an itemized bill. I would not pay him until you fully understand the charges. I also would not pay until you have all defects corrected. You paid for a decent tiled backsplash and you should GET a decent backsplash. Do NOT back down until you know all of the facts and have errors corrected. Also, if it does appear that you two cannot come to a reasonable solution, you can threaten to go to your site/state registar of contractors. In my state, you do not need a contract to get the state involved. The invoice you have is enough.

Also, what was the TOTAL charge, how much square feet was it, and do you have pictures of the work?

I'm curious on how you made the leap from someone building raised garden beds (which I do) to, "Oh, how 'bout you tile my kitchen back splash!?"
There is no easy do-over on tile.

I also suggest the call, regarding it being "awfully high."

Hello all. The decorative feature above the range will have to be redone by an actual pro as he broke a mini-tile and left it there. When I asked about it, he said that the grout would "cover it." The grout is white, the tile is grey. The beading at the bottom looked like a child did it and it was very shiny. When I asked about this he became annoyed and said his other clients told him he did the best bead they had seen. In some places it reached over 1/2" up the tile and down on the countertop. I cancelled the cheque (Most of the payment was cash) and requested he reinvoice. He said OK to this. I am interviewing tilers and my handyman removed the bead/seal. He was shaking his head constantly. One of the piece he removed was close to an inch wide. A very bad experience and I have learned 1) always to get a quote on the entire project and 2) never to trust that because someone is good in one trade, they will be similarly good in another. This fellow had major attitude. The grout itself is almost missing in places, with little holes that go back to the cement base, and in other places is flush with the tiles.

Thank you everyone for your input.

CE Freeman, he is a general contractor and lists his abilities as carpentry and tiling, among other things. The carpentry job he did for me was excellent.

I’m glad you stuck by your guns! If it makes you feel any better, I had to tear out a shower once because a nonblood step-family member, who was purported to be an excellent contractor, did the most horrific job. Before he got too far, I stopped him and kicked him out of the house. But I still lost money and had to buy all new tile. I had no less than three licensed contractors come over, look at the shower, and shake their head laughing while telling me the shower would not hold up and the tile job was awful. It caused some rift in the family (my stepmother said she was not leaving me her jewelry) but now this same person has scammed his family out of money and it’s been a number of years, so I think I am forgiven and the incident forgotten.

"he broke a mini-tile and left it there. When I asked about it, he said that the grout would "cover it." The grout is white, the tile is grey"
Oh Lord. I don't know what colours your currency is, but how bout you under pay him and said it will "cover it."
It's good to hear you're moving on to actual pros. You might want to have them redo more than just the decorative tile mentioned though. Tap the tiles, do they feel hollow anywhere?

A very bad experience and I have learned 1) always to get a quote on the entire project and 2) never to trust that because someone is good in one trade, they will be similarly good in another.

And 3) NEVER pay with cash. ;)

LOL! I'm willing the "incident" with the almost-family-member isn't actually forgotton, but it's changed to, "you, too, were screwed by him." They'll quietly forget they were ever mad. That's what they'll forget.

Having been married to a GC who really could do everything, and well if he chose, it's hard to understand how some things are just crap-shows when they're done. I have to take a picture of some plumbing for you I found after I discovered I was dumping SIX HUNDRED GALLONS OF WATER A DAY into my crawlspace.

I hope your tile job comes out to be as beautiful as it is in your noggin this time!