There is a lot wrong here. You have to understand sometimes its time to fire someone and move on and this is that time.

Even if it is the tile an experienced tile person could overcome with larger grout lines and a possible larger trowel and leveling system.

At what point did they not realize to stop?

wannabath the first crew (first pic) was fired....the second pic is by another!! I don't know why either crew or contractor thinks its ok. I guess they hoped I wouldn't notice or complain... (again)...

I'm not even sure how to respond. Some of the worst tile setting I've ever seen.

I hope you have some in progress photo's. With the tile work this bad I would have zero confidence in the waterproofing / shower build.

https://www.ceramictilefoundation.org/homeowners-guide-to-hiring-qualified-tile-installer

The walls must be level (side-to-side) and plumb (top-to-bottom). The average frame carpenter isn't going to bother taking the time to do this. An experienced tile Pro is going to insist the framing being done by someone he knows, to ensure it's done correctly. The tile Pro will also check the tiles selected for uniformity and "flatness" before he starts. You cannot achieve perfection without each step being done correctly. All this takes time...and skill...and it doesn't come cheap.

No in progress photos. One of our biggest regrets is not living in the same town as our build so we are not there as often as we’d like to supervise. We will never make that mistake again. I saw it back to the studs and then “finished”.

That is crazy. Does the tile have a wave in it?

i expect neither the tile nor the wall was flat. a more experience tile person would have just said 'this isnt going to work'. you need flat tile and a flat wall, and to have this laid 1/3 not 1/2, or smaller tile.

top lighting isnt your friend, but i doubt you want to shower in the dark....

HALLETT & Co. and others seem to be on to something. I believe the tile is the problem judging from the photos.

Do to the manufacturing process of certain ceramic or porcelain tile there can and most of the time be a tiny bow to the center of the tile. Take a tile and lay it on a flat surface. If it sticks out in the middle then you know its the tile. (you don't have to fire anyone lol.) But this is really bad. It could just be a bad "lot" of tiles. Were they discounted? Take them back to the store I guess, and get some different tiles.

The only way to kind of fix this is to arrange the tile single file. The brick pattern like you have is the worst at exposing this bow.

Gah!

Just my two cents on this: My husband and I just installed 8 different types of tiles, floor and wall, in our house (3 bathrooms, kitchen, and laundry room). Of the 8 tiles, two of them came from Home Depot. There was a huge difference in quality between the Home Depot tile and the tile I purchased online or from a tile store. The HD tile varied in thickness across the tile. The tiles varied in sizes up to 1/8 inch. It took so much longer to install the HD tile because first, we had to pick through and find the tile that matched in dimensions. Then, we had to constantly stick the level on it and add or remove mortar to get rid of any lippage and make it look half-way decent. I think HD sells "seconds" or really low quality tile.

There is a VERY consistent warp in the tile. It's not the tile crew. Ask them to lay two tiles face to face. The gaps will be apparent at the short ends.

has that affordable look to it. The tile and the installation. especially the caulk job at floor.

Hire wisely, **ask for help in tile selection and have a properly worded contract.

If a tile crew or GC is willing to "Block out" their schedule for your project without first seeing and approving the tile selection in advance its your first RED flag, a bright one that flag.

I did use some HD Datile in my home, but I must have selected a better tile. That's bad, and it's both the tile and the "tilers" who just paid no attention.

I'd check to see what substrate these characters laid the tile on. Mine started to lay shower/tub stuff on greenboard, and a couple good eagle eyes here noticed it when I posted photos.

ok wow. I'm not a pro but a DIY'er and even I know how to not get lippage like that. As others have said you can fix the problem by using more or less mortar as the tiles are going up. They could also use tile leveling system, home depot has everything you need

@Melissa, When the tiles are bowing this much there is no way to eliminate the lippage. These look like defective tiles.

maybe but I don't see that lippage on the sides. hopefully the OP has a few tiles leftover that she can take pictures of on a flat floor or something. then we will know if it's the tile or not

Thanks everyone, this is helpful, although disappointing. It does verify I’m not crazy or being overly picky. I will be back tomorrow to check tile and see if we need to pick a new one. All our wall tile has come from Home Depot (all Daltile) but this was by far the worst (and also the largest). I’m baffled why they “finished” the job twice when it was looking like this.

Put two tiles back-to-back. If they are flat - then it is the installers problem. But looking at your picture the tiles are symmetrically uneven - I believe the tiles are warped.

See in your picture that the middle of the tiles are higher than the ends. Use a running bond with a 1/3 tile overlap.

These look like they may be dimensional tiles purposely made that way. What is actual name of the tile?

I agree vin.

No, they are not dimensional. https://www.homedepot.com/p/Daltile-Restore-Bright-White-8-in-x-24-in-Ceramic-Wall-Tile-13-3-sq-ft-case-RE15824HD1P2/302543581?keyword=RE15824HD1P2&searchtype=text&semanticToken=20030+++%3E++++st%3A%7Bre15824hd1p2%7D%3Ast++cn%3A%7Bnull%7D++re15824hd1p2+%7Bproductkey%7D

Common with MOSAICS

The specs do instruct a 1/3 offset in the HD ad, but I still think you would see the wave. It doesn't look like the same tile in the ad. I would investigate that aspect and make sure they shipped you the right thing and go from there. Yeh, it's not a great install, but it doesn't look like you could get that tile to look flat no matter what.

Homeowner here- not sure whether this is a "standard thing" with your tile, but I'd be thinking about:

Mildew/mold, in a wet area. Even if it is as designed, this is going to be a cleaning nightmare in a hurry,.

From my perception it looks like a tile defect. Do what geoffrey_b mentioned.

Installation error. "If installed in a brick-joint pattern, tile overlap should not exceed 33% to prevent uneven installation" Not uncommon for longer tile. (also recommends 1/8" joint if staggered).

Grout line is too small and it’s not installed in the 1/3 offset. Of course it looks like that.

I wonder if the substrate was flat. Looks to me like you can see where the 2x4s are.

The wallboard should be cement backer board, and there should be shims if the framing isn't level and plumb.

Besides the flatness issues, the symmetry problems around the window would drive me crazy. That tile format isn’t going to work with this wall.

The following is an excerpt from https://www.ceramictilefoundation.org/blog/how-acceptable-is-warped-tile. I recommend you read the entire post (it’s a quick read, very concise).

Qualified tile installers look to ANSI A108, the American National Standard Specifications for the Installation of Ceramic Tile, for guidance. When it comes to dealing with tile warpage, ANSI A108.02 4.3.8.2 states:

“For running bond/brick joint patterns utilizing tiles (square or rectangular) where the side being offset is greater than 18 in. (nominal dimension), the running bond offset will be a maximum of 33% unless otherwise specified by the tile manufacturer. If an offset greater than 33% is specified, specifier and owner must approve mock-up and lippage."

@melissa R, I ordered 1,700 of those clips only to find out my fatal mistake of not checking the size tile they can be used on lol. I'm going to be installing 5/8" inch thick marble tile and these clips won't fit. I can just barely get the tip of the wedge in. I was lucky enough to get my money back cause I sold them on craigslist. Thank god! I'm in west chicago suburb and the guy drove from indiana to pick them up. When a deals a deal.

I know there is other clips out there but I don't think they would handle the weight of the tile. I'm just gonna do it the good old fashion way, use a level.

Tony you may be luckier than you think. Many lippage tuning systems will scratch soft stone untess you have a system that has attachable pads. Such as MLT. Your concern with weight leads me to believe you are installing a wall. Never let the weight of the stone/tile rest on the straps. Odds are high that the face will chip as you remove each strap. Use spacers or wedges in conjunction with these systems on walls. Sammy - good job posting the link.

@creative, I'm doing 650SQFT floor with 18x18 5/8 inch thick crema marfil marble. Im also putting a medallion in the entry and in front of the fireplace. Each tile weighs about 18-20 pounds. Thanks for the pointers though.

if you wanted this layout, then a smaller tile should have been used. these larger format, ceramic or porcelain tiles commonly are bowed. 1/3 off-set w/larger grout lines would have been the minimum requirements.

your tile guys, all of them, are morons. If the first shower looked like that, and they tore it out, then couldn't they see that this was shaping up to look just like it? and they grouted anyway?? and btw, that grout/caulking job at the floor is also horrendous. Put a level on the shower floor and tell me how many gaps you see.

The corner lines would drive me bonkers as well. Both corners appear to be very wavy.

Met with the builder/GC today and he confirmed they were some of the "worst bowed tiles he'd ever seen." ...........

So, umm.......not sure why the work continued to completion, TWICE. I'm speechless and will be picking at new tile.

@linzita, "not sure why the work continued to completion, TWICE." I'll tell you why, cause most contractors don't care (not all). They did the job in hopes you wouldn't say anything, get paid, and be on their way.

After the first few rows I would have known something was up. Next, I would have shown the customer and see if they were ok with it. If not, new tile. Its that simple but now they turned it into a headache.

. The "builder" has a GC and the GC has subs. The subs get the order to "go tile this..............." That's how it happens. Because yours isn't the only house he is building at this moment. The GC has the task of other houses as well. He didn't tell the GC, "Second go around on tile at lot number 90.......check the tile install"

You aren't at the site from the town you now live in, to see the first few rows of anything. Nobody was. He isn't using subs with enough smarts ( or skill) to pick up a phone and say "we can't use these tiles. they're bowed".............That's how it happens. Twice.

@JAN If they are not smart enough to do that then they should not be doing the job. Stop making excuses. Its like saying someone at jiffy lube is changing your oil but doesn't have enough smarts to report if they see antifreeze or chunks of metal. They shouldn't be doing it period. Its simple common sense.

It's what happens. In the real world of anything less than very, very high end custom build and even then........unless someone is on site VERY often, at least on your behalf? Welcome to the incredibly harsh real world, no matter how inexcusable and unfair that world may be. It is profit driven. End of sad story, where time is money and money is profit, and no time shall be wasted on a "check" of anything. You bet it's harsh.

Which is why if you want something done right you gotta to it yourself. This is the same exact reason why I hate this "modern" stuff. its garbage as soon as you pull it out of the box.

3 years ago I had 1,600 SQFT of custom oak and walnut hardwood floor installed. (it was to big of a job to do myself) But you bet your bottom I was there the whole time telling them exactly how I want things done. (the way I wanted the boarders to look, miter cuts on 45 angle, I made them take off all the baseboards, (I think quarter round is ugly) use bona traffic HD, ect.) They got so pissed off at me that they almost walked out. Their boss did come and told them just to do it how I want it done. (because thats what we agreed on)

4 guys, 12 hour days, and three weeks later they finally finished and I was happy with the result. LOL. I saw their demeanor when they first walked into my house. They thought I was just another "know nothing" home owner. They thought they were gonna come slap the floor on and take off. Boy were they wrong. I definitely got my $12,900 worth. lol

"I made them take off the baseboards"... Hmm, Tony, in our world the specifications for the design and other expectations would be discussed and agreed to in advance of someone "showing up", otherwise we could not offer any estimate for the job. Any thing that we were asked to do outside of the scope agreed, would be an additional charge. Now, this post and too many like it highlight the need to be very careful about who you hire to do a job. Obviously that tile should not have been installed and the homeowner should have been told why or what to expect if it was used. But the real pros would have done that, and yes they are out there but you will wait to get on their schedule and you will pay for their services. (And they won't do whatever you ask them to do that wasn't agreed to in advance so that you can get a "deal" and the workers can make $5/hr). THAT isn't good for the industry ether.

I could see why you would defend the industry. Make the most profit and do as many jobs as fast as possible. But I'm not gonna lower my standards for your profits. Sadly, most people have completely lowered their standards or never had any, and only the industry reaps the benefits. Its pathetic how new houses in america are built. So I just took a teeny tiny itty bitty piece of it back. I did help a little though. I did the stair nosing cause I wanted it done a certain way. I brought them some wood. And I lent them my portable compressor cause theirs broke. I helped put the baseboards back on (that was a fun puzzle lol). Also got them lunch a couple of times.

Buy the way, about 98% of the work was discussed and agreed on. But there were some details on how I wanted certain cuts to be done which was the right way and not the lazy way.

I can't believe how many comments there are suggesting that this problem would go away just by various corrective techniques. It's obvious that the tiles are bowed and that no amount of clips, or changes to grout lines, or better plumbing of walls will change that. Many tiles, even some expensive ones, suffer from this firing problem. The first thing I always do when I find a tile I like is put two pieces face to face to look for any gap or bowing. If there is some, it's a problem I don't want to deal with. If I see no problem, I test a few more pairs to be sure.

The last shower I had done used 12" X 24" tiles that were dead flat. But I still had them laid in a stacked pattern, with no overlap, just to avoid any lippage possibilities as large format tile always is a challenge:

I agree the OP's photos look bad, but the job appears uniform and consistent in its badness. To me this means the tile guy did the best he could with bowed tile laid in an inappropriate pattern for it. His fault was not stopping at an early point to discuss with the contractor and the owner what this was going to look like when it was done. But let's not keep speculating about non-existent solutions for tile that is so severely bowed. This is only going to be fixed by a redo using a different tile that is flat.