Here's some additional pictures.

It seems that you know what the problem is: the tile install is not good. And you also know what the solution is: it has to be redone or it will always bother you. Sorry you are going through this. You have every right to feel stressed and upset over it. Convey this to the owner. (BTW, the issue is not with the mud job. We are in the middle of the bathroom remodel. Our guys did a mud job - which I understand is not only a traditional way of doing it, but more expensive and long-lasting way of going it - and our tile install looks great.)

Thank you Emilie for your respond. I'm dreading the coversation on Monday. If you have any pics of your bath I would love to see them.

The little slivers of tile at the bottom of the shower walls is just sooooo wrong. I know he's trying to align the joints from the bath to the shower, but it's at the expense of durability and functionality. That's a grouting/caulking nightmare down there, with a high potential for leaking.

And doubling-up on the marble shelf? Hack job. Get a real piece of stone that's thick enough.

Ugh. I would dread the conversation too. He will probably tell you that it will look better once you grout. That’s partially true if you are using a grout color similar to your tile. But that is not going to fix those awfully wavy edges, which are just inexcusable. And the cuts at the wall seams should be even; this has different size gaps. Importantly, the tiles should be spaced evenly. If you used handmade tile, as I did, the tile itself has some variation which will lead some minor spacing variation- that’s part of its charm. But still, the lines could be more even than your pics show. I included pics below including one before grouting.

Emilie OMG! absolutely LOVE your tile! It's beautiful.

And why did he change off sets on this one? he did 50/50 on the back wall, and 1/3rds on the side wall

This alone qualifies for a do over. (are they the same size tile?)

WOW Beth! Your bathroom is amazing! I'm at a point where I think I rather find another tile company. I really appreciate everyone's input.

Yes they are 3x6 Daltile. The shower walls were done by one guy but the walls were done by the same guy. I kinda feel bad for him because I know he worked hard but I think he's inexperience and was left working alone.

he changed the layout! Did you see the two different walls? you can't do 50/50 and then do 1/3rds on the adjoining wall! No pro tiler does that. It's just wrong. Subway is one of the easier layouts. But you have to do some math first!

you feel badly for him? why, because he can't be bothered to learn his trade? You're paying money to get something done correctly. would you feel badly if a mechanic tried to fix your brakes but couldn't get it right?

So you contact his boss, point out all of the errors, and tell him to reimburse your money. (you haven't paid in full yet, have you?) tell him you want it fixed by the most experienced tiler. What is charging you to tile the entire room?

You're right Beth. We did the demo, repair of dry rot and purchased the tile. They're providing labor, grout and setting materials. We have not paid them nor did we need to give a deposit. The quote was for around $3300.

The owmer is coming over on Monday but we almost don't want to deal with them now. I would rather find another tile company. Ugh.

wow. no deposit. makes it easy for you! 3300 is pretty cheap for all that work. Now you know why.

yeah, not a fun convo to have. Hopefully the owner can see the errors and agree to redoing everything. (you have to show him the diff walls! )

He may just write it off and tell you to find another company. Or he may bring in his A team (hopefully he has one).

Try and get some bull nose tiles for the edges (no vertical subways) or use the Schluter metal edging strip.

you want to be ahead of the game? then get the measurements of the shower walls, and do the layout on the floor or graph paper, so you know where your cuts will be. figure out how you want the niche. (just get a mosaic tile to fit inside. your marble will etch with your shampoo and soap products).

if you're doing an entire rip out and want diff tile, let me know and I'll see if I can recommend something.

few more pics for you. for the edge you can also use quarter round or liners

a good niche w/marble shelf. notice the corners of the wall. no slivers.

longer subway tiles. you could also use your flooring tile for the inside of niche

and for your tub area, jazz it up a bit! do a pink liner, or even a dark gray

this is just an example. (but notice the top notch tile work. look at how it wraps around the corners, and how the bottom row is all even.

let me show you a few more pics w/some design elements w/your pink. You have a nice, large bathroom that could really look amazing w/some design layouts.

look at the tile work, choice of tiles, and how they were laid.

niche alternatives.

Well we're driving home from a family graduation so it's going to a long discussion. My husband was thinking of having them change the last row of tile to bullnose. Our concern is what if they don't have an "A team"? Should we change the subway from 3x6 to 4x12? How do you part ways if there's no agreement? Your recommendations are greatly appreciated.

We also have another tile company that was highly recommended from the tub refinsher coming over on Monday for a second opinion.

talk to your tiler first. If you are withholding payment, you have to give them a chance to make it right. If they don't have an A team, then perhaps you and he can come to an agreement and part ways. You may have to eat your tile and buy new ones, and he has to eat all of the work. (You can try, but I don't think he will eat his work and pay you for new tile too). He may choose to go that route or else his next team he has to pay out of his pocket.

However, I would call up the other guy and have him give you an estimate. I would also ask to see pictures of his work and references. Perhaps check his license (if he has one) to see if he has any complaints.

Beth H. would you not recommend the niche shelf to be marble? If its okay should I do polished or honed? Also, should I change the subway tile size from 3x6 to 4x12?

the shelf is ok. if you want it. it's going to etch, so just be prepared. if you do a honed, and seal it very well, you won't notice the etching too much.

as for the tile size, mine are a 4x12. I have a large shower and didn't want all the small tiles. it just depends what look you're after. if you want more of a vintage feel, stay w/the 3x6,,,or look for a 3x9, 2x8 or something in that range.

Thanks Beth. We're heading to the tile store now to look at mosiac tile for the niche. We like the idea of metal trim around the niche. Maybe chrome to match the fixtures? Should mosaic in the niche match the mosiac on the floor or can we do something different?

you can do something different, as long as it compliments everything. Is you mosaic real marble or porcelain? Since you're going w/the pink, did you like the pink iridescent tiles? I did some in green in my spare bath. you'll only need two sheets.

look for bullnose pieces of whatever tile you get. they are more expensive, so you'll have to figure out how many you need for your edges.

The Schluter edging strip you want is the Jolly. chrome will be fine. they even have white. just make sure you get the right size. remember, the tile thickness will increase because of the thinset. I believe I did a 3/8" for mine, but don't hold me to it!

Our mosaic floor is marble. Okay lots to think about. Hubny is not to crazy for pink mosiac...I had to fight to keep the pink tub...lol Thank you Beth for your advice! You've been a life saver!

Okay now we're wondering of we should take out the marble floor and do this? Hubby doesn't like the marble but likes this tile.

I like it, but you should look at pictures of those on the floor to see if you guys will. (you can always do it on the wall in the shower)

show him these pics so you can see what that will look like (you could always do a 'rug' of that tile in front of the sink)

you may want to pick something a little 'lighter' or softer.

We're thinking the light gray would look nice. Unfortunately most tile stores are closed today so I may be on the hunt tomorrow. I'll check online. Also we're meeting with the tile owner tomorrow AM so we'll have to see what he says. Stay tuned...

Well the tile owner came over this morning. He didn't think anything was wrong. I pointed out how they had the wrong offset on the one wall and he agreed to redo that wall. He was very hesitant to do any other changes but finally agreed to replace the two bottom rows of subway tile around the walls and bring in the hexagon floor closer to the wall. They will also change the niche with subway tile and glass mosaic that I picked up this morning. What really blew my mind was his comment of "well if you want it perfectly straight it will take me weeks and it will cost you $20k". WHT?! Also he said "all the imperfections will disappear once we grout it white, I hate it when people want a darker grout". Completely unprofessional. He also left the same guy to redo all the work by himself. At this point we're just letting do the repairs and let them leave. I just don't want to do business with him anymore and will report this to the CA State License board.

if you want it perfectly straight? huh? so he admits he does substandard work and doesn't charge enough? that makes a whole lot of sense. If he COULD do straight lines, he'd be able to charge more. The problem is, his guys are hacks and he knows it. Tell him they make laser levels. there's no excuse for wavy lines. you better be there when this goof redoes the errors. I'd watch him like a hawk.

what did he say about the two diff layouts? oh well? I suppose you have to pay extra for that to?

the reason he hates darker grout is it highlights all of his half-ass work.

He agreed that the different layout was incorrect and they ripped it out. We're definitely not paying for the redo. This has been an expensive lesson for us. We'll probably live with it until we get the master bath and garage redone then have it ripped out. I found this guy on Yelp and he had great reviews but once this job is done I'll be sure to share my experience on there. Hopefully I can spare another person from this idiot. Beth thanks again for all your great feed back!

@Beth-so here's the results of the redo. I want to call the owner tonight and tell them not to come back tomorrow to grout. The off-set was fixed but the niche was changed and when I got home I noticed a mosaic tile missing in the lower left corner. Also, the subway tile on the right side of the ledge is not level. And then the floor...some spots were fixed but holy mother of Christ what is the world is this new larger gap?! Does that film of thinset come off the tile after grouting?Who should I call to file a complaint? Who can I call to come out and confirm the quality of this job?

looks like after they set the tiles, they used a wet sponge to wipe off residue thinset. Then it dried, leaving a film. get a damp rag and try and wipe it clean. that's a huge gap between the tile/wood. have no idea what they're doing. they prob think they can fill it with grout. no.

as for you niche, that is horribly crooked. the missing tile can be put back, but all those others are ridiculous. doesn't even look like they pressed it into the thinset. see if you can pull out the tiles w/no effort. they will prob lift right off.

I have left a message asking them not to come out tomorrow to grout and how I'm unhappy with the repair work. I also stated that I would be contacting the CA Contractors State License board to help iron this out. I tried to clean an area with a clean damp sponge and waited for it to dry. Still has a haze and I noticed that the sliver of tile is also broken. Also there's slivers partial around the walls.

I'm beyond words at this point.

if you can't feel any residue, the tile may be saturated w/water and that's why it's darker. they do have a haze remover you could use if need be. just make sure it's safe for polished marble.

as for the other stuff, yeah,, I didn't have much hope for a fix. Lets face it, if they're clueless from the beginning and do lousy work, why would the redo turn out any better? You actually need more skill to fix mistakes.

I think you're right to file a complaint and do the yelp reviews.

you might try going to a tile store that sells upper end tiles. talk to the manager and ask him, "who do you have do your tile work?" you know people in the business are going to have the best workers. see if you can get a few names. then do your research on them.

I spoke with the owner this morning and told him that we're not happy with the redo and pointed out some of the errors made. I then asked how long was this "tile setter" working for him and he said about one year. I told him that he's a very nice guy and has been working his butt off but he's inexperienced and with subway and mosaic tile he really should have an experience tile setter doing the job or at least have him assist the newbie. I also told him at this point we do not want to continue doing business with him and he's response was "sorry we didn't make you happy". So hopefully tomorrow I'll have the first opinion and estimate for a redo. Also, I went back to Yelp and there were good reviews with pics (some had the same subway tile in the shower) and they looked great but other tile setter names were mention in the reviews. Disappointing that he did not offer to send a possible better person out to do the initial job or even the redo. I'm prepared to have to wait a few months due to this is the busy season so I'll have the hubby put the door back on and shut it so I won't be reminded everyday of this horrid mess.

that's a very good attitude. too bad you aren't in my neck of the woods, I could recommend a few people for you.

try the manager at the tile store option and see where that leads you

Oh man I am so sorry...

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

Hire a real Pro. They will not be priced like a cheap hack.