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diana_lowenthal

Are these tiles around shower drain too ragged?

6 years ago

Hi there, we just did a complete bathroom renovation, and used these porcelain "dog bone" shaped basket weave type tiles for the shower floor. We are overall happy with the results. However, a couple of the tiles around the drain seem a bit ragged, in the way they were cut, but I have no experience with any of this. Particularly, in the 3 o'clock - 6 o'clock section around the drain. Is this just the nature of working with these types of tiles, or should something be done to fix the appearance, and if so what? Can they be smoothed out, or would they have to be replaced? Or am I just inspecting things too closely?

Thank you so much for any advice!

Comments (15)

  • 6 years ago

    If it's just those two I'd leave it, but if there are others, I'd say it's a bit sloppy in the cutting.

    Dian L thanked cpartist
  • PRO
    6 years ago

    I think someone with a Dremel and some grout could have that looking more consistent in about 20 minutes.

    Dian L thanked Joseph Corlett, LLC
  • 6 years ago

    Yes. That was some sloppy cutting there. Large grout areas don't look good. I would prefer those to be redone.

    Dian L thanked midcenturymodernlove
  • 6 years ago

    Thank you, Cinar Interiors, your comment frightened me a bit - I really don't want a slippery shower! So, I just took a soapy shower (my first one in this shower!) just to check. It really did not seem slippery. Yes, the plan was for sanded grout, and I will double check that that is what they used. The tiles are 3" by 1.7" approximately, and I had read to use 4x4 or smaller for the shower floor. Do you think 3 x 1.7 is too big? Anyway, like I said, the shower did not seem slippery (or at least no more slippery than your average shower). I will raise your concern with my contractor just to get their thoughts. Thank you for your comment!

  • 6 years ago

    Thanks for all the comments above. I met with the tile guy today and he has agreed to come by with a saw in a couple days and redo the ragged tiles around the drains, and a few other concerns I mentioned. He was very nice about it, and didn't seem to think I was being overly picky. Thanks all!

  • PRO
    6 years ago

    The size of the mosaic pieces are fine. If you're not slipping then you should be perfect. I always worry when people use polished products on the wet floor of the shower especially with such tiny grout joints. Glad to hear it will work for you.

    Dian L thanked Cinar Interiors, Inc.
  • 6 years ago

    Thanks for raising this concern, Cinar Interiors. Tonight I happened to be at a tile shop and asked them about the slipperiness of that tile, and they said they would not recommend it if we had kids at home. Which I thought was an interesting answer - don't adults fall too? Anyway, I will continue to monitor the slipperiness factor and if need be, I see that Amazon sells a spray that reduces slipperiness on bath or shower floors. It gets good reviews. Safety is so important, so I thank you again.


  • PRO
    6 years ago

    Biggest thing to be careful about is liquid soap. In bubble form it's not bad but a fresh out of the bottle clump to the floor is very slippery.

    Dian L thanked Cinar Interiors, Inc.
  • PRO
    6 years ago

    Love the tile! Just saw the same one on a clients floor.

    Dian L thanked Designer Drains
  • 6 years ago

    Thank you, Designer Drains, I love it too!

  • 6 years ago

    Nice of the tile guy to redo it. In my opinion it's a little picky, I really don't see that big of a deal. I've seen worse! And it's your shower drain, it's not like it's your kitchen backsplash. Nice tile. :)

    Dian L thanked six2zero
  • 6 years ago
    last modified: 6 years ago

    Hi six2zero Thanks for the comment. It's nice to hear that you don't think it is a big deal. It is easy to obsess over details while in the middle of a project (especially an expensive one!) - everything feels like a big deal. On the other hand, I shower every day, and use that time to think about my life and solve all my problems, so it is nice to feel good about the space. And it may be just a shower drain, but this is a VERY small bathroom, so every inch counts. And the drain is smack in the middle of the shower. I will add a photo of the spot, after the fixes. I think it looks better - and it is more comfortable on the feet and toes. Ragged edges are not pleasant to feel! Thanks for the compliment on the tiles. too.

  • 4 years ago

    Hi Dian - just ran across your post. I have a similar issue, but way worse in terms of how off the tile is around the drain. I was wondering if your contractor had to remove all the tiles on the floor and retile or if he used another process? I am concerned that if I get a contractor to pull up just the tiles around the drain that it might cause damage to the waterproofing layer below the tile.

  • 4 years ago

    "I was wondering if your contractor had to remove all the tiles on the floor and retile or if he used another process?"


    There is no other process. It all needs to come up and the waterproofing redone. If he screwed up the tiling that bad the odds are the waterproofing is not right anyway.