That's awful, and having him redo it will lead to more of the same. Is he truly a tile installer?

He is a contractor - I'm not sure who he hired to do the tile installation. I just sent him an e-mail with these pictures so I am curious how he is going to respond.

I will be as well.

This is a picture (one of many) that customers had posted on a Facebook group I'm on for my area that recommended him so I know that he has hired tilers that are neater before. I don't know why mine turned out so much worse.

Did you have the room gutted or is he going over existing wall and structure? Sometimes old houses have unique challenges. I'm not saying this looks good - it looks like a hot mess, but I am wondering if the material choices could have been better, knowing that the flooring tile at 1/2 cut wasn't going to fit right, knowing that the bench structure wasn't level. bigger tiles would have hidden some of the issues.

I don't do tile work, but I recently saw a million dollar spec home and noticed that the subway tile kitchen backsplash was all uneven, some tiles sticking out here and there, others flush against the wall. I don't remember seeing tile from the 50s and 60s looking like this, but I see this all the time here on Houzz and in homes. What is up with this, , . is it just poor workmanship or are the tiles poorly manufactured and uneven?

PRO Home Renovation Svcs (HRS) - Thank you for your response - I know little about tile work and really appreciate the education. Will be getting a bathroom tiled in the near future and posts like this frighten me, Trying to educate myself to make sure that whoever I hire does it right.

I am trying to figure out how you got a shower in 2.5’ but as for the tile work that is a total redo and not with that guy for sure.

This is the second time in a couple of weeks that we have seen a similar situation, where the tile installer left gobs of grout to dry and walked away. That is all supposed to be finished--with a damp sponge--when it is wet!

You don't come back tomorrow and scrape that hardened grout off. You'll never get a proper joint.

And when you have it redone, just use white grout.

Okay I just went back to the bathroom. (Which by the way really is 2.5 feet wide lol. And we didn't put the shower in - it was already there!). Anyway, the grout is getting lighter from yesterday. It is more of a frost color when it dries (I didn't realize it was wet yesterday so I guess that's why it is looking darker)...

The tiling was still done a little messy in my opinion - and he is going to have to clean up some of those globs of grout in the corners. And I'm not sure how he is going to fix my crooked shower seat/ledge thing. But I do think it looks a little better than the original pics I sent you. Some of the darker areas are still drying as they lighten.

This isn’t done as a curbless shower is it? What waterproofing system was used behind the tile? What permits were pulled? Do you have a copy of his license and insurance? Are you sure that those are pictures of his work and not ones he just pulled off the internet?

In the picture above is your foot touching a wooden transition piece, and is that a normal wooden door?

With all due respect, what you appear to have here is a tiled closet. A badly tiled closet, but a closet nonetheless. The dirt-colored grout was an unfortunate choice to be sure, and yeah, the guy does not appear to have much experience, skill, or pride in his work. But I am wondering how on god's green earth did he manage to tile anything in such a tight space? I mean, maybe the guy deserves a medal for managing to get more than two tiles and a trowel into his workspace at a time. If those are 6" tiles, that space is not even 30" wide.

So in my opinion, the workmanship is poor, but the decision to retile a space like this (whether or not it had been a "shower" before,) bears consideration. That looks like a wood door jamb and if I'm not mistaken, a wood door. I'm intrigued! I'd love to see a photo from further back--assuming that's even possible.

Room has to stay a bathroom. This is an apartment building built in 1903 and every line of our unit has this bathroom. This is how small they were for the maids quarters back then I guess. The room it’s located in is only 11 by 8.

My foot is on top of cardboard covering the hardwood floors. The white saddle you see is a marble looking saddle piece he put on there. The grout color I actually purchased myself because online it said it was the best color. It is Mapro frost, it is getting lighter as it dries.

This IS a tiled closet, because it isn’t a legal bathroom. The smallest code compliant shower is 32”x32” as a 30” circle has to fit in the interior of the shower.

This is a terrible job. From your last post above, you are still talking about having him finish it, and talked about cleaning up. I dont understand, why you would even let that person touch your bathroom again, when it is so clear, that he hasnt a clue as to what he is doing. Some places with the horrible messy grout, (which by the way, which you dont, just clean off, once it has hardened) shouldnt be grouted, it should have had matching caulk. The corners going up, where the walls meet, should be caulk, the floor where it meets the walls, should be caulk, etc etc. This person who did this, obviously, has no idea how to tile, and this looks like his first attempt at it ever.

That bench alone shows he doesn't know what he's doing. I hate to think of how he didn't waterproof underneath. Do you know what he used to waterproof?

If he didn't waterproof, you're looking at major problems down the road and that road could be 1 year from now or 10 years from now. No way to know.

No I am actually genuinely curious about the space! No judgement (other than on your tile guy.) Is it a tiny wall mount sink inside the door? 1903 where? I've never seen anything like this in the US. Glad the grout is lightening up. Frost is what I would have chosen. But don't let him off the hook yet. It still looks pretty lumpy, and others have raised a good point about what's underneath.

Any chance he just went over the existing tile? That might explain why your space looks smaller than 30"

I agree he has to fix areas especially the seat.

we are in Forest Hills Queens- some very very old buildings here. I don’t know if the bathroom legal requirements apply to buildings this old. For instance I know bedroom requirements in NY only apply to buildings built after a certain year (1970s I think). Regardless, it’s definitely tiny!! I do have some pics of the before I have to get them from my phone and I’ll post them. The sink we aren’t using is 17in side but comes only 10 inches and it’s right by the door opening and it is a wall mount sink. Toilet is a standard sized toilet. The exhaust fan exhausts right outside the window in the shower.

Ah funny. I was about to guess you're in Queens, but it seemed a little stalkerish :-)

NYC definitely has some old and quirky stuff. But this builder should be experienced with that. I suspect you got the guy who had no idea what he was doing, and he was on his own because--obviously--no room for two guys in there! If builder has shown decent work elsewhere, then he'll be appalled to see this, and he'll want to fix it. I hope.

Love to see the before pics. But even more important would be the "during" pics, so others can see what's under the hood. Ugly tile is one thing, but if it's covering up a potential leak, then you've got to get it undone--especially since you're in an apartment building.

I only took one picture during the process and can see he used Durock cement board before tiling - but no idea what other materials were used

Here is the bathroom before

since some people were interested

Cement board is not waterproof. You've got a problem that is bigger than cosmetics.

This is the only picture I have during the demo of the shower. It wasn't all completed at this point though.

In your experience if I redo this with another contractor, do I still have to pay the current contractor the remaining balance? What have you done in the past?

To quote T.F.W., "oh my!"

aside from the really bad grout work, why did he change from a 50% offset on the front of the bench and the right hand wall to an approx. 33% offset on the wall above the bench and the left hand wall?

I stopped work on my current remodel twice, and both times did not pay the remaining balance (and that was not disputed by either contractor).

Gut it with someone with a clue. Replace every single bit from the studs out. Top to bottom. https://www.ceramictilefoundation.org/homeowners-guide-to-hiring-qualified-tile-installer

this is one of the worst jobs I've seen recently. sorry, but if you pay him for this shower, you're nuts. he is a GC, not a tile setter. big diff.

any tile setter who knows anything will know you do NOT grout between the floor and bottom tile row, or any of those corner walls. any change of plane requires 100% silicone caulk (which comes in every color to match your grout). Grout is not waterproof.

the bench is just bad. horrible. I doubt it's even waterproofed correctly. The fact that it's crooked says a lot. does he expect you to accept this?

someone already mentioned this. look at tiles on top. 1/3 layout. now look at tiles on bottom of bench. 1/2 layout. I mean, WTH?? Was he on crack when he did this?

point this out to him and ask him wtf. Besides the lack of continuity, this slant is a joke. Does he think water should just roll down to the right? Is the bench seat even slanted downward to allow water to drain off?

the cutout around the water spigot?? just horrible. ditto the slivers of tiles and wonky layout.

The floor tile should have been done first, and then you bring down your wall tiles on top of it so you don't get that large gap between the two. here's mine so you see what I mean

i know this shower is larger, but proper tile layout is the same. again, larger view of mine. do you see the difference w/yours now?

I don't know what he charged you, but even 100 bucks was too much.

Call in a reputable tile setter (an actual tile pro, not a GC) and have him come out to give you his opinion and estimate to redo it.

Your shower is a fail and you should not accept it. And no you aren't being picky. only a mental patient would think this looks good. Your GC should be ashamed of himself for doing this work AND taking your money for it. Please let him read all these comments. I'd love to hear his response.

No, you do not have to pay someone the balance owed for a job that bad. See what the contractor says, but I agree with others, DO NOT let the same person touch your shower again. The contractor should understand that all needs to be ripped out and done again correctly by someone else who knows what they’re doing. If he balks, don’t spend another second trying to work with him. Find a proper tile pro, and thoroughly check their previous work and that they do not sub out.

And I would consult with the next pro before purchasing any materials. This is a retrofit to an existing and old (not up to current code) shower that could legitimately present some unique challenges that make it a more difficult job than you might think. Choosing a size that requires fewer cuts for example, really might help this have a better look when it’s done.

"I agree he has to fix areas especially the seat."

There is honestly nothing there to fix. That is a 100% do over. If you pay him that is your decision, but he would be told to pound salt were that me.

So here's what you tell the contractor. When you hired him you had the right to expect that the work would conform to industry standards and manufacturer specifications. If he suggests that it does, ask him to document every aspect of the shower build (how it was all prepped for tile, materials and system used including the manufacturer specifications for those materials) and the tile installation itself with reference to the industry standards and manufacturer specs for each aspect. I suspect he doesn't even know what those are. In most areas he has the "right to cure" and in this case it means a complete tear out and re-do by a qualified tile installer. You did not have a qualified installer do this work. You not only do not pay him more but you request the re-do on his dime with final payment at completion (or complete refund to you so you can hire a qualified contractor). Allowing this work to pass only means that others will get the same shoddy work. Bad for our industry and very bad for the consumer. Best of luck.

following

See this: [https://www.houzz.com/discussions/why-is-it-so-hard-to-find-a-real-tile-pro-dsvw-vd~5694022?n=28[(https://www.houzz.com/discussions/why-is-it-so-hard-to-find-a-real-tile-pro-dsvw-vd~5694022?n=15)