IMO opinion the whole install is a mess. Did you direct any of this or were you odd man out?

I was merely the buyer that made selections. All work was coordinated by our home builder.

Site-finished painted edges would bother me - I'm not sure why this wasn't discussed before the install - whether to finish with bullnose, glazed edges, schluter, etc.

Overall, it's not terrible. I've seen much worse. You've also used high-contrast grout, which highlights every imperfection. I can't see the lippage you're talking about, but that's likely just the photos aren't showing it well - not doubting it's there.

What people likely will bring up is what's going on under the tile. If the visible craftsmanship isn't the greatest - what are the chances the waterproofing was done properly? If the basketweave pieces are uneven and poling your feet, the pan wasn't done as well as it could have been and will lead to pooling and drainage issues.

You have eyes. You can easily recognize shoddy work when you see it. You apparently did not supervise the work or check in once in a while on the tile days. If you paid for the work in advance, you were naive. If you paid for the work after it was done, you wasted your money.
This person was not a pro, maybe not even an apprentice. I hope you got a very low price for the job. When you have it ripped out and redone correctly by a pro, it will be a lot more costly but much better done.
The dark grout accentuates every mistake. Raw edges should never be seen. And a homeowner who does not pay attention to work being done in his/her home pays the price one way or another.

I was just very surprised at the fact they did not use bullnose or another type of edging. When I brought this up to the owner he said "no other house in the neighborhood has it" Owner refused to replace the edges with appropriate tile (even though the installers used bullnose in the guest shower)

The varying grout lines and poor tile cuts around the top edge and built in is what drives me crazy. Makes everything look terrible.

The tile also seems to not have been mapped out. Grout lines that should line up don’t, making for a scrappy look. It’s most obvious on what I think is the shower seat. And I’d never have framed that niche shelf with those 45 degree cuts. It’s all left looking way too busy,, far more than it should be.

Looks like you moved in and accepted the work that was done. The time to complain would have been before you closed and still had leverage.

I'm still confused though, was this a new build? Who owned the lot? Who had the construction loan? Or was this a remodel?

It was a new build. Home builder owned the lot & construction loan.

We are currently in the process of making them correct this issue. It was on the final punchlist and the builder signed off on the list at closing as items that needed to be corrected as a condition of closing. Title company is withholding our change order payment until everything is resolved.

Problem is that is not really a correctable issue. It is a rip out and start over. Which if they feel that is a good install speaks volumes about what may be underneath that tile.

Couple more pictures.

Very poor installation. So sorry this has happened to you. We have found that contractors who do not sub specific trades to a professional within the trade often allow their hourly laborers to perform work they shouldn't, such as tile. With an installation this disastrous, it makes me wonder if they properly sealed behind it. It would be our recommendation to have it torn back down to the studs and re-installed by a licensed professional installer. Ask for certifications, license, and insurance to be sure this doesn't happen again. Best of luck to you.

Sad thing is that it was done by a professional tile/floor company.

Wow. I'm even more sorry to hear of your hardship knowing there was a "professional" at work here.

No worries, arch13. I was under the impression that an aspect of the GC's job is quality control and it shouldn't be the sole responsibility of the future homeowner to QC everything (especially when they were building 2 hrs away and work full-time).

I appreciate everyone's comments.

I was under the impression that an aspect of the GC's job is quality control and it shouldn't be the sole responsibility of the future homeowner to QC everything

Ideally, it is...

In actuality, it is the exception to the rule. Have you found other areas of the house that weren't done to your expectations, or is it just the shower?

Other than the painter painting the kitchen cabinet hardware (hidden kind), painting the door hinges, and a chip in the flatwork; we havent found anything else of concern.

I would say landscape was pitiful but I have yet to see a landscape company in Texas do a good job, unfortunately.

The black grout, against the white tile, shows every little imperfection.

Oh goodness. So sorry... while I do agree that a darker grout shows every little imperfection , I truly believe that if this was a white grout it would still be not good...

I am surprised with a tile bench - usually we do a solid slab of a white quartz or match the vanity top. and we typically do the same as a frame for our niches and any ledges that are in the shower area - the saddle for the base, up the edge of the walls and across the tops of the 1/2 walls where the glass is mounted.

While not everyone may love this , it eliminates having to do bull nose pieces or mitering tile. It's actually easier than trying to cut all those tiles to look good..

I hope you get a resolve to the issues...

Best of luck!

You have every right to be concerned. Pay attention to millworkman's comment regarding the "fix" which is not topical, but as we stated in a previous thread, "you can't just scrape the frosting off the cake ... you need to bake a new cake". That was not a professional job and I don't care who did it. Not to industry standards for lay-out, inconsistent grout joint size (and did they use grout instead of caulk at change of planes?), and I'm worried about that floor. Where does the water pool? There should be a consistent, flat slope to the drain. That being said, I too worry about how that shower was built. Kindly ask the contractor to document the methods and materials used to prep the shower including the pan system employed. Every consumer has the right to work performed according to industry standards and manufacturer recommendations. If consumers accept this level of work, there will continue to be people willing to offer it. Anyone that says this is acceptable is sadly mistaken. Sorry you're dealing with this.

Curious as to what you mean by layout not to industry standards?

I'm meeting with the owner of the company and want to bring as much ammo to the meeting as possible.

Thanks!

By owner of the company, do you mean your GC or the owner of the tile sub?

owner of tile sub

Since I have no idea what your contract looked like, take what I say as uneducated...

Your meeting should be with the GC. The tile sub works for him. In the very least, I'd also have the GC there as well.

You need to be prepared for the meeting. Buy a downloadble version and read the shower chapters of the TCNA tile handbook.

https://www.tcnatile.com/products-and-services/publications/218-english-publications.html

At your meeting ask what construction methods and materials were used to build the shower from framing to waterproofing to tiling. If the answer doesn't follow what the handbook says, pull out your printed out pages and show them the industry standards that were not followed. Sounds like the fix is to gut it and rebuild it, but to have that discussion you need to be able to cite which industry standards were violated. Take notes in the meeting and if it's okay with the other party you can record the meeting and type up your notes later. Stay all-business and calm. Always bring the conversation back to what the builder's plan is for remedying the situtaion regarding the violations of industry standards X, Y, and Z. While you're at it, ask them if the waterproofing in the other bathrooms were done in the same way, by the same company/person, etc. If those were done wrong as well, your discussion just got a lot bigger.

Other places to learn about the tile profession:

https://www.tilecertifications.com/

https://www.ceramictilefoundation.org/

When I was trying to learn about tiling, I read the TCNA handbook, and went to the above sites to see what a tiler needs to learn to become certified, and I watched Sal Diblasi videos on Youtube. I wasn't intending to do the work myself, but learning about how it's supposed to be done helped me to hire a better professional after the first one left my bathroom in ruins.

Good luck with your meeting.

That’s horrible. I am also building a house and have a custom shower tile job and the subcontractor did a great job. Yours needs to be redone by someone else. I feel for you. Building a house is expensive and stressful. Good luck.

You do not have the time to become an expert, or even go to the lengths that AJCN was able to go to (while admirable). And the TCNA handbook is not our only tile "bible". A good working knowledge of ANSI specifications is also required and often referenced in the TCNA handbook. As far as workmanship, ANSI 4.3 comes into play and includes: *Centering and balancing areas of tile (lay out as I referred to above and your bench front is one area where this did not happen); * Excessive amount of cuts should not be made...generally no cuts less than half the size of the tile and all cuts are on outer edge of the field, (proper lay-out in advance would help conform to this specification but you have multiple examples where it did not); *smooth cut edges..without jagged or flaked edges (yours aren't great but hard to assess fairly from photos), and I could go on including the inconsistent grout joint widths and the uneven floor tile without proper slope. Manufacturer specifications also come into play for materials used. More importantly are the methods used to build the shower as I mentioned above. There are standards for this as well but we do not know what was done from your information. I suggest you simply explain to the tile contractor that you would like to discuss and document how the work meets those standards as you are unhappy with the work that you can see and would like to also know what is underneath. The onus should rightly be on them. If they are not familiar with these guidelines, that is one clue for you. Perhaps the owner assigned an installer to your project that was not ready (obviously) for the responsibility. Perhaps he/she will acknowledge that the work is sub-standard. You might mention that you are prepared (if you are) to have an independent inspection by a certified tile installer but try working with the contractor first. And yes, document and follow up with an email summary of the discussion and next steps. Keep it level and cooperative. "Fixing this" requires a tear out and re-do to address all of the cosmetic issues.

Dragonfly, and OP,

It's true that I did not become a tile pro in 4 days, or aquire any skills that would enable me to DIY a shower. But I did read that tile manual in 1 day and became a good BS detector. I knew there were more standards, ASNI, local, state, etc. But guess what - at the meeting, I knew more than GC. I asked him what ASNI or TCNA stood for --- no clue.

It helps a homeowner to read these things. It is not admirable for me to do this; I think it's normal. I've read the industry standards for paver driveway install (even called the industry group in DC and talked to a civil engineer for 45 minutes who answered all my questions, and said he only hears from homeowners after a fail); looked up local codes and safety guidelines for new pool; new windows (vinyl vs aluminum, and all the options); lots of kitchen-related things, etc, etc.

The only difference that happened to me when I did my bath remodel, is that -- I did my research, and the contractor lied.

OP,

Did you have the meeting with the builder?

Tile sub will be redoing a large majority of the tile work and floor. I had blue taped everything that was substandard and I think the sub (and builder) realized how poor a job their installer did. Hopefully this go around will be the last. I appreciate everyone’s assistance.

What about the waterproofing?

They actually followed tcna guidelines and had pictures of the process as well

When you remove the poorly installed tile the waterproofing WILL be affected. Realistically you cannot remove tile without compromising the waterprooing (if the tile were installed correctly). what waterproofing system did they use? How will they deal with this fact as you cannot just remove and retile?

You are only going to make this worse where it counts. If there is actually a properly done waterproofing later under the tile, which is HIGHLY DOUBTFUL, then it will be compromised by hack attempts at “repair”.

You have chosen to focus on the cosmetics instead of the fundamentals.

That means in a year or so, when the mould starts to smell too strongly, and it can’t be permanently cleaned, you will eventually be forced to do what should be done now. You will have to rip it all out and start over with someone with some documented skill. Since it will be out of warranty then, the even more expensive 7-10K job will be out of your pocket to pay to have done.

OP, ask the builder to re-build it all the way. If they say no, keep talking about the waterproofing and how it will be ruined by taklng tile out. Keep talking about waterproofing. If there isn't any waterproofing there to be damaged, well, then that is a problem anyway. You need waterproofing. No matter how this is handled, it needs to be completely re-built. It's logic.

- If there's no waterproofing there to be damaged = rebuild

- If there is waterproofing there, it will be damaged by this "fix" = rebuild

I'm sorry you are having to deal with this, but GD is correct that if there is no waterproofing, or the waterproofing is damaged by this "fix" you will be rebuilding it in a year on your dime. This is your only chance to get it built correctly on the builder's dime.

And when it is rebuilt, make sure the tile pro follows industry guidelines and manufacturer's instructions for everything from framing, to waterproofing to tile installation. And choose a lighter grout -- a very very light grey such as Maipei Frost.

Unfortunately when you shop around for an install professional, they are all "pros" . They carry a license, insurance, some level of experience, and reviews. If they subcontract portions of a project, then you don't know who or what you are going to get. When you bid on a job, there is never a guarantee you will get it. So contractors will bid on many many jobs with the hopes of keeping the work flowing to pay their bills. Excellent contractors are usually booked out months in advance and don't have to bid every project that crosses their path.

I feel the pain of the homeowners - how do you tell the difference? Sometimes you can't. And then bad things happen.

Hopefully this can be fixed to your satisfaction.. such a difficult situation.

Keep us posted...

I'll re phrase. A lot of wishful results don't happen in brand new builds. Subs are not always those you might select in a remodel, or anywhere you have total control. It can be precarious, and despite what anyone tells you , CAN leave you disappointed. Many builders are simply looking at the bottom line.......less so the effect. As to deep contrasts? Yes, in this very unfair world, even minor imperfections can glare back at you. A painful truth, and unfortunately it is evidenced here at least weekly. White and black are fantastic.......done really well. Waterproof supersedes all effects , of course. I won't let our very kind maintenance folks so much as change my caulk at the counter. , ( I can do it better ) It is what it is.

Let’s not forget, Paul is the one who thinks he doesn’t “need” waterproofing in his curbless shower...

most of you simply regurgitate what you read somewhere else with no real idea if it is correct or not. Most of you wouldn't know which end if the hammer to use to drive a nail but you ACT like you are all knowing...

Paul- we understand what you’re saying. On the flip side, zoom out on anything and make it look good. I’m not questioning your ability or talent- I’ve never seen your work. I’m saying only that ‘stand back and squint’ is usually not the most elegant solution to a design problem.

It needs to be completely torn out and rebuilt. You need to be meeting with the builder, not the sub.

I was under the impression that an aspect of the GC's job is quality control and it shouldn't be the sole responsibility of the future homeowner to QC everything

It should be but that's not even guaranteed in a fully custom build. I was at my build daily, and caught my builder with so many poorly done things and choices.

I am sorry but this is a gut job. It bothers me. The tile is going in every direction and very sloppy. I wouldn't let them patch it up. I would not use them anymore. I would have them credit you and have them partially pay for the new job.