I would be very concerned about all of it.

Why do you say that?

Because if it is flexing and tiles popping off, grout cracking, etc. etc., it is not constructed properly. Do you know the products used and how it was constructed? Tile should never flex and definitely not pop off. What is the substrate the floor tile are set in? What was the tile set with? Is the installer a tile pro? To me from that picture it looks like tile was laid in the mortar on the base and not back buttered. Anyway you look at it, tile flexing will be a demo and rebuild most likely.

Cracking grout is the first sign of the floor failing. Yes. All of it. As for the tub surround wall tiles. There should be zero movement. The movement seen in your video is common when the wall board is stopped above the tub flange instead of being shimmed out to pass in front of it as required by industry standards.

"he has said he does a 5 year warranty" You're about to find out what is said vs what's in writing. Good luck.

Expected response. This guy doesn't work with us any longer.

Fortunately i have the number of the main builder who i found in check a trade and he is the one thag did it for me

He is a decent guy, and has a lot of reviews on check a trade so idount he would tarnish his company for this small bathroom. the grout cracking is basically everywhere, what do you recommend, telling him to replace everything or specific tiles?

"the grout cracking is basically everywhere, what do you recommend, telling him to replace everything or specific tiles?"

Probably everything, meaning the entire floor, shower, etc.

How do i tell him to find the cause of the problem? Issue is majority of tiles seem to be solid, only a handful are loose. I replace the one on the floor and it's been a couple of days and it seems very good so far - he is coming to look this weekend

Also, when he is removing the tiles on the wall, what should i look out for to see if he has done adequate warterproofing? I think he mentioned he used a Mapei waterproofing adhesive behind the tiles that are in the shower (the ones enclosing the shower too) is that sufficient?

"How do I tell him to find the cause of the problem?"

Directly. We need to know the cause so this does not keep happening.

Your photo where floor tile was removed shows the imprint of the back of tile. Indicating no bond to the tile. This tells me the mortar was allowed to skin over. Nothing less than a complete floor replacement using proper methods. Let me guess. The only tiles that are loose are located where you walk:)

Shower wall. There should be no movement. Period.

All your issues are labor related. Poor quality, lack of knowledge, insufficient substrate.

@Amir Ali

As others said, you have to take everything out and redo the entire floor and wall tile, I can only imagine what is behind the wall tile... and this time hire licensed contractors with a good reputation if a guy got good reviews posted by his friends or relatives don't mean he knows what he is doing and that is obvious.

As the 5-year warranty goes, I'm sure he will be more than happy to redo everything at his expense to keep his good reputation... Give him a call and see how that will go.

Good luck

some more pictures:

https://faulty-bathroom.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/WhatsApp+Image+2022-01-16+at+12.20.35.jpeg

https://faulty-bathroom.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/WhatsApp+Image+2022-01-16+at+13.03.58.jpeg

https://faulty-bathroom.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/WhatsApp+Image+2022-01-19+at+10.12.15.jpeg

https://faulty-bathroom.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/WhatsApp+Image+2022-01-19+at+10.12.47.jpeg

https://faulty-bathroom.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/WhatsApp+Image+2022-01-19+at+10.29.16.jpeg

https://faulty-bathroom.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/WhatsApp+Video+2022-01-17+at+19.25.44.mp4

they are here to fix some stuff

Spot bonding method was used to set your tile. NOT acceptable for tile anywhere.

95% coverage is required in a wet area. 85% for the floor. Spot bonding leave's hollow areas which gather moisture in wet areas supporting mold growth. On floors the hollows do not provide full support. Confirming your project is a complete redo.

Thanks mate - i have told them, they have not even waterproofed anywhere

"they are here to fix some stuff"

That shower is not "fixable". It is a tearout and start over........................

I grew up in an apartment building built in the 1920s--the bathroom is still perfectly intact 97 years later because it was done CORRECTLY.

@Anna (6B/7A in MD) Is because in 1920's they knew what they were doing and they didn't miss a spot or cut a corner :-)

"they didn't miss a spot or cut a corner :-)"

Or 7............................

He didn't use Mapei in the shower. You'd see dark green if he did. I'm not sure what the orange-ish boards behind the shower tile are. They don't look like regular cement board.

I also don't see any tiling underlayment under the floor tile. It looks like the thinset might be applied directly to wood?

Do you have any photos of the work in process when it was done?

"I also don't see any tiling underlayment under the floor tile. It looks like the thinset might be applied directly to wood?" There are approved methods for double layer wood as a substrate.

@Amir Ali - I just wanted to post a comment in order to:

1. Let you know that I completely understand what you are going through right now. I have TWO FAILING slate floors that are part of current bathroom renovations. The master bathroom floor had not been grouted due to delays on his part. I discovered that some of the tiles were COMPLETELY LOOSE - and some sounded like they were only partially bonded to the floor.

This floor is failing - and it has BARELY been walked on because the bathroom renovation basically stopped due to issues - bathroom isn’t usable so the only use has been when I’ve gone in there to take photos or measure something = maybe some tiles had been walked on four or five times before I started discovering the loose tiles.

It is obvious that the tiles failed to bond to the floor - the mortar must have skinned over or something.

I am NOT reinstalling the loose tiles.

IMPORTANT - my former contractor does not fit the definition of what people here on Houzz love to refer to as a “hack” (at least not the actual business that I hired to do the work) - however, his employee clearly did not know what he was doing (or just didn’t care) - and that makes the owner of the business liable for this work. The business has hundreds of Google ratings (4.9/5), owner is a member of TCNA, I had several reviews from people I know (and trust), and I DID NOT JUST TAKE THE LOWEST BID - I am NOT a CHEAPSKATE.

I am so tired of people AUTOMATICALLY blaming the homeowner when they have ZERO basis to do so. Making assumptions and basically telling homeowners that they are IDIOTS and CHEAP really makes me upset. Okay, I’m finished with my rant! 😂

The ”fix” is this:

The ENTIRE floor is being torn apart. Not only is the tile being removed, the cbu will be taken out. New contractor assumes that he will also find that former contractor failed to add the required second layer of plywood in order to make sure that the substrate was prepared correctly in order to have a natural stone floor installed.

Based upon the above issues, I investigated the slate floor that was installed in one of the other bathrooms back in April. I noticed a few grout issues - and as I went around knocking on each tile, the sound on many tiles indicates tiles that are only partially bonded.

This is what the floor looks like from a standing position:

And this is what it looks like when I realized that I needed to inspect it after the failure in other bathroom:

I have cracks and broken spots of grout in many places. I also have some grout which is stuck on my tile because the contractor failed to seal the tile (as required) prior to grouting (I found this out later - I was in the hospital while this floor was being installed) and made promises over and over to come remedy the issue.

So, this floor will also be ”fixed” in the same manner as the first one - I’m just waiting to have it ripped out until after the other bathroom is completely finished.

2. I also wanted to let you know that regardless of whether (i) you have a written contract, and (ii) that contracts specifically provides (or fails to provide) a five year (or however long) warranty period, you still have recourse against the contractor who installed your tile.

Most states (probably all but I haven’t done research on this issue in every state) have enacted statutes that protect homeowners for this type of issue. In my jurisdiction, there are specific statutes that relate to home renovation projects - these statues require (among other things) that all work must be done in a good and workmanlike manner. Following industry standards, as well as manufacturer’s specifications, are part of this requirement.

Also, the consumer protection act in my state also protects homeowners against contractors who perform shoddy work. I am 99% positive that your state will have some similar statutes. If you want to share your jurisdiction, I am happy to take a quick look in order to point you in the right direction.

MANY jurisdictions require the homeowner to provide the contractor with notice and a right of remediation. Unless you follow the requirements of your particular statutes, you won’t be able to bring an action against your contractor to recover damages.

FYI - my former contractor has chosen to ignore the notice I provided, so I then was free to hire another contractor to do the remediation work. My former contractor will owe me the money I have to spend to correct his failure to properly install my tile (which will greatly exceed what I paid him - removing tile + cbu + buying new material (including nice slate tile - because I didn’t purchase cheap slate tile for the the project initially).

I am sorry that you’re going through this because it is NOT fun. I decided to consider myself “lucky” because he hadn’t yet installed this tile on my laundry floor! Hopefully, you won’t have water damage that will require even more remedial work in order to fix it.

"I am so tired of people AUTOMATICALLY blaming the homeowner when they have ZERO basis to do so."

Nobody is blaming the homeowner for the shoddy work. What they're trying to tell him is that it's not a "stick a few loose tiles down" job but a total redo which he keeps trying to avoid (for good reason! You shouldn't have to redo a brand new bathroom!)

The other thread by the OP. NEED HELP FAST - BATHROOM FAILURE (houzz.com)

The Houzz community OFTEN blames the homeowner first. That is absent from this thread, but it is very common here.

The cement you used in the tiles has deteriorated; remove it from your wall and tiles, then apply new cement to the tiles; it will then join properly; please try this.

"The cement that you use in the tiles is spoiled"

Bergen Furniture & Design Twice you are stating this? How and where do you get this info from the op's posts? This is an epic fail from the beginning, nothing to do with spoiled cement..........................

@Anna (6B/7A in MD) and @weedyacres

“ . . . and this time hire licensed contractors with a good reputation . . .”

The above (posted in comment) appears to imply that OP hired an unlicensed contractor with an unknown (or bad) reputation.

I also made the comment because I was annoyed that I felt that I had to add a fairly lengthy paragraph in my post explaining how my contractor was not a hack - and how this can happen even if a homeowner carefully hires someone to do work - because I was fairly certain that if I didn’t, someone would call me cheapskate because I must have hired a hack.

I apologize for sounding so irritated - I wasn’t feeling well + I am tired of reading posts where people always assume that the OP didn’t properly investigate before hiring someone + selected the lowest bid.

@dani_m08 There is no need to get irritating... It is what it is and people call it as they see it fit.

Do you feel much better by hiring a company with a 5-star review, a member of TCNA, and probably a member of any other Council out there you can join... Who In the meantime sends you a guy who doesn't know what he is doing (your own words), and the guy screws up your floors... Simply put you had a "hack" who did a "hack job on your floor", or do you feel better knowing that your floors got messed up by a "5 Star hack company with a review"? I doubt that.

Ok, let's take a look from a different perspective... It happens, people make mistakes, he sent you a guy who messed up, maybe he was new still wet behind his ears, etc...

Did the owner uphold his reputation with all his stars and reviews to make it good on it and make you whole? No...He did not, instead, he ignored your calls and he couldn't care less what happens down the road, so the way I see it (I'm sure everyone gets the same picture), that's a fly-by-night company and most likely they continue to screw homeowners.

As an old saying goes “If it walks like a duck, talks like a duck, it probably is a duck”

@GN Builders L.L.C, Just a heads up that TCNA is not a tile contractors association but the "council" that is involved in standards and not relevant in hiring decisions/membership. Sorry to be nit-picky but NTCA is the Tile Contractors professional association and yes, it would be one indication of professionalism if they were members of NTCA and involved in the industry.

@Dragonfly Tile & Stone Works, Inc. - Thanks for correcting my mistake re: NTCA vs. TCNA. I had just drafted a contract for my sister and included a requirement re: TCNA specifications - so TCNA was stuck in my mind!

@GN Builders L.L.C - As an old saying goes, ”hindsight is 20/20. . .”

I thought the point of my comment was clear - but as I’ve already explained, I wasn’t feeling well.

My point was that we shouldn’t always ASSUME that an OP didn’t hire a licensed contractor with a good reputation just because something went wrong during the project. It just seems like people tend to assume the homewoner is to BLAME for failing to protect himself/herself from having issues during a project by not hiring a hack (typically assumed that person accepted the lowest bid and is having work done without a permit).

My point was NOT whether my former contractor was unprofessional/a hack - my point was that I did not think that I hired a ”hack” - because I followed the advice given by several professionals on the forum re: how to avoid hiring a hack. I can’t remember right now who always posts a link for users on how to find a good tile professional - but that’s the link I read - and used - when deciding who to engage for my project (along with advice I personally received from professionals over on the John Bridge Tile Forum).

If I started a thread asking for help re: my loose tiles - without explaining that I didn’t hire someone who fit the typical definition of a ”hack” - I am 90% positive that at least one person would have posted a comment telling me that I should have done a better job selecting my contractor + paid more $$$.

I don’t disagree with you that the owner of the company turned out to be unprofessional by (i) hiring someone without doing his due diligence on the person (just because business is ”booming” doesn’t mean you hire just anyone in order to keep bidding jobs), and (ii) failing to take responsibility for the issues caused by his employee (hired independent contractor/sub - I’m still not sure of the exact legal relationship). If he would have offered to remedy the situation, instead of wanting the two of us to simply “join forces“ to go after the tile guy (as an individual) in order to recover my money, I would have been happy with him.

After all, the true test re: integrity/professionalism for a business is how it handles problems. This guy did not want to absorb the loss or file an insurance claim. He wanted me to help him go after the guy “because he was a scammer” (direct quote from owner several times). While I was happy to help, I didn’t feel like I should be the one out the money for materials until whenever it was recovered from the tile guy (which I knew was probably never). After all, I didn’t hire the tile guy, I hired the business = owner. He hired the tile guy - not me.

IMPORTANT QUESTION:

What more could I have done to avoid what happened with my project? 300+ Google reviews. A- BBB (and after reading the one unresolved complaint - it appeared to me that the homeowner was being unreasonable). Personal recommendations from law partners - I was able to see the quality of the contractor’s work IN PERSON. Verified license + verified NTCA membership. Verified corporate standing with secretary of state. Searched court records for my county (plus, surrounding counties that are part of the greater metropolitan area) - no lawsuits filed against company/owner. Obtained five bids - his was second highest. I personally verified his insurance coverage. I’m probably missing something.

If you think there was more that I should have done, it would be very helpful if you explained - not just for me - but for other users who need to hire a contractor.

I completely agree with you that the tile guy is a DUCK + my former contractor is a DUCK (at least with respect to how he’s handling this situation).

HOWEVER, I do not feel like I am to blame for what happened.

I followed every piece of advice I was given - in fact, I actually was making my SO crazy because he thought I was being PARANOID due to spending too much time on Houzz (which is partially correct - I have read a ton of threads re: messed up tile projects + it’s also the “attorney part“ of my brain). When he read the revisions I made to the contract, he told me that I was going to scare the guy off - and when I didn’t, we both thought we selected the right person.

And we still would have thought so if we hadn’t been one of the two customers who had the unfortunate luck of being assigned the “new guy.”

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