​Disaster tiling job

​Disaster tiling job

Investor · Miami, FL · Member since 2013 · 807 posts · 475 votes

I hired two professional tilers to tile one of my properties.

Their quote was $500 more than another estimate I received but I felt like they were professionals who I could trust to do a good job.

Indeed they have been reliable and professional in conduct, so I've been satisfied from that perspective. I was going to give them a massive project after this but now I'm hesitant after seeing the shoddy work.

The job is almost done and I've inspected it and it's some of the worst tiling work I've seen.

Firstly there is meant to be a pattern maintained and the pattern has been abandoned. Every second tile is meant to line up however it's completely freestyle.

There are huge gaps in various areas and some tiles are crooked.

I messaged the tilers when I saw this and he said the gaps and crooked tiles were caused from foot traffic by other contractors. I don't know the validity of this claim.

I'm extremely disappointed and upset and I want to rip it up and have it redone properly but I don't have the time or budget for that.

Here are some pictures. Am I being over the top or is this poor workmanship? Do I have any other choice but to simply move on?

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Contractor · Raleigh, NC · Member since 2014 · 651 posts · 510 votes
10y

@Nat C.  That's just a bad tile job...much beyond being caused by premature foot traffic.  If you want it to look nice, you'll have to start over.  I would not use them on any other projects.

I'm sorry if this sounds harsh but, ultimately you are responsible for the final finished product on your projects.  Saying that you have neither the time nor budget to correct this or produce good work in the first place, is unacceptable and unprofessional on your part. 

It is worth the effort and money to find and use true professional tradesmen.  

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  • Poker Tournament Director · Las Vegas, NV · Member since 2015 · 9 posts · 2 votes
    10y

    I think the word you're looking for here is Atrocious. That's not bad, that's awful. Looks like a lot of great feedback already, especially from Wendall. I'm a newbie but one thing I've learned quickly is pay behind, pay behind, pay behind. Check their work before you cut checks.

    Easily a job that needs to be redone. There's no saving that work. You may be able to save some materials but doubtful. 

    Seems like a painful lesson. Good luck. Thanks for the post and all the replies. Good advice here.

  • Investor · Miami, FL · Member since 2013 · 807 posts · 475 votes
    10y
    Originally posted by @Doug N.:
    Originally posted by @Nat C.:

    I also never hire anyone without taking a copy of their ID, seeing pictures of their work and calling 2 previous clients.

    Hi Nat - @Account Closed was curious if you had actually spoken to the two references you wrote about earlier - I am also curious about what happened there. Were the references convincing enough for you to hire them? What were the photos they showed you... ie did it look like professional work when you saw the pix?

     Yes I called both references but only reached one. She raved about how good they are and looking back on it, the person was probably a wife/girlfriend etc

    They sent several pictures of tiling jobs which showed absolutely beautiful work. Again I am highly doubtful it was actually their work.

  • Lynnwood, WA · Member since 2015 · 221 posts · 157 votes
    10y

    Hi @Nat C. - Ok, good to know - I was wondering about the disconnect between what was probably a semi-believable sales presentation and The World's Most Amazing Tiling Job™.  Thanks!

  • Investor · Miami, FL · Member since 2013 · 807 posts · 475 votes
    10y
    Doug, you are so funny!
  • Gavin M.Pro Member
    madison, WI · Member since 2014 · 32 posts · 10 votes
    10y

    stuff like this sucks all around for everyone and esp you. I'm going against the grain here I think it got walked on to soon like they said. that being said if there the professional they need to tell you the proper way to install it and not just do it the cheapest way like setting over ply. Ive had this happen a few times - sometimes people walk under my tape at the door or one time I forgot to tape off the door.on some projects people just have no clue and continue to walk in while tiles are sliding. the first photo shows mainly clean tiles then you get the areas where there was traffic and thinset is pushed up everywhere and shifted tiles. not defending anyone but just saying sometimes I catch this before I leave for the day and other times this is what it looks like the next day when I walk in.

    best of luck  

  • Chicago, IL · Member since 2014 · 710 posts · 200 votes
    10y

    have to agree with @Gavin M. did someone walk on it?

    I think you can salvage the bad areas and with grout as long as it's even level wise it could turn out "good enough". I'd go darker grout to blend with the tile

  • Kingston, Ontario · Member since 2017 · 21 posts · 2 votes
    7y

    You could have done a better job yourself probably. (had you had the time) 

    I just had the same experience. Not that bad but the overall look is...well lets say a champagne budget with a beer diet "look". Its sort of devastating. Never imagined the tile issue would be so important but it is so incredibly important. 

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