How bad is this tiling job? Please help.

[Drewsky510]

I hired a GC to handle a whole house remodel for me. They are a few weeks in and have only handled demo, prep work for painting, and started my kids bathroom. When I went and checked on the tiling job in the bathroom I was shocked by how sloppy the work was and let my contractor know I wasn’t pleased.

After doing research online, I also realized his tiler didn’t use a waterproof membrane either and laid it directly on the cement board!

I’m meeting with my contractor in the morning to go over the work in person with him and needed some help. I presume that since he didn’t use a waterproof membrane that it will all need to be redone? Should I demand he use a different tiler since this one was clearly incompetent?

This also has me worried about my contractors ability to manage the job appropriately. I have been checking in on the house regularly but if I hadn’t noticed the lack of waterproof membrane that could have led to some serious issues down the line.

[Eschbach]

Yikes!Pretty rough.I wouldn't pay for that garbage.It is a tear out

[BimmerRacer]

Waste of material

[evan1968]

Low bidder.

[HS345]

I'm with the others, that's absolutely horrible. Even if he had used a waterproofing membrane, it wouldn't matter because the craftsmanship is so shoddy.

I wouldn't allow that installer back in my house. He's not suddenly going to develop talent overnight. Sorry for your troubles.

[Redlands Okie]

Some contractors are really good and take pride in doing their job well. If your having problems and this is the start of the job process you best get the standards of job quality you want figured out and established with your general contractor right now. If the GC is not making sure of the details then who will ?

Somethings do not go right and mistakes are made. With that said this could get real expensive for someone real fast. No need to keep adding to the problem.

[cx]

Welcome, Drew.

Too much fundamentally wrong with that installation to even worry about the aesthetics of the tile installation.

Originally Posted by Robert

If the GC is not making sure of the details then who will ?

As a long time GC I've gotta agree with Robert on that one.

My opinion; worth price charged.

[Davy]

I have to agree with the others, that's rough on my eyes.

I'm not sure what's going on with the leg that goes down beside the tub and down to the floor. Surely those are there just to support the subway tile above and won't stay that way.

The ledge at the end of the tub would rot out in no time. The tile, thinset and cement board are not waterproof and that area has to be done carefully to make it water tight. Needs a little pitch to start with.

[Kman]

Check the installer's teeth to see if they are chipped. I'm pretty sure he nibbled some of the tile off to make them fit.

[Redlands Okie]

LOL Kman

[mark999]

That is an ugly situation all around and your GC should of never let that happen and now you have big problems..I would tell him that and not another penny will be paid untill that bathroom tile(walls and floor) is done by the book. That being the TCNA tile council of north america handbook. Then I would tell him he needs to buy and read it before someone starts the redo.Then I would tell him you want a meeting before work starts with him and the tile setter that is to do the work and he needs to explain in great detail how everything is to be waterproffed tiled and grouted. Also demand a list of every product that ill be used so you can look it all up and read the manuf. instructions.

Might be a good idea to buy that book yourself. It will have all the info. on how to properly build a shower.

Sorry for the bad situation but you caught it in time,nice move. Most people only find out after it is to late.

Please keep us posted on how it works out and a couple of pics.

[evan1968]

....and I'm sure the response will be " I've been doing it this way for years".

[Drewsky510]

Thank you all for the replies!! Y’all are awesome and have been a huge help. Even my untrained eye knew that this was complete garbage and I was pissed as soon as I saw it.

I am meeting with my GC this morning to go over the work at the house. The most frustrating part is that I (thought) I did all of my due diligence in picking a qualified GC with years of industry experience so that he wouldn’t cut corners. He was by no means the lowerst bid and was on the higher end but the work he did previously spoke for itself and was top notch. I have no idea what happened here but I’ll provide an update after I meet with him today.

I’m going to ask him to grade the installers work and his answer will determine our relationship going forward. I’m paying him a lot of money to make sure that everything is done professionally and if he can’t catch this there’s no telling what else could be missed in this six figure remodeling project.

[evan1968]

First question to the GC...."Where's the waterproofing?"
From experience, his answer will probably be "we seal the grout".
Nope,nope,nope. Time to find a qualified tilestter.

[Drewsky510]

First question to the GC...."Where's the waterproofing?"
From experience, his answer will probably be "we seal the grout".
Nope,nope,nope. Time to find a qualified tilestter.

I met with my GC this morning at my house and discussed the situation with the bathroom tile. He agreed that the quality of the workmanship was subpar and needed to be redone. He did say exactly what you said he would, they caulk and seal the great to keep the water out. I pointed out, thanks to everyone's great advice, that the TCNA specifies that all tile in wet areas should be installed with a waterproof membrane between the tile and the cement backer.

Come to find out from my GC the guy who did the installation was actually a carpenter that happened to be "good" at laying tile but this was his first time working with subway tile... I asked him why the floors look awful too and he said that the guy just messed up big time and he had no excuse for it.

He apologized for the mistake in the workmanship and his judgment and is going to hire a professional tiler to lay all of the tile in the house. I made it abundantly clear that I expect all work to be done professionally and up to code and he agreed.

I will continue to stay on top of the job and making sure that no corners are being cut and will also update here with the progress. Thank you all for your help! Really appreciate it.