Contractor's Schluter Mistakes - Fix or Fine?

[KKief]

Custom tiled shower with a Schluter cove profile on the shower floor. I don't understand why all the cuts are jagged and uneven. Is there any way this install meets industry standards?

[makethatkerdistick]

Kate, I don't mean to be cynical but those are some super ugly cuts for sure. Looks like they marred the Schluter trim in the process, too, or is that just a reflection? Is that the soft PVC Dilex or a metal trim? A traditional silicone-filled joined suffices and would have probably looked better.

Also, the marble you picked is already showing signs of oxidization from the iron contained therein. If I had to guess there will probably be more of it in the future. Some people say mostly the budget marble is prone to that but I don't know enough whether that's true or not.

Have any of the previous issues been addressed?

Disclaimer: I am an amateur but have worked with a range of Schluter products for two shower remodels.

[KKief]

Thanks Wolfgang, yes, everything was addressed and fixed with guidance from this forum and schluter. Then this tile job happened.

The tile itself is actually a beautiful calacatta from Italy, so there is some gold veining and I’m ok with the living finish of it. It doesn’t look great in this pic bc of grout haze and also the tile installer didn’t use a vacuum (like at any point) so it’s super dirty. I don’t want to trash anyone’s work, but I’ve only ever looked this closely at my own house. My expectations may be skewed from website/social media photos ?

[Kman]

Kate, you're not being picky. Those cuts aren't in any way acceptable. There's really no reason for someone to install those cuts as they are.

[Kman]

And I agree with Wolfgang that those profiles don't appear to be the ones designed for that application.

[makethatkerdistick]

In fact, are yours the cove metal profiles described here:
https://www.schluter.com/schluter-us...HK/p/DILEX_AHK

If so, this is primarily for countertop to backsplash transition. Read the part about limited movement carefully. Your shower wall to floor joint needs movement accommodation. Schluter makes such profiles as well but they're different, not metal. Most simply, a 1/8 in silicone joint would have been all that was required for movement accommodation.

[KKief]

Actually they are the dilex PHK, which would be okay in this situation except he floated out the grout line almost 1/2" instead of flush to the spacer for a 1/8" joint line. Which looks just about as sloppy as the cuts, so there's that too.

https://www.schluter.com/schluter-us...HK/p/DILEX_PHK

[makethatkerdistick]

Again, Kate, you'll notice the clause about "where limited movement is expected" in your link.

What they should have used had they paid heed to details:
https://www.schluter.com/schluter-us...rofiles/c/P-MJ

The manufacturer does the research and development. I think we're well advised to follow their guidelines. Not your fault, obviously, but your professional should know this stuff. Problem is, he doesn't read enough. It's all there laid out.

If it were me, I would have opted for the Dilex HKS made from actual stainless steel. Longterm durability and beauty over PVC. Would look sharp with an Italian marble such as yours (or any other tile, in my very personal opinion).

[Davy]

Kate, just like anything else that's hand crafted, the installer's eye to detail is important for a nice looking job. It's not an accident when a job comes out looking good. It means the installer took the needed time to make it that way. Most likely the installer thinks his job looks just fine.

Edit; Another thing or two. There are times when the installer can get by with using a grinder to make his cuts. So many get lazy and want to make all their cuts with a grinder which might be what this guy did and you can see the outcome. Also, you can see by the difference size of the cuts, the floor is way out of square. This floor would have been squared up long before most installers ever started tiling anything.

[Elkski]

I really can't tell what profile he used. There's so much grout or thinset left on I can't even see what kind of corner joint he used. It looks like he left something on the finish that messed up the Finish coat each stick of Schluter trim comes with a warning to wash thinset off quickly. Very sad to see poor craftmanship. Not just a bad cut here and there but so many in such a small view.