Advice on this tiling job - Tile Advice

[Moser78]

Just had following work done:
downstairs toilet - replaced toilet and sink and tiled the floor.

En-suite - replaced toilet, sink and shower cubicle. Tiled wall and ceiling.

Main bathroom - tiled floor and walls, replaced sink, toilet and bath (regular bath to L shaped shower bath).
Attached are photos of the main bathroom tiling. How do I rectify this with the tradesman? Is it done to an acceptable standard?
Main issues are:
White tiles stained grey - he said they are poor quality tiles so difficult to get the grout off. He has replaced approx 25 of the worst, some of which are now uneven.
Grouting is different widths and is patchy in parts
Sealant (grey and white) is uneven and messy.
Caulking where tiles meet sloping roof is a mess.
Behind sink pedestal is a hole with rubble still in it.

He is returning on Friday to look at the things we are unhappy with but I’m not confident he will correct the issues.

We bought the tiles, sinks, toilets, showers, baths etc in advance so it is just the cost of installation/tiling we have paid him for.

 

[Trigger]

Very poor, no attention to detail. I pretty confident that they are not a tiler.

 

[parkerfresh]

As a tiler, I don’t even touch plumbing… that’s a fairly scrappy job in all honesty and I think the cleanup (or lack there of) makes it look a lot worse than it is. If he’s a professional tiler, problematic grout joint issues should have been brought up beforehand (only due to batch issues or poor manufacturing)

It’s not the worst job I’ve ever seen, but it’s certainly not the best either.

 

[Moser78]

As a tiler, I don’t even touch plumbing… that’s a fairly scrappy job in all honesty and I think the cleanup (or lack there of) makes it look a lot worse than it is. If he’s a professional tiler, problematic grout joint issues should have been brought up beforehand (only due to batch issues or poor manufacturing)

It’s not the worst job I’ve ever seen, but it’s certainly not the best either.

Thanks for your reply. To clarify, should the contractor have raised the issues with the grouting beforehand or us?
Thanks

 

[shane61]

Definitely not a professional. It’s not great that these guys r getting work..

 

[Trigger]

Definitely not a professional. It’s not great that these guys r getting work..

Not saying it is the case in this instance, but I think so many customers are driven by price. All they want is cheap, cheap, cheap which unfortunately means the end up with some chancer who has decided they think they can tile.

 

[Trigger]

Thanks for your reply. To clarify, should the contractor have raised the issues with the grouting beforehand or us?
Thanks

A tiler would generally know by looking at a tile if they are likely to cause a problem.

However, as tilers we sometimes don't know what tile the customer has chosen until the day of starting the job. I always think that it should be part of the sales process that if you buy a certain tile the retailer should inform you that you need an additional product to seal the tiles. You can then pass this information on to your tiler who can then be prepared and charge accordingly. Some retailers do provide this information.

So my point is if he hadn't priced for the additional sealer and the time to seal the tiles he might of thought he would get away with it. What should of happened if this is the case is that he advised you sealer is going to cost you an extra £20 and its going to take him into another day so that will cost you an extra £200-£300 or whatever he charges.

I'm not making excusses for him, it is still a poor job.

 

[Phone-a-tiler]

I agree with comments. Tiles also look sizey, better used as just a floor tile. Would need a bigger joint to hide the size and any tile bow. Dark grout wouldnt help with the look.

 

[Elektor]

Look, when you know you are going to put a dark grout on light tiles there's nowhere to hide. Tiles that don't line up on the joints just shout look at me. You might have got away with it with a light or white grout but not dark brown. The final sealing lets the job down - its another skill set to get right. You get what you pay for. As a customer you should have done due diligence and seen his work or talked to his previous customers. If not, then a lots down to you. It may have only been a small job but a bad small job is still a bad job.