Opinion on this job please. Is this a satisfactory finish?

[tuthai]

My last post questioned a large extra charge for creating a diamond tile pattern.


This morning I've had my first chance to look at the job properly and I would like your opinions please.


I'm not happy with the failure to wrap the diamond pattern around the corners but that aside it looks fine from a distance.


However on closer inspection the jagged and untidy joins in the bull nose dado where it goes around a corner don't look pretty at all.


I understand it may be difficult to cut neat 45 degree angles in marble but is this finish acceptable? The cut angled dado sections seem to have lots broken off and the damage filled with grout. One corner is actually so jagged it's razor sharp.


There are quite a few gaps in the grout which won't help the water resistance.


There is also lots of excess grout which isn't coming off.


Am I being picky or is this a good overall job?


Your opinions would be appreciated.


Thanks

 

[Gazzer]

Worse than I first thought and cutting of marble can be done neatly.

 

[Colour Republic]

the cutting and grouting are horrendous. Close up that is pretty bad.

 

[Gazzer]

Your next question will probably be, " is it salvageable" The answer is , Maybe, but not by the guy who tiled it. He certainly has not got the skills.

 

[AliGage]

You know what the other photos didn't look too bad. But close up its really awlful!!

I've also just seen what you've paid or being asked to pay for this work. Incredibly inflated price for another well below par job i'm afraid.

 

[area tiling]

Poor work by a cowboy again, its people like this that's destroying our trade!

 

[cam_low]

Same old story with builders. Refuse to pay him full stop. That's bloody horrendous. He has wrecked your lovely tiles.

 

[tuthai]

As I feared.


In the corners he seems to have cut square(ish) notches out of the dado to slot the other piece in.


I'm no tiler but surely a straight 45 degree cut would give a perfect neat 90 degree turn with no need to fill the damage with grout?


Is straight 45 degree cut normal?


It seems much harder to try and cut a notch doesn't it?



(Sorry about the rotated images. Not sure why it's doing that).

 

[Gazzer]

Like I say, its easy with the right tools. A mitre cut takes little effort with a tile saw or even angle grinder.

 

[tuthai]

The lovely dado tiles were very expensive 🙁

It will need re doing. I guess they can salvage some by cutting the bad sections out?

 

[Gazzer]

If they have been fixed with any decent adhesive then I wouldnt fancy the chances of marble being saved !

 

[Colour Republic]

I doubt you'll get them off in one piece to be honest.

With each picture you post it gets worse. I know somebody said in the other thread that people shouldn't pull apart the standard of work when you were just asking about the extra cost and you were happy with the work. But to be honest I'm glad some did comment as that work is well below par and for the money you have paid you should be expecting an A1 finish and that isn't it!

 

[tuthai]

It's a shame. Actually it's more than a shame.... i'm gutted.

He's a good guy, a hard worker and a good builder and I can't fault his other jobs. They have been spot on. He's tiled the floors and patio and roof and it all looks great.

I actually employ a project manager who clearly in this case should have sourced a professional tiler for the job. The builder actually said to me on Friday that "he wasn't a tiler".

Oh dear. Looks like an expensive fix and the dado takes 4 weeks to manufacture 🙁

 

[Gazzer]

 

[widler]

he aint mitered the internals at all,he has cut a bit of the top profile and tried to slip the other in,a bit like doing a internal on skirting with a coping saw ,its horrendous, and the external,erm,its horrendous .
i think the builder will know this as well,just tell him,if you get on he will understand

 

[Andy Tiler]

Terrible!.......

 

[John Benton]

I've just had to re-do a bathroom floor that the builder had done to complete an extension. The tiles were lifting off the floor, we had standing water underneath as the shower cubicle wasn't sealed correctly (I believe he did the plumbing as well). I couldn't really do anything with the wall tiles as they really needed ripping out as well, although not quite as bad as floor, as the customers budget didn't stretch that far.

What's annoying more than anything is, he's done a great job on the extension and the driveway is granite cobbles and it looks really good.

It's been said many times on here before. Builders build and tilers tile. They are not a finishing trade and therefore do not generally carry the correct tools to get the finish that is required on either cheap ceramics or expensive marble. Or, more importantly they do not have the 'eyes' for finishing at an acceptable standard.

I dread to think what he's charged you initially and then as you've said in a previous post that he wanted another weeks labour just for fixing at 45 degrees.

From a distance your initial photos looked ok apart from the wrap round and you thought it was acceptable before the comments were made from this forum. Now we have had a chance to look at it closely, we get the true picture of the standard of work. If it was me, I would not accept nor pay for the work that has been done, it is well below the required level. Sorry to be harsh, but this looks no better than a poor DIY attempt, with all the wrong tools!

 

[tuthai]

Up to the dado it looks good.

It's the dado and the diamond pattern above where clearly there is expert tiling skill required and the lack of experience shows.

 

[Colour Republic]

Judging by some of the photos, too much grout has been left on the face of the tiles even below the dado, whilst it looks 'ok' at the moment, in a few months the thin film of grout will discolour and look shabby. It's not unrecoverable but does need attention.

 

[tuthai]

Yes, you are right . There is a lot of grout film.

I presumed it would just wipe off with a clean but as I have found out that is not the case.

Is there a cleaner that will remove it?

Thanks again.

 

[nybor62]

shocking workmanship , i feel so sorry for you , builder should put right at his cost , and pay for a pro , imho
good luck

 

[ian158]

Poor work by a cowboy again, its people like this that's destroying our trade!

he's a buider not a tiler..so how can he be destroying your trade..if anything the OP will not use a builder..but a tiler next time..that is poor work !

 

[gamma38]

I was one who said we shouldn't be knocking the guys work on the other thread, only because the customer said she was happy with the work and i didn't think it was fair to tell her the nice job was not so nice. No one wants to hear that. But now after seeing these close up pics i'm lost for words. I think he must have given the dado to his dog to chew a mitre on each end. It is truly shocking. I wouldn't be paying any more to this guy, and as above you should be trying to get some money back.

 

[prceramics]

if he has not sealed the marble prior to grouting it will be hard to get off 🙁

 

[ian158]

Orange Juice - Rip It Up - YouTube

 

[tuthai]

Another day and it doesn't look any better! 🙁

If I understand correctly the dado and everything above it needs to come off. Below the dado is fine. I know I can't talk prices but can I discuss time? To take off (trying to save the dado), retiled correctly and re skim the walls to completion, how many day are we talking?

 

[widler]

U won't save the dado if its been stuck right, its brittle stuff, same with tiles.
Possibly a day to rip out and prep everything, couple of days tiling

 

[Mr T]

terrible!

 

[Jeff the tiler]

A professional tiler with the right tools, this would not happen. Sounds like the builder is after a profit instead of quality finishing. May be wrong, but think not. Things like this confirm tiling is a true trade again and should be done by a professional tiler.

 

[The D]

I haven't seen the other tread but if you have paid more than £1.99 for that rubbish you have been ripped off. I am astonished that someone is asking for money for that pathetic standard. IMHO it is a total do over by someone that can do the job.

 

[Time's Ran Out]

Another day and it doesn't look any better! 🙁

If I understand correctly the dado and everything above it needs to come off. Below the dado is fine. I know I can't talk prices but can I discuss time? To take off (trying to save the dado), retiled correctly and re skim the walls to completion, how many day are we talking?

Just get a local tiler in to give you a proper written estimate to redo the whole job to our industry standard. Anything less and you are accepting shoddy workmanship and he will continue to ruin other projects.