Seeking advice on an ongoing job (bevelled metro tiles)

[Martyn Leeds]

We’re on the home straight of our new kitchen being fitted, and the fitter has been working on the tiles.

I think the clue is in the original post.
No doubt he's decent at fitting kitchens, & knows his way round a few cupboards and stuff.
But plastic trim with them big corners look a bit naff

What's wrong with a bit of chrome round the edges instead?

 

[Tom Ewer]

So, putting the brick bond issues to one side (because that seems relatively straightforward), from what I can tell:

1. Some people are saying that you can (and should) mitre the tiles to provide the cleanest finish. That would definitely be my preference.
2. There's no debate that if you use a trim, it should be 8mm (not 9.5mm).
3. Opinion is mixed on whether you put trim on the top or not.

So at this point I'm not sure how to proceed. I have a feeling that the chap I'm using might not be technically capable of producing the end result I'd like (definitely not if I go the mitring route). On the other hand, I'm concerned that getting this job finished off by someone else would be expensive, given that it's only a small job (and making good on someone else's work, no less).

What would you do in my position?

 

[Time's Ran Out]

Grout it and live with it! It's not the end of the world and your asking tilers here who would have done it differently.

 

[dave l and l]

why dont you discuss it with him, see if you can come to some agreement . once again i will say its not a terrible job by any standards .

 

[GAZ5518]

Too much "Plastic" for my liking...Spoils the look...Square edge would have looked better... and I wouldn't have advised trimming top edge..(IMPO).
As others have said...seen a lot worse😵

 

[Mod]

Hello,

We’re on the home straight of our new kitchen being fitted, and the fitter has been working on the tiles.

He originally said that he’d mitre the tiles (here’s what we’ve got) to provide a clean finish, which sounded great. However, when he tried to mitre them he couldn’t get a good enough finish on the edge.

His next idea was to use a 9mm trim, and file off and grout the corners (i.e. where separate pieces of trim met). That sounded awful to me, but he said it would look good. In short, it didn’t (and he agreed).

His next idea was to use corner pieces (like this, but plastic) to finish off the corners, which I agreed to. However, he then decided to switch to a 9.5mm trim (without first telling me) because he felt the 9mm trim was too small, and took delivery of and fitted l-shaped corner pieces (rather than the style I agreed to). I've attached the end result.

I’m really unhappy with the finish. I think the trim looks too fat and takes over the tiles, and the corner pieces look really budget. Ideally I would’ve loved to have seen a mitred finish (as we were originally promised), but if not that, a much ‘cleaner’ finish with the trim.

My question is this: can we rescue this? Could the tiles be mitred (and our chap just doesn’t have the knowhow to do the job right), or if not, is there another approach (with or without trim) that would look better than what we’ve got?

I’d appreciate your thoughts!

View attachment 92408

Fff

Hello,

We’re on the home straight of our new kitchen being fitted, and the fitter has been working on the tiles.

He originally said that he’d mitre the tiles (here’s what we’ve got) to provide a clean finish, which sounded great. However, when he tried to mitre them he couldn’t get a good enough finish on the edge.

His next idea was to use a 9mm trim, and file off and grout the corners (i.e. where separate pieces of trim met). That sounded awful to me, but he said it would look good. In short, it didn’t (and he agreed).

His next idea was to use corner pieces (like this, but plastic) to finish off the corners, which I agreed to. However, he then decided to switch to a 9.5mm trim (without first telling me) because he felt the 9mm trim was too small, and took delivery of and fitted l-shaped corner pieces (rather than the style I agreed to). I've attached the end result.

I’m really unhappy with the finish. I think the trim looks too fat and takes over the tiles, and the corner pieces look really budget. Ideally I would’ve loved to have seen a mitred finish (as we were originally promised), but if not that, a much ‘cleaner’ finish with the trim.

My question is this: can we rescue this? Could the tiles be mitred (and our chap just doesn’t have the knowhow to do the job right), or if not, is there another approach (with or without trim) that would look better than what we’ve got?

I’d appreciate your thoughts!

View attachment 92408

 

[andy-p]

I almost never mitre ceramics , trim protects the edges and nobody wants to pay for the amount of extra time it takes . just my view ...

 

[Mod]

Metro tiles are hard to finish and take ages to put up. Its all about asthetics and the clients aspirations at the end of the day.
I dont like the white trim but unless im getting paid more for mitres I wouldnt do

 

[Time's Ran Out]

Now I may be old fashioned or just old, but if a jobs worth doing then it should be done correctly.
I would price to mitre because that's the way to do it, so I would either not get the job because I was more expensive or the customer will know to ask the other tilers if they intend to mitre.

 

[andy-p]

I can hand on heart say in over 30 years of tiling the amount of customers who have asked for mitres on ceramics I could count on one hand . In saying that who remembers when tiles used to come with " jolies" ?

 

[Time's Ran Out]

Ok - what 'tiler' would leave a job looking like that?

 

[andy-p]

John, you remind me of some of the old school tilers I worked with , dry sense of humour and great tradesmen , I learned a lot from these guys while having fun times at work, sorry this is a bit off topic...

 

[Andy Allen]

Now I may be old fashioned or just old, but if a jobs worth doing then it should be done correctly.
I would price to mitre because that's the way to do it, so I would either not get the job because I was more expensive or the customer will know to ask the other tilers if they intend to mitre.

I wouldn't say 'it's the way to do it'
It may be ONE way to do it.
I've tiled hundreds of metro kitchens using trim and have had zero complaints all have paid in full.....many recommending me for more metro kitchens........even though I hate doing them !!
Done correctly it gives a more than acceptable finish.

Sorry to be blunt John but you may live in a different world to some tilers who can't afford to just price themselves out of a job.

 

[Time's Ran Out]

@andy-p and @Andy Allen
I can see you are both trying to win me over to the plastic side!
Well it won't work. 😉
Being nice doesn't pay the bills but I'd rather spend more time doing the mitres at my own expense then using trim for an acceptable finish.
There is nothing acceptable in this OP's original picture, from the rounded trim corners, the colour of the trim, to the setting out of the tiles - it's a poor DIY job that a tradesman has charged for. It's work like this that diminishes the standing of our trade, surely if there is a better way of doing a job that's the way to do it.

 

[Andy Allen]

And when was the last time you did a metro kitchen splash Back John ?

 

[Marc]

Hello,

We’re on the home straight of our new kitchen being fitted, and the fitter has been working on the tiles.

He originally said that he’d mitre the tiles (here’s what we’ve got) to provide a clean finish, which sounded great. However, when he tried to mitre them he couldn’t get a good enough finish on the edge.

His next idea was to use a 9mm trim, and file off and grout the corners (i.e. where separate pieces of trim met). That sounded awful to me, but he said it would look good. In short, it didn’t (and he agreed).

His next idea was to use corner pieces (like this, but plastic) to finish off the corners, which I agreed to. However, he then decided to switch to a 9.5mm trim (without first telling me) because he felt the 9mm trim was too small, and took delivery of and fitted l-shaped corner pieces (rather than the style I agreed to). I've attached the end result.

I’m really unhappy with the finish. I think the trim looks too fat and takes over the tiles, and the corner pieces look really budget. Ideally I would’ve loved to have seen a mitred finish (as we were originally promised), but if not that, a much ‘cleaner’ finish with the trim.

My question is this: can we rescue this? Could the tiles be mitred (and our chap just doesn’t have the knowhow to do the job right), or if not, is there another approach (with or without trim) that would look better than what we’ve got?

I’d appreciate your thoughts!

View attachment 92408

Hi there,
Personally I would have used a 8mm square edge chrome or brushed aluminium trim and mitred the trim. White plastic trim can make it look cheap.
Also the broken bond should have followed around the pillar to continue the flow and effect.
The tiles could have been mitred at external angles but this would have taken time and a quality wet cutter would have needed to be used to prevent any chipping on glaze.

 

[andy-p]

I never use plastic trims only quality square edged metal trims like genisis , when I subbed for porcelanosa they supplied trims made of brass and chromed, which were nearly £50 a pop I believe , ouch...

 

[Time's Ran Out]

And when was the last time you did a metro kitchen splash Back John ?

I haven't but my son did this in 2015.

 

[NZ_Tiler]

Hello,

We’re on the home straight of our new kitchen being fitted, and the fitter has been working on the tiles.

He originally said that he’d mitre the tiles (here’s what we’ve got) to provide a clean finish, which sounded great. However, when he tried to mitre them he couldn’t get a good enough finish on the edge.

His next idea was to use a 9mm trim, and file off and grout the corners (i.e. where separate pieces of trim met). That sounded awful to me, but he said it would look good. In short, it didn’t (and he agreed).

His next idea was to use corner pieces (like this, but plastic) to finish off the corners, which I agreed to. However, he then decided to switch to a 9.5mm trim (without first telling me) because he felt the 9mm trim was too small, and took delivery of and fitted l-shaped corner pieces (rather than the style I agreed to). I've attached the end result.

I’m really unhappy with the finish. I think the trim looks too fat and takes over the tiles, and the corner pieces look really budget. Ideally I would’ve loved to have seen a mitred finish (as we were originally promised), but if not that, a much ‘cleaner’ finish with the trim.

My question is this: can we rescue this? Could the tiles be mitred (and our chap just doesn’t have the knowhow to do the job right), or if not, is there another approach (with or without trim) that would look better than what we’ve got?

I’d appreciate your thoughts!

View attachment 92408

He decided to change trim by .5 of a mm and he needed to run it by you? Are you serious?

 

[Tom Ewer]

Thanks everyone for your suggestions. We decided in the end to use a 9mm trim on the vertical edges (would've used 8mm but it doesn't appear to be readily available), then grout and paint the top (the same colour as the wall).

 

[Flintstone]

John doesn't do splashbacks remember, he leaves them to us cowboys, chances and diyers

 

[Time's Ran Out]

You never give up do you plank!
We've all seen the ***** you turn out.

 

[Flintstone]

You said it John not me

 

[Blunt Tool]

Kids nowadays 🙄