I’m debating how to handle the gap behind my edge piece. I was originally planning to fill it with joint compound and tapering it so that it appears flat. But recently I thought I saw a comment about filling these gaps with grout. Is that a standard practice? Any advice would be appreciated.
I had a complete bathroom reno done ~6 months ago that included a tiled shower installed with the schluter system and a tiled niche. One of the bottom tiles in the niche cracked about a month after install and the contractor's tiler came out and removed the middle two tiles to replace the cracked one (picture 3). Since then all four tiles have cracked in a similar fashion to the first one, leaving the niche in the state shown in pictures 1 and 2.
Can anyone lend some insight into why the tiles are cracking? I have the contractor coming out in a few days with the tiler and the manager of tile shop to take a look. He's proposed potentially putting in a piece of quartz to replace the bottom shelf, which seems like a reasonable solution to me but I don't know what I don't know. Does this seem like a reasonable way to remedy the situation? What questions should I be asking? Thanks in advance for any and all info and advice.
Is it an easy fix to regrout? We hired a licensed handyman. It looked great after installation. Within a week, noticed some cracks, then chunks of grout coming off. At this point, two months later, there are cracks in many spot and missing chunks of grout everywhere. A few tiles also wobble when stepped on. Can we rehire someone to fix this? Can they just regrout or will a whole new installation be needed.
Edit: next question - legally, am I allowed to ask him to come back to fix it at no additional cost? Or this more of a me-problem to rehire. So sorry for questions. New homeowner here.
I put down these marble mosaic mesh backed tiles for bathroom floor. Thought I did the research but while preparing to grout, I read that I should be sealing this before grouting. I see people dipping the whole sheet in sealer.. I obviously can’t do that now. I also read to not let the sealer get into the gaps.
Should I be wiping on a sealer with a rag, waiting 24 hours, then grouting with non sanded grout, then sealing the grout?
On day 4 without a toilet, so any prompt advice much appreciated!
Experts - we had zellige tile installed on our bathroom floor and love it. We did know going in that since it’s hand made there would be some variation in size/color/shape etc. As far as we are concerned our tile guy did a great job. After about 6 months there are a few small spots similar to what’s pictured. Aesthetically it doesn’t bother me at all, I think it gives good character.
My question - is there any epoxy or caulking I can use to “seal” these little spots? I’m not confident enough to add grout but imagine there’s got to be something out there to seal these. Thinking something similar to a clear nail polish but more durable. Any advice is appreciated
Trying to get these studs plumbing as possible but it seems like every single board has a different issue. I’ve thought about just sistering each stud and calling it a day.
My question is how plumb do you have to get. For instance I have a 5 foot stone section but one stud is about 1/8” from touching the board. Will that gap be a huge issue for a smaller tile application?
In order to do a proper leak test in a shower pan the various manufactures require AT LEAST a 24-hour (and recommend up 72 hours) test... AFTER the pan has fully cured for a MINIMUM of 12 hours, most often 24 hours, and sometimes as long as 48 hours (again depending on the material/manufacturer) BEFORE you can even begin the leak test. I do not believe the vast majority of tile installers are really doing these tests as it's not practical for the working installer.
Assuming you are only installing a shower (and have no other work at the job site) this would mean a MINIMUM of two full work days of waiting around, ie. not working, for evey shower pan you build. This is not real-world stuff. No one can work like this and customers aren't going to be happy with no work being done for two-three days or longer.
Your honest thoughts and confessions?
So I’m a trim carpenter by trade, but will occasionally do bathrooms from time to time for the right customer. This is a curbless shower we finished up a couple months ago with a full schluter system.
A 48”x 48” piece of tempered shower glass sits atop of the knee wall in the picture (had not arrived yet when photos were taken).
Both the niche and the bench are both pitched to the drain and the drain is centered on the shower head rather than the space in which the customers stand for proper drainage.
How’d I do?
Planning a kitchen Reno and was going to put Schulter Ditra heat under the slate. Saw this as I was walking through Menards, it’s on clearance and I’m assuming at this price point it probably junk? Anyone ever used it or know anything about it?
I hired a one-man team to reno my only bathroom. He had good referrals locally, has been pleasant and thorough in communication so far, and seemed confident in his ability to execute the agreed scope.
Ignoring the haze, which should wipe away when he wraps up tomorrow, there are several things here that make me very uncomfortable with the work. Generally, it does not look neat or precise, but here are some specific aspects of the install that I worry may be bad and need reworking/redo:
Am I overreacting? Is there any remedy besides having someone else come in to redo? They are coming back tomorrow to clean up the tile work and install fixtures. We have paid him roughly 50% of the estimate cost (it was a detailed estimate with ranges in cost per line item) and I cannot imagine paying a cent more given what I am seeing here.
Thanks in advance for thoughts/suggestions/advice.
EDITs!!! -
The grout is red, which we requested. He claims he needed to let it finish drying overnight before wiping down since the pigment kept running when he ran the sponge over it after the first few hours of setting/drying.
If anyone with the interest and skill to help me out of this mess does work in Northern New England (US), please DM me. I would love to chat.
For those who want to see an update and help me decide what to do as far as recourse, I added a comment below with things cleaned up a bit. Grout is still not really set so wiping down just makes it seep more pigment at this point. Not sure if this grout sucks or he didn’t work with it correctly.
Contracted out tiling work on a new shower and I admit that I am pretty uptight so having trouble deciding if I need to unclench or if I need to ask my contractor to re-do some of this. For context, the floors in the bathroom are beautifully done and when I asked why there were chips along the edges of the tile in the shower, the response was that marble is more prone to chipping. I can't tell if that is a good reason for there to be chips....but the grout work seems subpar to me?
For posterity and if folks are doing pricing comparisons: east coast HCOL area, 6800$ for tiling the whole master bath, materials not included
This is after a 24hr flood test in a 36x36” pan. I lost maybe 1/16 and as afar as evaporation the AC was on all night so I think that could be the reason for losing water. I also have these saturated or damp spots that feel wet. Did I not get a good bond under that fabric and lose water or is this normal.
Also, if it’s failing can I just coat it in hydroban? Thanks
Hi I am redoing my shower and live in a historic home. The gap between two of the joists is 21”. Debating whether I should attempt to run a joist down the center of the two. I’m worried that I will get sagging or deflection - two pieces of 3/4 bcx, quickset and then tile ready shower pan will go on top.
Hi all, I’m hoping to get some assistance. I am looking to have a white subway tile backsplash installed in my kitchen (looking at 2x8). Someone told me about some sort of tile sheets that come already grouted that are apparently fairly easy to install. I’m looking on the Internet and I’m not finding anything that is already grouted? They said they were real tiles and not vinyl, etc. anyone know?? Thank you!!
Powder Room
Planning to remodel the powder room. We removed our old tiles and found the floor like this where we have space at the edge after removing the side board.
My questions are:
This is my floor and it looks like crap. It is finished and looks dirty. Is this fixable just using an epoxy cleaner? (It’s epoxy grout) Is that something I can do myself? Idk if this is grout haze. I talked to contractor but they think it’s fine….its not to me though. I also attached a picture of the extra piece I had to show what it looks like before installation.