Tiling -is this ok or am I being too fussy?

[Skinnydecafflatte]

Hi,

We’re having building work and it said tiling the bathroom was not included but we could get it down for £35 square metre. Not sure what the going rate is?

The builder (project manager) said he’d sort it and it turned out he was doing it himself. We had no reason to worry as the rest of his work has been great. Anyway it seems to us he’s not a tiler and we’re not very happy with it which is awkward. He’s put the grouting in yesterday and it looks worse, where they meet I assumed it’d look like a neat cross.
Anyway can you let me know if you think this is ok or are we being too fussy?

That's dreadful, I couldn't live with that.
Are you sure he did it himself as I think a dexterous monkey could do it better.

That’s abysmal.

My husband has always done the tiling in our houses and it's been considerably better than your photos op. The corners aren't square. He obviously didn't use spacers. I would be very upset by that and would want something done about it.

Not acceptable if you are paying somebody to do it
DIY job fair enough

Not good at all. Sorry.

Nope. Looks like a bad DIY attempt. Not something I'd be paying professional rates for at all.

Don't know if this is happening everywhere but we have been doing a major refurb project over the last year and tiling has been the most difficult thing to get done. We ended stopping work to wait nearly 2 months for our tiler to be free to do the work.

We did explore getting another tiler in but as it turned out, none were available any sooner and having been burned with poor tiling work in the past we decided it was better to wait for the expert guy we trust.

I ma not a tiler, but ALL my tiling is better than that.

I wouldn't be at all happy with that

Gosh, hope the conversation went OK OP. I think my gut would say if you'd done it yourself- annoying but acceptable. If I'd paid someone to do it... Absolutely not. He needs to get someone else in to redo it and pay for any additional tiles that might be needed. It's a new bathroom and this will bug you!

Tiling is a fiddly job- it only has to be a little bit 'out' and it looks terrible. Having seen 'professional' tile work in friends' and family's houses, admittedly better than your photos but still with messy edges etc., we've always done it ourselves, and still would unless I could find a really good tiler, with lots of references and work I'd seen. A general builder, no, wouldn't let one near it. Some jobs need a specialist, plastering is the same. Though tiling I would do myself because you can substitute time ( a lot of time) for skill, but plastering I wouldn't because you have to do it quick and right first time.

@Skinnydecafflatte how did the conversation go?

I am the DIY tiler in this house, his work is appalling.

I couldn't live with that.

@OnTheBenchOfDoom we did it via a text and he’s coming tomorrow to take them off and he said he’d reimburse us. We’ve another tiler hopefully booked for a fortnights time to start again.
Let’s hope he’s ok tomorrow as he’s finishing off the build for the rest of the extension. Maybe I’ll take the children out for the whole day?!…

Awkward. Sorry, OP

no. not spaced properly, you can buy these great re-usable spacers now on ebay etc...they are red screw things....they help give a perfect finish for tiles.

@earsup

no. not spaced properly, you can buy these great re-usable spacers now on ebay etc...they are red screw things....they help give a perfect finish for tiles.

Yep- seems odd he didn't use them, if he didn't. They have been around for yonks, and make it so much easier.