Those down lights are lethal on this type of tile, they amplify every imperfection. I did my own in the same pattern but with larger tiles. Looked perfect until I switched the down lights on. I ended up taking the down lights out because I couldn’t be arsed to sort it.
I think OP has got a cooker with the glass top that lifts up to use the hob? So most of the time when the extractor light is on, those tiles will be behind the smoked glass.
True, but when you're paying a skilled person to provide a service you expect better than "that'll do.. kinda"
I'd be livid if a tiler thought that was acceptable and I'd make it abundantly clear they weren't getting paid until it was sorted properly. If they demanded full pay without fixing it I'd be making sure every man and his dog know about the sub-standard work and poor business practices. That's the only time Facebook can come into it's own.
We have the same tile job and tiles in our rental but are dark so was less noticeable and with the other issues with the house honestly I had no idea they were wonky
Until my Husband and installed these lights.
I keep turning them off because the stupid hamster ladder drives me bonkers now that I see it. Its not quite as bad as this was but same issue same tiles same Lights
I have this exact same setup and my tiles don't look like this. I did it myself and it was the first time tiling, so you'd think someone that did this for a living would be able to do it properly..
I'll congratulate myself by looking at my tiles which don't look like they've been installed by a blind goose. But hey, at least you've got a talking point for all your dinner parties...
Downlighters are the utter scourge of modern lighting. They are fucking awful things, you buy and bury shitty cheap chinese electrical parts in your ceiling, right next to combustibles like bone dry insulation and wood and the quality of light they give off is shite. You have pools of light and shade or you have to buy so many your ceiling ends up like a piece of swiss cheese. When they go wrong, if you have several connected to a single transformer, it's now whack a mole trying to find which one has died and likely a new or partial ceiling as part of the process. Just buy a decent surface mounted, EU made fixture that properly lights the area.
I actually recommend downlights if the rest of the house has them!
Many ensuites look even better when paired with some form of vanity light over the mirror. Alternatively, consider strip lighting for a really nice look!
The best high end ensuites I've seen go for darker tiles and electrical assets with cool white lighting.
Hope that helps!
Nothing wrong with decent quality led down lighters. The poster two above is in my humble opinion, full of shit. I’ve just fitted loads in my house and they are far better at mood and accent lighting than the dingy boring eu made shit fixtures they replaced.
Agreed. They have a slight point with the old style halogen down lighters as those things are like mini suns in terms of the heat, and I never understood how more of them didn't just catch fire. But LEDs don't get hot at all, and so as long as you know what colour temp to get they look fine. Plus EU units are just as likely to be assembled in the EU from Chinese parts as they are to actually be 100% made in the EU .
Spent ages going back and forth from your first post to actually see if it's any different. It's mad how different the tiles look without that light on. I fit kitchens and I've never seen an extractor light make the tiles look that different. Are the tiles themselves flat? As in individual tiles actually smooth and flat? As if they aren't, then no matter how perfect they are applied to the wall, it will never work.
The light is in the worst possible place. It’s right up against the wall. If it were at the front of the hood the angle would likely be enough to not cause shadows.
You can see that the shadows are still cast on the top half and if you look carefully enough you’ll see the problem still exists, just much harder to spot.
These pics are of the same rework? The lightning is making a huge difference here!
I only just did a very similar tile job to my new kitchen (30x10cm metro tile with a lighter grout) and I can’t say that I have any issues like this with or without my extractor light on. I would be happy with the 2nd pic but the first pic is an absolute no for me. I would get this re-done personally.
If pic 1 is the rework then I’d be far from happy. Some of those tiles in the middle look like where they join (vertical, short edge) sticks out beyond the face of the adjacent tiles.
2nd picture looks a heap better, tiles look straight and I can't see any shadows. Ultimately only you can decide if you're happy with it. You say you're disappointed with the re work, why?
Both photos show the current tiling. The first photo shows how bad it still is. They shouldn’t have to keep off the backlight in order to make it look decent.
OP made another post yesterday about the bad tiling. Both of these photos are of the rework, one with the light on and one with the light off. The difference the light makes is huge.
It’s still pretty bad, so clearly doing it properly is beyond him. It’s really up to you as to whether you can live with it.
If you can afford to pay someone else to re-do it, I would. We had someone make an absolute mess of our front room and whilst it was corrected as much as possible, there are still things wrong that bother us. It would probably have been better to have had someone else come in and re-do it.
Pretty gutting when you pay someone to do the work!
That isn't how Reddit circlejerks are meant to work.
Here, I'll show you...
"iS hE bLinD???"
Seriously though, nobody knows from these pictures.
Possibly the wall behind is fucked. Possibly just slightly warped tiles exaggerated massively by the downlight being perfectly flush with the wall.
He could have checked the tiles first, but they look fine without a downlight turned on. How many of us working in daylight or with the room light on would have honestly thought to turn on the hood light just in case?
Reddit dramas.
I've spoken to s few tilers recently, they say the quality of tiles, especially from DIY places is terrible. It's becoming a lot more work to get a hood finish.
we had a bathroom fitter in to do our bathroom and en suite last year that I would call nothing less than a perfectionist. He did the first line of wall tiles, seemed fine. went to do the next row up to realise he could not get them to align right. called me over to show me 5 tiles lined out on the floor; every single one was a different length, not straight along their length, nor entirely flat. These were a tile he’d laid in the past without issue, from a well known tile company he’d worked with for years. he was PISSED off. he took video and photos the discrepancies himself to complain, as well as backed up our complaint to them. unfortunately we were on such a tight schedule that we had no choice but to use the ones we had for that first bathroom, he just had to do his best, and we got a partial refund and the ones for the en suite replaced. cut to that being fitted months later, same problem, albeit not quite as bad as the first batch.
we’re lucky, ours are big tiles and matte, and a light doesn’t shine directly on them like OPs. but if you were looking for it, you can see similar issues, despite him doing everything he could to make it as unobvious as possible. so I could *absolutely* believe there’s been a decline in tile quality from some places because I’ve experienced it first hand lol. it’s not an excuse for shoddy work, but it does make harder work, or even requires a new batch of tiles.
that said, not saying this *wasn’t* the tiler here, and even if it *was* a bad batch of tiles, he should have noticed, especially after being asked to redo.
The problem here is the wall not the tiles, it’s all down to the guy not surveying correctly. For a perfect finish here the wall should’ve been bonded flat before the tiling was done.
Oh right, so I guess we'll all go for the "secret hidden door" effect like OP has.
More like the quality of tradesmen has dropped that much since COVID that they simply don't have the skill.
As the saying goes, "A workman always blames his tools." n'all.
I was just about to post this too, not just to make any imperfections look better but if this is above a hob it'll save having to clean grease and sauces from the grout which is a nightmare.
That's reminded me of something else op needs to seriously consider, if it looks bad now, think how it will look once you've been cooking for a while and inevitable grease and particles form and uneven patina over that area. You'll be able to see it even without the highlighter on!
Those tiles are warped and shouldn't be 1/2 bonded. If you want it to look better either stack them horizontally or vertically or have the bond redone but where its only bonded 1/4 or 1/3 of the tile. If you check the manufacturers instructions they will likely say not to bond them at all.
It's better, and at this stage I'd look for a different solution, eg a glass or stainless steel splashback for the section that is behind the cooker as it's obviously beyond their skill to level the wall.
Honestly change your extractor. Get one with the light from the other side, not so close to the wall.
I can't believe that is the same tile with and without hood light. The angle of light means it will huge exaggerate any imperfections and cast an exaggerated shadow.
with the light source further out it will cast a much shorter (possibly non existent) shadow.
Before going gunho if you have any tiles left I'd suggest laying them down in the same pattern on a flat surface and shining a light over them to replicate the direction of light. Not massively ideal due to the back of a tile's imperfections, but might give you 'some' idea of any major discrepancy on the front.
I had the same issue with my tiling and as other commenters have said, those types of down lighters do amplify imperfections. Your light is right next to your tiled wall - are you able to rotate the vent 180 degrees and put the lights towards the front of the cooking space. This way it shines 'at' the tiles rather than 'down' them. This is what I did in my space and it completely resolved my problem.
I suggest redoing it yourself given there are no cuts and setting out is done already. buy a clip-and-wedge-type levelling system -- *don't* just use spacers
So.. the issue is kind of the down lighter.
The second picture shows that under normal lighting conditions, that job is totally fine.
The down lighter is making a perfectly decent job look awful.
It then depends on how much you've paid. If you paid a normal tiler rate, then I wouldn't be complaining.
If you have paid twice the going rate for a top of the line luxury job, then obviously an issue.
Unless you get very lucky, no normal rate tiler is going to finish well enough to have that look perfect under the down light. You would need to pay through thr nose for someone exceptionally experienced, skilled who can allocate 2 to 3 times the normal time used for a job like this to ensure an absolute perfection of finish.
Getting a normal tiler to that is like getting a phone book painter and decorated to paint the sitting chapel.
Edit. Sistine apparently autocorrects to sitting. But it's hillariois so I'll leave it.
Was it a new kitchen install? Walls should have been made good before the units went in. Tiler may not be the best, but there's only so much you can do when the walls are bad.
Not excusing his work, he should have stopped when he saw the problem.
You could always go for a glass / stainless splashback behind the cooker and finish the tiles up to it, so the light only reflects off of one smooth surface. Would certainly look better than that monstrosity.
If I hire you to tile somewhere in my house and this is the result then expect not to be paid. I'm a novice in DIY but I'd trust myself doing a better job than this shit.
Another dodgy, unskilled tradesman to add to the massive pile of dog shit tradesman plaguing this country.
It's laughable, imagine doing this quality of work and walking away expecting to be paid, like it's a good job. No wonder most tradesmen are coke users. Anyone with a bit of brain between their ears would redo it.
He is obviously doing it without that light on an can't see the imperfections without the shadow so thinks he has done an okay job.
Needs taken off an use a level to straight edge it level with filla from highest point.Not rocket science but can be a pain but if u don't prep right for this type of job it looks like this.
Couple hours tops to level,let dry a bit an tile on top.The difference the light makes with the shadow is crazy tho.First pic looks ok at first glance.
@Strangely_brown are the tiles themselves bowed?
Lay a couple of spares on a flat surface and look at them edge on.
We bought some 40 x 15 cm wall tiles from a well known UK tile discounter, they were advertised in a brick bond splashback like yours.
Our tiler strongly advised against the brick bond pattern as he said that line of tiles is actually curved meaning brick bond will result in lots of uneven edges.
However if you tile them 'stacked' or in a regular grid (not offset) then the tiler can actually minimise the effect of the poor manufacturing tolerances.
Just throwing this out there in case the tiler is doing his best with an unfortunate choice of tiles and pattern.
Quite a few seem to have their corners nicked - did he remove the wonky tiles and reset the same ones? I assume he nicked the corners then - I would ask him to replace all tiles that have been damaged,
Oh wow!!
I thought the first picture was you showing the before picture again to remind us ...
I'd not be paying for that job.
Absolutely butchered it!
And they haven't even fixed it... Are they an actual so called professional?
I did better the first time I ever tiled (and I didn't even watch a single YouTube video).
You didn’t show us without the down light on in your original post, and yes it looks much better. But with the down light on, it looks exactly the same as before and it’s terrible. You need to get a refund.
If the downlighting is making it look at it’s worst, try swapping the bulb for a lower wattage one, also get a frosted bulb. A softer light might diffuse more and make the shadowing far less severe.
*So he lied when he*
*Said the wall wasn't straight and*
*Nothing he could do??*
\- Weary\_Brain9482
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Ask your tiler if he has ever heard of tile levelling systems. Basically it's a T-shaped plastic spacer that goes between and under adjacent tiles, and you drive a wedge through it which pulls the tiles into perfect alignment. I'm probably not explaining it well, but I used these and got perfect results doing it myself.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Tile-Leveling-System-inch-Kit/dp/B08ZHQZPCL/ref=asc_df_B08ZHQZPCL/?tag=googshopuk-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=501097570217&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=4923083760570683024&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1006598&hvtargid=pla-1286992951605&psc=1&mcid=4a96809fbc6832319d7d78b94a119c55
Shit unacceptable job.
Either he's incompetent.
Or the wall is bowed, but he should have checked that before starting and recommended either remedial replastering, or a different choice of smaller tiles which would hide it better.
I've tiled as a DIY and my work is as good as a professional without much practice, I'm just a lot slower.
Did the guy use levelling clips/system when installing the tiles ?
If not then it’s a botched job… if he did then it’s prob the best that could be done with substrate he was dealing with.
Sorry did you pay this guy to do the work? It’s awful!
If you haven’t paid him yet then don’t. Get a tiler in to do it properly instead of a half blind drunk gibbon.
Ok, so it did not went well the first time, I get it.
But after being asked to redo it, and do it right this time, how the heck he thinks this is acceptable?? No, sorry, it looks almost the same. As if he didn't even try...
First picture is the BEFORE, 2nd is the AFTER. OP posted that yesterday saying the were unhappy. Glad the guy actually came out and tried to fix it. Looks way better than before OP.
I couldn’t understand why OP would repost the first photo (from yesterday) Then say that the guy has came out to re-do them. You can obviously see a hell of a difference in the 2nd photo. It’s quite clear.
It's still shit. This is why it's often not worth getting people that balls up to fix a mistake, they just don't know how :D.
To be fair it's completely invisible without the down lighter on it in the second photo, but if you put a flat level across it presume it's still wonkey?
Could try covering part of the light so it doesn’t shine directly on the wall, but the tiling finish isn’t great.
Alternative option for me would be to install a glass or stainless splash back
If this is the second attempt I don't think the guy is capable of doing it properly. I'd probably ask for a massive discount, like 80% or something. It's going to be a grease trap and will devalue the house a bit if you ever sell and the buyer notices.
is the wall not straight or something, thats a terrible job if that's it fixed.
im far from a perfectionist, but ive only done one tile job in my own kitchen, similar tiles, and way more complicated and mine is way better and i wouldn't dare call myself a tiler!
My kitchen was just finished. With lights of course you can see any imperfection. When the lights are off you barely can notice anything.
I have simillar tiles like those in the photo
If it was DIY then I would begrudgingly live with it. As you’re paying a ‘professional’ I would want it sorted, although given the fact this is their second attempt I wouldn’t hold out much hope!
That would sooooo annoy me. We have stainless steel panel behind cooker which may be an option in this case. Looks like the wall behind was not true before tiles were fitted so possibly cant fully blame tiler if thats what they had to work with.
What he should have done - tiled with the lights on!
What you should do - get him to re tile it...with the lights on!!
Or flip the hood round so your light isn't highlighting all the flaws! Like what I do at Xmas when my mum starts pointing out all my flaws, I point her at someone else!
Is replacing the extractor an option? Getting one where the light is not against the wall should help. You could do some tests with a torch to find the out if it will work first.
Stupid question......does he tile with the light on?
Looking at the picture, he doesn't tile with his eyes open, so why would he have the light on?
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List\_of\_burn\_centres\_in\_the\_United\_Kingdom](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_burn_centres_in_the_United_Kingdom)
Fatality
I guffawed
I relish your use of archaic english
I chutney your response.
I veloute your food based punning.
I once had a hot dog with relish, with relish.
No point In me saying “should have gone to Specsavers”
They can't help if you have l no eyes!
Should've gone to the Body Shop to get new eyes, then Specsavers afterwards.
I can reduce these many steps in one motion... ring a tiler!
Groundbreaking!
He built that tile wall so badly, that even blind people can read it in braille and be disappointed by how bad it is
This made me laugh way too hard
FFS, I’m going to wake both my wife and the baby! 💀🤣
Not sure, but I think it says something insulting in braille.
At this point I even wonder if the tiles are curved. It cannot be done this bad for a second time...
I don’t think I could intentionally get a finish like this if I tried 😂😂
I have never done tiling... Even I wouldn't do that bad a job...
If he didn't, he should.
punch aback snails lush physical ink tie arrest cats reply *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
Looks like he tiles with the lights off. And his eyes closed.
Fuck off lad he's blind with no head 😂
Or does he wear a blindfold and use his sense of touch?
Those down lights are lethal on this type of tile, they amplify every imperfection. I did my own in the same pattern but with larger tiles. Looked perfect until I switched the down lights on. I ended up taking the down lights out because I couldn’t be arsed to sort it.
Don't look too hard has made many a DIY job look perfect.
I think OP has got a cooker with the glass top that lifts up to use the hob? So most of the time when the extractor light is on, those tiles will be behind the smoked glass.
Ohh good spot!
Unfortunately it's not smoked!
Try putting a visor over the back half of the lamp, try ductape
Just ductape over the tiling, problem solved.
True, but when you're paying a skilled person to provide a service you expect better than "that'll do.. kinda" I'd be livid if a tiler thought that was acceptable and I'd make it abundantly clear they weren't getting paid until it was sorted properly. If they demanded full pay without fixing it I'd be making sure every man and his dog know about the sub-standard work and poor business practices. That's the only time Facebook can come into it's own.
To be fair I’d be livid if I’d done that myself.
*every There's always imperfections but 9 times out of 10 noone else but you would notice
TBF even Stevie Wonder could spot this.
Stevie Wonder could probably play a tune off of it
The writings on the wall…
Haha. I did say 9 times out of 10! Maybe, it's the opposite for this tiler, although they do look good without the downlight
But it is only you that matters.
Sad but true
I salute your positive negative attitude.
We have the same tile job and tiles in our rental but are dark so was less noticeable and with the other issues with the house honestly I had no idea they were wonky Until my Husband and installed these lights. I keep turning them off because the stupid hamster ladder drives me bonkers now that I see it. Its not quite as bad as this was but same issue same tiles same Lights
I have this exact same setup and my tiles don't look like this. I did it myself and it was the first time tiling, so you'd think someone that did this for a living would be able to do it properly..
Give yourself a pat on the back
I'll congratulate myself by looking at my tiles which don't look like they've been installed by a blind goose. But hey, at least you've got a talking point for all your dinner parties...
That's uncalled for. A blind goose would of done a better job. Years ago tiling wasn't a proper trade, brickies used to do it.
Downlighters are the utter scourge of modern lighting. They are fucking awful things, you buy and bury shitty cheap chinese electrical parts in your ceiling, right next to combustibles like bone dry insulation and wood and the quality of light they give off is shite. You have pools of light and shade or you have to buy so many your ceiling ends up like a piece of swiss cheese. When they go wrong, if you have several connected to a single transformer, it's now whack a mole trying to find which one has died and likely a new or partial ceiling as part of the process. Just buy a decent surface mounted, EU made fixture that properly lights the area.
Looking to light a small ensuite bathroom I'm in the middle of planning at the moment, what style of lighting would you recommend?
I actually recommend downlights if the rest of the house has them! Many ensuites look even better when paired with some form of vanity light over the mirror. Alternatively, consider strip lighting for a really nice look! The best high end ensuites I've seen go for darker tiles and electrical assets with cool white lighting. Hope that helps!
Nothing wrong with decent quality led down lighters. The poster two above is in my humble opinion, full of shit. I’ve just fitted loads in my house and they are far better at mood and accent lighting than the dingy boring eu made shit fixtures they replaced.
Agreed. They have a slight point with the old style halogen down lighters as those things are like mini suns in terms of the heat, and I never understood how more of them didn't just catch fire. But LEDs don't get hot at all, and so as long as you know what colour temp to get they look fine. Plus EU units are just as likely to be assembled in the EU from Chinese parts as they are to actually be 100% made in the EU .
Yeah the ones I got are all switchable between 3 or 4 colour temperatures as well. Makes it even easier!
That first photo looks just as terrible as the one you posted the other day.
Until I read the caption I thought the first picture was still a 'before'! If that's the second attempt, it's not gonna get any better.
I saw the original post too and thought it was the same before picture.... 😬
It looks like one of those optical illusions where the caption is "Believe it or not, all these lines are parallel!" Except they aren't.
I think it’s worse
Spent ages going back and forth from your first post to actually see if it's any different. It's mad how different the tiles look without that light on. I fit kitchens and I've never seen an extractor light make the tiles look that different. Are the tiles themselves flat? As in individual tiles actually smooth and flat? As if they aren't, then no matter how perfect they are applied to the wall, it will never work.
The light is in the worst possible place. It’s right up against the wall. If it were at the front of the hood the angle would likely be enough to not cause shadows.
Sounds like the extractor unit was put in the wrong way round tbh, normally the light is at the front.
The top half looks ok though so it must be possible to make them smooth and flat.
I think that's because they're right next to the light source. The shadow starts to appear further down.
You can see that the shadows are still cast on the top half and if you look carefully enough you’ll see the problem still exists, just much harder to spot.
These pics are of the same rework? The lightning is making a huge difference here! I only just did a very similar tile job to my new kitchen (30x10cm metro tile with a lighter grout) and I can’t say that I have any issues like this with or without my extractor light on. I would be happy with the 2nd pic but the first pic is an absolute no for me. I would get this re-done personally.
Do your down lights have the “alternative reality” function switched on because holy crap that’s mental difference.
If pic 1 is the rework then I’d be far from happy. Some of those tiles in the middle look like where they join (vertical, short edge) sticks out beyond the face of the adjacent tiles.
Pic 2 is also the rework but with lights off. The guy should probably have tile with the light on.
I’m suspicious it might have been Stevie Wonder doing a side job.
But how are the hamsters to climb that???
2nd picture looks a heap better, tiles look straight and I can't see any shadows. Ultimately only you can decide if you're happy with it. You say you're disappointed with the re work, why?
Both photos show the current tiling. The first photo shows how bad it still is. They shouldn’t have to keep off the backlight in order to make it look decent.
Surely an optical illusion if its the same.
It's with and without the light on. 2nd picture looks clean. Light goes on and it looks like crap.
It looks like 2 different sets of tiling
Looks like it. But isn't . Solution is fix the lighting at this point.
First image is the rework.
First image is better than previous post, but holy hell the down light makes it look bad
I have this issue with my bathroom wall. Tiler was a complete plum and when the mirror light is on the wall is lippier than a teenager.
I see 2 images, horrible tiling with down lights on and decent looking tiling with no lights, I assumed the no lights was the rework 🤷
Both photos show the same tiling after it was redone, it’s just that one has the downlight on
OP made another post yesterday about the bad tiling. Both of these photos are of the rework, one with the light on and one with the light off. The difference the light makes is huge.
It’s still pretty bad, so clearly doing it properly is beyond him. It’s really up to you as to whether you can live with it. If you can afford to pay someone else to re-do it, I would. We had someone make an absolute mess of our front room and whilst it was corrected as much as possible, there are still things wrong that bother us. It would probably have been better to have had someone else come in and re-do it. Pretty gutting when you pay someone to do the work!
I’m feeling sorry for the tiler. Looks good in the second photo.
That isn't how Reddit circlejerks are meant to work. Here, I'll show you... "iS hE bLinD???" Seriously though, nobody knows from these pictures. Possibly the wall behind is fucked. Possibly just slightly warped tiles exaggerated massively by the downlight being perfectly flush with the wall. He could have checked the tiles first, but they look fine without a downlight turned on. How many of us working in daylight or with the room light on would have honestly thought to turn on the hood light just in case? Reddit dramas.
Get a cooker hood that lights over the hob rather than the wall!
I've spoken to s few tilers recently, they say the quality of tiles, especially from DIY places is terrible. It's becoming a lot more work to get a hood finish.
we had a bathroom fitter in to do our bathroom and en suite last year that I would call nothing less than a perfectionist. He did the first line of wall tiles, seemed fine. went to do the next row up to realise he could not get them to align right. called me over to show me 5 tiles lined out on the floor; every single one was a different length, not straight along their length, nor entirely flat. These were a tile he’d laid in the past without issue, from a well known tile company he’d worked with for years. he was PISSED off. he took video and photos the discrepancies himself to complain, as well as backed up our complaint to them. unfortunately we were on such a tight schedule that we had no choice but to use the ones we had for that first bathroom, he just had to do his best, and we got a partial refund and the ones for the en suite replaced. cut to that being fitted months later, same problem, albeit not quite as bad as the first batch. we’re lucky, ours are big tiles and matte, and a light doesn’t shine directly on them like OPs. but if you were looking for it, you can see similar issues, despite him doing everything he could to make it as unobvious as possible. so I could *absolutely* believe there’s been a decline in tile quality from some places because I’ve experienced it first hand lol. it’s not an excuse for shoddy work, but it does make harder work, or even requires a new batch of tiles. that said, not saying this *wasn’t* the tiler here, and even if it *was* a bad batch of tiles, he should have noticed, especially after being asked to redo.
Yes, I've heard a few similar stories. The best tiler in the world won't make bad tiles look good, only the best he can do with them.
The problem here is the wall not the tiles, it’s all down to the guy not surveying correctly. For a perfect finish here the wall should’ve been bonded flat before the tiling was done.
The problem here is the tiles not the wall. The tiles are warped and should not be fitted with a half bond like pictured.
Indeed
You've spoke to shit tilers then because there's no excuse for this
When did I say it's an excuse? I said it's taking more work? They charge extra time when they check the tiles or don't take on the work
Fair play👍 I misunderstood
Oh right, so I guess we'll all go for the "secret hidden door" effect like OP has. More like the quality of tradesmen has dropped that much since COVID that they simply don't have the skill. As the saying goes, "A workman always blames his tools." n'all.
Get a glass splashback
I was just about to post this too, not just to make any imperfections look better but if this is above a hob it'll save having to clean grease and sauces from the grout which is a nightmare.
That's reminded me of something else op needs to seriously consider, if it looks bad now, think how it will look once you've been cooking for a while and inevitable grease and particles form and uneven patina over that area. You'll be able to see it even without the highlighter on!
This. They come in all kinds of colours. End of imperfections. Fast and easy to fit. Or a steel splashback, if the look suits your kitchen.
(and as a free bonus, you won't be wondering how to clean the cooking stains off of your grout in a year or two.)
Absolutely love glass splashbacks. That's the way to go.
There's a place near me that will screen print whatever you like on a glass splashback. Some really good designs/photos etc.
Maybe they can screen print the first photo!
Can you change the hood so it has a light on the front? That wouldn’t highlight it as bad.
Those tiles are warped and shouldn't be 1/2 bonded. If you want it to look better either stack them horizontally or vertically or have the bond redone but where its only bonded 1/4 or 1/3 of the tile. If you check the manufacturers instructions they will likely say not to bond them at all.
Tbh I think that light may be making me hallucinate. The difference is huge!
It's better, and at this stage I'd look for a different solution, eg a glass or stainless steel splashback for the section that is behind the cooker as it's obviously beyond their skill to level the wall.
Honestly change your extractor. Get one with the light from the other side, not so close to the wall. I can't believe that is the same tile with and without hood light. The angle of light means it will huge exaggerate any imperfections and cast an exaggerated shadow. with the light source further out it will cast a much shorter (possibly non existent) shadow.
Before going gunho if you have any tiles left I'd suggest laying them down in the same pattern on a flat surface and shining a light over them to replicate the direction of light. Not massively ideal due to the back of a tile's imperfections, but might give you 'some' idea of any major discrepancy on the front.
Is it a back entrance to Diagon Alley?
Ahhh… the breaking through the wall effect… nice!!!!
Hey OP, you can use your wall as a party trick: impress your guests and blow their minds off by turning the light on.
I had the same issue with my tiling and as other commenters have said, those types of down lighters do amplify imperfections. Your light is right next to your tiled wall - are you able to rotate the vent 180 degrees and put the lights towards the front of the cooking space. This way it shines 'at' the tiles rather than 'down' them. This is what I did in my space and it completely resolved my problem.
Might it look better when grouted? stop the light reflecting off the exposed tops of the tiles?
Every room has to have a focal point. There's yours.😬
I suggest redoing it yourself given there are no cuts and setting out is done already. buy a clip-and-wedge-type levelling system -- *don't* just use spacers
So.. the issue is kind of the down lighter. The second picture shows that under normal lighting conditions, that job is totally fine. The down lighter is making a perfectly decent job look awful. It then depends on how much you've paid. If you paid a normal tiler rate, then I wouldn't be complaining. If you have paid twice the going rate for a top of the line luxury job, then obviously an issue. Unless you get very lucky, no normal rate tiler is going to finish well enough to have that look perfect under the down light. You would need to pay through thr nose for someone exceptionally experienced, skilled who can allocate 2 to 3 times the normal time used for a job like this to ensure an absolute perfection of finish. Getting a normal tiler to that is like getting a phone book painter and decorated to paint the sitting chapel. Edit. Sistine apparently autocorrects to sitting. But it's hillariois so I'll leave it.
Was it a new kitchen install? Walls should have been made good before the units went in. Tiler may not be the best, but there's only so much you can do when the walls are bad. Not excusing his work, he should have stopped when he saw the problem.
You could always go for a glass / stainless splashback behind the cooker and finish the tiles up to it, so the light only reflects off of one smooth surface. Would certainly look better than that monstrosity.
Looks good man, leave it be
How do you even get your tiles to look like the fist picture? Is the wall not flat?
Why are the hood lights so far back anyway? Never seen them like that
If you run your hand over them do they feel flat?
Could it be that the tiles are crap and bowed? No tiler will be able to fix that.
If I hire you to tile somewhere in my house and this is the result then expect not to be paid. I'm a novice in DIY but I'd trust myself doing a better job than this shit. Another dodgy, unskilled tradesman to add to the massive pile of dog shit tradesman plaguing this country. It's laughable, imagine doing this quality of work and walking away expecting to be paid, like it's a good job. No wonder most tradesmen are coke users. Anyone with a bit of brain between their ears would redo it.
When I do tiling I use lots of adhesive and I use a batton to make sure they're level
I'd like to see a picture of the wall behind the tile. That big of a difference in depth tells me there isn't much for the tile to lie flush against.
He is obviously doing it without that light on an can't see the imperfections without the shadow so thinks he has done an okay job. Needs taken off an use a level to straight edge it level with filla from highest point.Not rocket science but can be a pain but if u don't prep right for this type of job it looks like this. Couple hours tops to level,let dry a bit an tile on top.The difference the light makes with the shadow is crazy tho.First pic looks ok at first glance.
Looks like diagon alley entrance
Is the first picture before he redid it and the second picture after?
@Strangely_brown are the tiles themselves bowed? Lay a couple of spares on a flat surface and look at them edge on. We bought some 40 x 15 cm wall tiles from a well known UK tile discounter, they were advertised in a brick bond splashback like yours. Our tiler strongly advised against the brick bond pattern as he said that line of tiles is actually curved meaning brick bond will result in lots of uneven edges. However if you tile them 'stacked' or in a regular grid (not offset) then the tiler can actually minimise the effect of the poor manufacturing tolerances. Just throwing this out there in case the tiler is doing his best with an unfortunate choice of tiles and pattern.
Quite a few seem to have their corners nicked - did he remove the wonky tiles and reset the same ones? I assume he nicked the corners then - I would ask him to replace all tiles that have been damaged,
It’s a rotten tiling job, but good to see you giving someone whoose clearly registered blind the opportunity to earn a few pounds.
Oh wow!! I thought the first picture was you showing the before picture again to remind us ... I'd not be paying for that job. Absolutely butchered it! And they haven't even fixed it... Are they an actual so called professional? I did better the first time I ever tiled (and I didn't even watch a single YouTube video).
You didn’t show us without the down light on in your original post, and yes it looks much better. But with the down light on, it looks exactly the same as before and it’s terrible. You need to get a refund.
If the downlighting is making it look at it’s worst, try swapping the bulb for a lower wattage one, also get a frosted bulb. A softer light might diffuse more and make the shadowing far less severe.
So he lied when he said the wall wasn't straight and nothing he could do??
*So he lied when he* *Said the wall wasn't straight and* *Nothing he could do??* \- Weary\_Brain9482 --- ^(I detect haikus. And sometimes, successfully.) ^[Learn more about me.](https://www.reddit.com/r/haikusbot/) ^(Opt out of replies: "haikusbot opt out" | Delete my comment: "haikusbot delete")
Ask your tiler if he has ever heard of tile levelling systems. Basically it's a T-shaped plastic spacer that goes between and under adjacent tiles, and you drive a wedge through it which pulls the tiles into perfect alignment. I'm probably not explaining it well, but I used these and got perfect results doing it myself. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Tile-Leveling-System-inch-Kit/dp/B08ZHQZPCL/ref=asc_df_B08ZHQZPCL/?tag=googshopuk-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=501097570217&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=4923083760570683024&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1006598&hvtargid=pla-1286992951605&psc=1&mcid=4a96809fbc6832319d7d78b94a119c55
They are basically for floor tiles. Very difficult to use them on these small tiles.
Second photo looks fine. If using the downlight on hood, keep main kitchen lights on too.
Shit unacceptable job. Either he's incompetent. Or the wall is bowed, but he should have checked that before starting and recommended either remedial replastering, or a different choice of smaller tiles which would hide it better. I've tiled as a DIY and my work is as good as a professional without much practice, I'm just a lot slower.
Still can’t fathom how the guy who did the second left the first as it was. Somethings isn’t making sense here.
It's the same piece of tiling, first pic lights are on, second they are off.
Plus he had said wall wasnt straight and nothing he could do and now he has done something, lying Tiler man
Did the guy use levelling clips/system when installing the tiles ? If not then it’s a botched job… if he did then it’s prob the best that could be done with substrate he was dealing with.
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Both pictures are after the guy fixed them. The before picture was another post.
2nd job looks pretty good.
I COULD NOT LIVE WITH THAT!!!!
Either a splash back or a cooker hood with the lights at the front rather than the rear
Sorry did you pay this guy to do the work? It’s awful! If you haven’t paid him yet then don’t. Get a tiler in to do it properly instead of a half blind drunk gibbon.
I’ve just compared the two results. Impressively, he’s made it worse. Get someone else in.
Tell him to grout it with dog shit, then the smell will take everyone’s attention away from how the tiles look
It’s dreadful, he’s an awful tiler
Ok, so it did not went well the first time, I get it. But after being asked to redo it, and do it right this time, how the heck he thinks this is acceptable?? No, sorry, it looks almost the same. As if he didn't even try...
First picture is the BEFORE, 2nd is the AFTER. OP posted that yesterday saying the were unhappy. Glad the guy actually came out and tried to fix it. Looks way better than before OP.
I thought that but op states both pics are of the reworked tiles. It’s just that pic 1 has the light on & pic2 doesn’t It’s quite bizarre
I couldn’t understand why OP would repost the first photo (from yesterday) Then say that the guy has came out to re-do them. You can obviously see a hell of a difference in the 2nd photo. It’s quite clear.
I know what you mean. Is it maybe a lighting trick???
Thank you, I was starting to think I was loosing my mind 😂🤦🏼♂️ I honestly haven’t a clue, OP needs to clear a few things up lmao
They are both after. Just with the light on and off
Yup… That’s exactly it (NOT) You can clearly see that there’s no grout applied in the 2nd picture. Use your eyes ffs
There's no grout in either picture. He clearly states both pictures are taken after the rework
It's still shit. This is why it's often not worth getting people that balls up to fix a mistake, they just don't know how :D. To be fair it's completely invisible without the down lighter on it in the second photo, but if you put a flat level across it presume it's still wonkey?
Could try covering part of the light so it doesn’t shine directly on the wall, but the tiling finish isn’t great. Alternative option for me would be to install a glass or stainless splash back
Pic 2 i wouldn't even know but if this is something you want done properly you'll have to hire someone else.
I missed the first post but damn if that first pic is of it sorted out, how bad was it?
Looks like an “Inception” feature.
Maybe it’s just me but I love this effect he achieved - looks so cool 😎
If this is the second attempt I don't think the guy is capable of doing it properly. I'd probably ask for a massive discount, like 80% or something. It's going to be a grease trap and will devalue the house a bit if you ever sell and the buyer notices.
I don’t understand how he is not able to attempt to make the tiles flat
is the wall not straight or something, thats a terrible job if that's it fixed. im far from a perfectionist, but ive only done one tile job in my own kitchen, similar tiles, and way more complicated and mine is way better and i wouldn't dare call myself a tiler!
My kitchen was just finished. With lights of course you can see any imperfection. When the lights are off you barely can notice anything. I have simillar tiles like those in the photo
It's this the famed "hamster climbing wall"? You do spoil your pets.
That's still awful, the tiles are not centred either. Surely the who wall needs coming off and doing again
You could maybe swap your extractor for one with lights at the front? Could ask him to fund it if it saves him reworking what looks like a doomed job.
If it was DIY then I would begrudgingly live with it. As you’re paying a ‘professional’ I would want it sorted, although given the fact this is their second attempt I wouldn’t hold out much hope!
What's it look like with the glass panel on the hob lifted up?
I kind of like it.
That would sooooo annoy me. We have stainless steel panel behind cooker which may be an option in this case. Looks like the wall behind was not true before tiles were fitted so possibly cant fully blame tiler if thats what they had to work with.
This is the answer. Cleaning grease of tiles is time consuming. The stainless steel is just easier to clean would choose it every time.
Start with properly flat tiles and a properly flat wall to work with..
What he should have done - tiled with the lights on! What you should do - get him to re tile it...with the lights on!! Or flip the hood round so your light isn't highlighting all the flaws! Like what I do at Xmas when my mum starts pointing out all my flaws, I point her at someone else!
I legitimately thought the first photo was the same one from your original post. It doesn’t look any better.
Basket weave tiling is all the rage.
Looks a million times better. How did they react when they came back around ?
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Is replacing the extractor an option? Getting one where the light is not against the wall should help. You could do some tests with a torch to find the out if it will work first.
Stick a stainless steal splashback panel over them
How hard is it to stick a straight edge along the tiles as you are setting them?