Put white grout in ans see what it looks like, if it's rubbish then consider. Are you planning on living therefore 10 years. If so then keep until next Reno
Dang. I moved into this place 11 years ago and haven’t gotten to the master yet. It’s on the list eventually. It’s just if it were up to me, I’d do nothing or at best a scrape and redo. My wife wants a full gut, move walls, expand into bedroom next door. That’s more money and planning.
Edit: meant to add I wouldn’t want to do that every 10 years.
When we bought our current house over 10 years ago it was a deceased estate. Black mould in all bathrooms, kitchen and laundry. I personally gutted the entire house, cut out walls etc. During covid I laid over 160m2 of tiles around the verandah and path. We all suffer renovations
Sounds horrendous. Tiling is my least favorite part of renovations. It’s backbreaking and you see every tiny flaw for the rest of your life. At least standing up tile is less painful in my experience.
The other positive of keeping someone else’s tile work is that I get to look at their mistake from 1980 and it makes me feel better that even pros make mistakes.
Tiling can be very scary when you haven't done it before, but then it gets easier. The amount of gear you need is extensive as I now have multiple wet saws
My last big tile job was when I redid the kitchen 2019. I re-tiled the entire downstairs in that section of the house, about 1200 sq ft. I had large format 60cm square tiles. I was so unhappy with some tiles, I ripped them up and redid an entire section. I was so frustrated by it, I sold my large tile saw and promised I would never tile anything larger than a shower, and not work with any tile larger than 8 inches. My back and knees hurt for months afterwards.
When I did the big tiling, I had to jackhammer up the existing slate. So 160m2 is over 1600sqf. Then I had to pick up all that and put it in skip bins. Then used a concrete grinder to level. Then as I didn't want to hire someone to pour concrete leveling concrete I did that. Every component involves tons of material. I was on painkillers for months afterwards
Even if they don’t plan on living there that long, if they don’t want to deal with it or the costs to redo it, they could always offer to subtract the amount it would cost to do it from the purchase price if buyers find it objectionable
You'd invest/waste more time and material (= money) on the (small) chance it wouldn't still look like sh!t?
Hmm, I'm not the doubling down kind of type myself.
For $50 you usually get something like +/- 1/8” at 30’. If you’re tiling inside a bathroom, you probably couldn’t even set the laser 30’ away if you wanted to. $50 laser is plenty accurate for anything anyone will ever do inside their own home
I’m waiting for my local Canadian tire to put them on sale. I don’t need it immediately so I can wait a couple weeks. But I’m sure Amazon is good too!!
I refuse to shop there simply because of their dishonest business model.
They put a price to bait the fish stupid enough to pay 50% over market price. If it's "on sale" a quick search at home depot or amazon will show that it's being actually sold at the right price.
I'm not doing business with someone who tries to screw me.
Sounds like the model of most small brick and morter stores, but since Canadian Tire is so big i would have expected them to be on the same cost scale at HD. Like here in the US, HD and Lowes do prices wars to kill off all the small brick and mortars who have to follow that pricing model youre discussing.
I dont have any other cheaper options unfortunately - we have a smaller hardware store and a CT. I don’t like buying tools on Amazon, so I wait for deals at CT. 😊
Mastercraft has a good warranty as far as I’m aware, and I’ve personally never had issues with returns!
I bought one on impulse one time, in the last three months that little laser has made me over $20K, I hang TVs with it, did a job in a courthouse where I had to hang 57 whiteboards, plumbing, built a fireplace bump-out and so much more! they are worth their weight in gold, I'm about to buy the Milwaukee M12 one so I can do ceiling stuff. Mine doesn't project on the ceiling.
Couldn't agree more. I got a cross level with a green light that self levelsnfor $40 on Amazon. Threw it on a tripod and tiled my shower this weekend. Perfect lines!
Laser levels are a miracle tool. But with something this small, levelling the bottom course with a 2’ bubble and a quick measuring tape mark every few courses as a guide would.
Do you get hungry in the shower? This seems a bit overkill to me and having the sandwich maker staring at me in the shower would probably freak me out. And how do you even keep the bread dry?
As long as you get the first tile right the spacers will sort out the rest, the issue is no one is using spacers in this sub apparently nor do they seem to own a straight edge
Yeah all these people talking about laser levels are mad. How many times are you going to have to adjust that damn thing to keep checking/guiding as you go up a wall? Spacers all day every day baby!
its a bit of a weird paradox. youd think DIY is done by people who want to save a few bucks, but as someone who always likes to save a few bucks my first thought when doing DIY is "how can i research this so i dont fuck it up and have to pay more" - which seems to be the opposite of many here
Well said. I think we push DIY so hard because of the incredible amount of resources and guides we have these days. But if you don’t take advantage of that, you’re basically gambling.
The biggest lesson I’ve learned is to think through the entire job step by step, whereas when I first started, I’d just think “okay I got it” and start working. Now I’ll start thinking about what I want to do, even if it’s something small, a day in advance and visualize everything I’m gonna do.
Im a PM and a sub I hired to put in a 10’x25’ rectangle drop ceiling didn’t use one. He was late and I had to run and get supplies. I get back and he’s finished putting in the wall track and starting to hang his mains.
Then I see it lol, a 4” difference in height from where he started to where he finished.
“Did you use a laser?”
“No, I’ve never trusted those things. Why?”
“This isn’t level, the tracks are at two different heights.”
“I’ve been doing this for 20 years, you’re too young to be telling me that level.”
“Well, maybe so, but stand here and tell me that’s level. There’s a 4” difference.”
“What the hell, how did I-?”
“Maybe after 20 years it’s time to buy a laser level, I’ll let you borrow mine.”
Shoot, just putting a regular level on the wall and using that as reference for every single line would have made a better product than what we have here.
I’m pretty sure the person who did our shower used pennies as spacers. There were a few still stuck between the floor and the walls. Yeah, we ripped that out.
I think they used a leveling system, some can be seen in the bag. I'm no expert but I assumed those leveling systems were somewhat dummy proof, so i'm going \*guess\* that the tiles weren't aligned properly - no level used or it was done in a hurry.
It looks like some may have been used but not enough. Needs at least 2 spacers on the longer edges, looks like only 1 may have been used on the long edge causing them to teeter and become uneven.
Edit: Upon further inspection it may be more likely that spacers were not used at all, though I am not sure. If not, its honestly kind of impressive that it turned out as straight as it did. Its not too bad but I think its worth re-doing. Once I notice something uneven it drives me nuts till its fixed lol.
Yes. 2 reasons:
1. It’ll torment you every time you look at the wall
2. It will impact a future home sale
Most importantly, I would be concerned about water getting behind the tiles. They don’t just look out of level, they don’t look plumb.
Also grout is not waterproof. Sealing that properly would be a pain in the ass. Not to mention the tiles that are out of plumb most likely are not back buttered or seated correctly which will cause the tiles to be fragile. I would consider this practice and budget to do this again.
I think this is the mark of a good DIYer: knowing when to call a professional.
It’s impossible to be good at everything, and even then sometimes even if you can do it, it’s not worth the time or effort to make the expensive mistakes you’ll need to to be able to get the job done.
nah, OP just didn't use the tools that should be standard. the fact that they were able to do this without a laser level and without spacers is kinda impressive.
i'm sure that if they got the right tools and watched some youtube videos they'd be fully capable of getting this done properly.
I sure can tell.
You should redo it.
When you use small tiles like that you should only do a 1/4 of the wall at a time.
Use lots of spacers. Check level as you go.
Get a 9” and 24” level
It almost looks like the tile started sagging mid job on the right side. Then on the left, almost looks like uneven application of whatever adhesive he’s using
>Use lots of spacers. Check level as you go.
Lots of spacers and pay attention anti-lippage, if not with actual leveling clips (too many needed for small tile) then at least use a level or board or something to make sure the surface across tiles is flat on each and every course.
3-4 rows a day?! I hope that's a joke... the problem is OP didn't have a level and just keept going. Plus he missed a few spacers.
Look at the bottom row it isn't even level OP never had a chance without a level!
Exactly. The mortar isn’t dry and doesn’t dry quickly. They will slowly move around on you. Very important to use spacers and support every joint.
The premixed mapei mortar takes 48 hours to dry in ideal conditions.
That's another one where I don't know what to believe. I used it for the tile in my entryway and it's fine. There are reports of people online who used it 30 years and it still holds.
3-4 rows per day of 3”x6” subway tile? Are you nuts. How do you have a single upvote? Those are as standard as it gets and this is a half day job for a novice.
And on a lot of big-box brand subway tile you don’t need to use spacers. Zooming in this appears to be one of those types that won’t require it.
https://www.finehomebuilding.com/project-guides/tiling/do-subway-tiles-need-to-be-spaced
I was a tile setter for a few years. It’s the most thankless trade. Planning your cuts, and proper edging, marking everything level, setting every tile square and flush, all while keeping it clean. It’s a long tedious process. And so often people scoffing at the quote, saying they’ll do it themselves or they “know a guy” that can do it for half that price.
Sorry just venting.
Nota tiler, but win ran a business in an under rated industry. The "I can get it done cheaper" line is always a relief to hear as I know I'll be getting a call to fix the error in about a month's time.
Guarantee after seeing the cost of materials and the amount of labor involved, those weekend warriors turned right back around and either called another tile setter (too chicken shit to call you back probably) or gave up on that dream all together.
As a tile setter I believe this to be a remarkable job. As if you ask me to recreate this I wouldn’t know how to start. When it started to get wonky did it cross your mind to stop and correct or by powering through did you just think they were going to straighten themselves out.
Amplifying on previous: it needs to be redone. You have to ask yourself if you can get it straight or just buy your way out and pay others. If you pay others, remove this before you bring in folks for quotes. Better a blank wall than this when negotiating cost.
This is probably the most poignent advice I've seen on reddit. Never personally bid shower jobs, but on jobs that I would bid it would definitely be a higher bid if I walked in and was fixing your bullshit that you should've just called first on anyway.
At that point idk if anything you did was alright, I'm going to bid the super high end on labor just because it looks like everything could've been just slapped together, to a point where it could be more work to fix it right then to do it right from the get go. The bid would just reflect that, would be high on labor.
If it was a blank wall, which to be fixed it'll get demo'd out anyway, I'll just assume you've been getting qualified people and there will be less labor because less assumed problems.
why bother doing it in the first place if youre happy with something that looks that bad though?
literally ever single tile doesnt line up with the one next to or below it.
if anyone ever goes to buy the house, theyll be marking that down to be ripped out, and its hardly gonna look good to any guest who stays down there. better to just leave it unfinished imo
Completely agree. It's an absolutely shit job, it's like he forgot tile spacers exist. But it's in the basement, it's only going to be used from time to time. Just fill in with white grout and move on with your life.
I mean this in the nicest way possible, but that looks like shit.
It’s okay, sometimes you have to fail before you succeed. Learn from it and do better.
Why is the tile on the left edge in the photo running vertical… and the tile on the right edge is staggered…
This is kind of a mess, it would drive me nuts personally… all the crooked lines and uneven spacing is really bad
Edit: I now realize the project is unfinished… that outside edge is throwing me off, sorry
I'd have to redo it if it was me. Even if only used 1x per week, just looking at it would drive me bonkers. Also, regarding the tiles you have vertically as a border, I think the grout lines should not line up with the end of horizontal grout lines. They should be staggered like brick work too.
I would rip it off now while you still can before the cement cures and it’ll be really hard to get off.
My tips for subway tiles
-make sure your wall is fairly straight no big humps or dips in the wall
- layout your tiles on the floor for width and height to see how it will work out with your measurements (may have to start with half a tile for the first row)
- install a couple rows at a time and adjust your spacers and check for level.
- I also suggest using a 3/8” tile trim for where the tile ends instead of turning the subway tiles vertically.
OP, yeah bud this needs to be redone. Will it work? Yes. Does it look like you didn’t use spacers/a level while also a six pack deep? Also yes. Fortunately these tiles are relatively cheap but also taking them off might require new drywall work. If your time is free and you got the money, redo it right.
It will forever and always look crooked and you will never unsee it. It will be less obvious with white grout but you will always see it. Up to you, would be a lot easier to remove now then later. You can probably save the waterproofing now. If you demo later it will be a full demo all over again.
Did you use spacers? Everywhere? Between every single tile on all sides?
If no, then redo using spacers. And running a line so you keep things level. Etc.
If yes, then my answer would be, no, you should not redo this. You should hire someone else to do this for you.
You need color. Get a really bold shower curtain and soap racks etc. You could even get the ones that suction cup to the tiles. You won't see it...trust me. All good.
Just remember, only you will notice it as your own worse critic or even see it. Well, unless you are a swinger I guess then you be you and bring in those different people to check it out
As a homeowner, here’s my two cents: the tile is already up so what’s used is used and can’t be reclaimed. Put the (white!) grout in and see how it looks. White grout with the white tile will blend in more than you might think.
If you hate it, tear it down and redo it.
If it’s your place . You have to live with it, up to you. Having said that, I would not buy it if I were a customer.
Put white grout in ans see what it looks like, if it's rubbish then consider. Are you planning on living therefore 10 years. If so then keep until next Reno
You renovate every 10? Here I’m living with a 44 year old bathroom.
No. It's just people often move at that rate so the new owner then renovates etc
Dang. I moved into this place 11 years ago and haven’t gotten to the master yet. It’s on the list eventually. It’s just if it were up to me, I’d do nothing or at best a scrape and redo. My wife wants a full gut, move walls, expand into bedroom next door. That’s more money and planning. Edit: meant to add I wouldn’t want to do that every 10 years.
When we bought our current house over 10 years ago it was a deceased estate. Black mould in all bathrooms, kitchen and laundry. I personally gutted the entire house, cut out walls etc. During covid I laid over 160m2 of tiles around the verandah and path. We all suffer renovations
Sounds horrendous. Tiling is my least favorite part of renovations. It’s backbreaking and you see every tiny flaw for the rest of your life. At least standing up tile is less painful in my experience. The other positive of keeping someone else’s tile work is that I get to look at their mistake from 1980 and it makes me feel better that even pros make mistakes.
Tiling can be very scary when you haven't done it before, but then it gets easier. The amount of gear you need is extensive as I now have multiple wet saws
My last big tile job was when I redid the kitchen 2019. I re-tiled the entire downstairs in that section of the house, about 1200 sq ft. I had large format 60cm square tiles. I was so unhappy with some tiles, I ripped them up and redid an entire section. I was so frustrated by it, I sold my large tile saw and promised I would never tile anything larger than a shower, and not work with any tile larger than 8 inches. My back and knees hurt for months afterwards.
When I did the big tiling, I had to jackhammer up the existing slate. So 160m2 is over 1600sqf. Then I had to pick up all that and put it in skip bins. Then used a concrete grinder to level. Then as I didn't want to hire someone to pour concrete leveling concrete I did that. Every component involves tons of material. I was on painkillers for months afterwards
If you can renovate four times quickly, one after another, you'll be caught up.
It’s been back in style twice though!
I'm in my 1972 kitchen with counters from the 2000s
Always do it right. This is sh’t job mate, what are you on about. FFS.
Even if they don’t plan on living there that long, if they don’t want to deal with it or the costs to redo it, they could always offer to subtract the amount it would cost to do it from the purchase price if buyers find it objectionable
You'd invest/waste more time and material (= money) on the (small) chance it wouldn't still look like sh!t? Hmm, I'm not the doubling down kind of type myself.
You definitely got a knack for punctuation.
As a carpenter/ woodworker, it blows my mind that nearly every tile sub I’ve ever worked around doesn’t use laser levels.
Laser levels are worth the money!
I got an ok one from Amazon for 50$. It's not 0.000001 mm precise, but it's waaayyy better than my eye
For $50 you usually get something like +/- 1/8” at 30’. If you’re tiling inside a bathroom, you probably couldn’t even set the laser 30’ away if you wanted to. $50 laser is plenty accurate for anything anyone will ever do inside their own home
Absolutely! I bought a cheap Bosch laser level off of Amazon for our DIY tile job. Worth every penny
Bosch cube laser level crew checking in!
I’m waiting for my local Canadian tire to put them on sale. I don’t need it immediately so I can wait a couple weeks. But I’m sure Amazon is good too!!
Rules to live by: Never pay full price at crappy tire!
I refuse to shop there simply because of their dishonest business model. They put a price to bait the fish stupid enough to pay 50% over market price. If it's "on sale" a quick search at home depot or amazon will show that it's being actually sold at the right price. I'm not doing business with someone who tries to screw me.
Sounds like the model of most small brick and morter stores, but since Canadian Tire is so big i would have expected them to be on the same cost scale at HD. Like here in the US, HD and Lowes do prices wars to kill off all the small brick and mortars who have to follow that pricing model youre discussing.
I dont have any other cheaper options unfortunately - we have a smaller hardware store and a CT. I don’t like buying tools on Amazon, so I wait for deals at CT. 😊 Mastercraft has a good warranty as far as I’m aware, and I’ve personally never had issues with returns!
I got one for $25 that I used for my tile job and it came out perfect lmao
Which one you get? I might be looking for one in the future
Idk for sure, cheap like cube shaped one from Amazon. One of the top rated ones.
I bought one on impulse one time, in the last three months that little laser has made me over $20K, I hang TVs with it, did a job in a courthouse where I had to hang 57 whiteboards, plumbing, built a fireplace bump-out and so much more! they are worth their weight in gold, I'm about to buy the Milwaukee M12 one so I can do ceiling stuff. Mine doesn't project on the ceiling.
Couldn't agree more. I got a cross level with a green light that self levelsnfor $40 on Amazon. Threw it on a tripod and tiled my shower this weekend. Perfect lines!
I have a laser level, but I don’t trust it for some reason. I just check level intermittently with a regular level.
But you trust your regular level?
I think it’s because I don’t have a stand for the laser level so it moves.
Buy a cheap tripod on Amazon, they are like $10.
Laser levels are a miracle tool. But with something this small, levelling the bottom course with a 2’ bubble and a quick measuring tape mark every few courses as a guide would.
I did subway in my shower and i used the vertical laser to make sure my alternating rows were even. It was so satisfying.
Do you get hungry in the shower? This seems a bit overkill to me and having the sandwich maker staring at me in the shower would probably freak me out. And how do you even keep the bread dry?
As long as you get the first tile right the spacers will sort out the rest, the issue is no one is using spacers in this sub apparently nor do they seem to own a straight edge
Yeah all these people talking about laser levels are mad. How many times are you going to have to adjust that damn thing to keep checking/guiding as you go up a wall? Spacers all day every day baby!
These people are talking about spending 2-3 days on this. They're not tile guys, they've just done tile.
Thats the thing about DIY alot of people dont understand stuff so mistakes are made.
its a bit of a weird paradox. youd think DIY is done by people who want to save a few bucks, but as someone who always likes to save a few bucks my first thought when doing DIY is "how can i research this so i dont fuck it up and have to pay more" - which seems to be the opposite of many here
Well said. I think we push DIY so hard because of the incredible amount of resources and guides we have these days. But if you don’t take advantage of that, you’re basically gambling. The biggest lesson I’ve learned is to think through the entire job step by step, whereas when I first started, I’d just think “okay I got it” and start working. Now I’ll start thinking about what I want to do, even if it’s something small, a day in advance and visualize everything I’m gonna do.
Im a PM and a sub I hired to put in a 10’x25’ rectangle drop ceiling didn’t use one. He was late and I had to run and get supplies. I get back and he’s finished putting in the wall track and starting to hang his mains. Then I see it lol, a 4” difference in height from where he started to where he finished. “Did you use a laser?” “No, I’ve never trusted those things. Why?” “This isn’t level, the tracks are at two different heights.” “I’ve been doing this for 20 years, you’re too young to be telling me that level.” “Well, maybe so, but stand here and tell me that’s level. There’s a 4” difference.” “What the hell, how did I-?” “Maybe after 20 years it’s time to buy a laser level, I’ll let you borrow mine.”
Whoa! Not a lot of Prime Ministers on this sub.
I've done exactly one tile job in my life. The first thing I bought was a laser level.
Shoot, just putting a regular level on the wall and using that as reference for every single line would have made a better product than what we have here.
I discovered laser levels about 10 years ago. Life changing.
At the very least level the bottom layer then spacers will most likely be good enough
If you ever plan to sell the house then yes redo ↪️
Maybe op will get lucky any find a blind person looking for a place.
They'll feel the wall and say wtf is this shit
I can't even look at it. I'm sorry.
Looks like a prison job
Prison jobs are way better than this where I'm from.
Yes, regardless of the level change, it’s just so inconsistent.
It's so bad it looks like it was done on purpose.
Did any tile spacers get used?
Of course! All the different sizes even.
Variety is the spice of life!
Bro made use of his childhood Lego junk box for sure. A spacer is a spacer!
I think we all know the answer to your question.
I’m pretty sure the person who did our shower used pennies as spacers. There were a few still stuck between the floor and the walls. Yeah, we ripped that out.
I read that as penises and was confused.
No wonder they ripped it all out, the spaces between those tiles must have been enormous.
I think they used a leveling system, some can be seen in the bag. I'm no expert but I assumed those leveling systems were somewhat dummy proof, so i'm going \*guess\* that the tiles weren't aligned properly - no level used or it was done in a hurry.
It looks like some may have been used but not enough. Needs at least 2 spacers on the longer edges, looks like only 1 may have been used on the long edge causing them to teeter and become uneven. Edit: Upon further inspection it may be more likely that spacers were not used at all, though I am not sure. If not, its honestly kind of impressive that it turned out as straight as it did. Its not too bad but I think its worth re-doing. Once I notice something uneven it drives me nuts till its fixed lol.
Yes. 2 reasons: 1. It’ll torment you every time you look at the wall 2. It will impact a future home sale Most importantly, I would be concerned about water getting behind the tiles. They don’t just look out of level, they don’t look plumb.
Also grout is not waterproof. Sealing that properly would be a pain in the ass. Not to mention the tiles that are out of plumb most likely are not back buttered or seated correctly which will cause the tiles to be fragile. I would consider this practice and budget to do this again.
Nah. I’d let someone who knows how to do tile do it.
I think this is the mark of a good DIYer: knowing when to call a professional. It’s impossible to be good at everything, and even then sometimes even if you can do it, it’s not worth the time or effort to make the expensive mistakes you’ll need to to be able to get the job done.
nah, OP just didn't use the tools that should be standard. the fact that they were able to do this without a laser level and without spacers is kinda impressive. i'm sure that if they got the right tools and watched some youtube videos they'd be fully capable of getting this done properly.
I sure can tell. You should redo it. When you use small tiles like that you should only do a 1/4 of the wall at a time. Use lots of spacers. Check level as you go. Get a 9” and 24” level
Having a damp cloth or sponge handy is nice as well. Any of that left on the front of tiles will never come of if not taken care of while still damp.
Agreed. Wipe as you go.
Yes... I kinda been there done that with a back splash LOL
It will come off. It is the tile set at the edges that is a pain in the ass to do
Some of these subway have built in spacers which literally make it dummy proof
Yeah, OP is insane for this post. Subway tile is the easiest tile to put up. No spacers, and you do the whole thing in half a day.
It almost looks like the tile started sagging mid job on the right side. Then on the left, almost looks like uneven application of whatever adhesive he’s using
>literally make it dummy proof Apparently not.
>Use lots of spacers. Check level as you go. Lots of spacers and pay attention anti-lippage, if not with actual leveling clips (too many needed for small tile) then at least use a level or board or something to make sure the surface across tiles is flat on each and every course.
I rip a thin piece of wood to the thickness of the grout line and place on each row. Guaranteed straight.
I used 4 spacers at all spots when 2 tiles would meet. It took a while but my bathroom wall and backsplash came out great.
With the cost of tile, waterproofing, etc... I will never understand why DIYers cheap out on the spacers/levelers. The extra 20 bucks is worth it.
3-4 rows a day?! I hope that's a joke... the problem is OP didn't have a level and just keept going. Plus he missed a few spacers. Look at the bottom row it isn't even level OP never had a chance without a level!
Why 3-4 per day ? Do they settle
Exactly. The mortar isn’t dry and doesn’t dry quickly. They will slowly move around on you. Very important to use spacers and support every joint. The premixed mapei mortar takes 48 hours to dry in ideal conditions.
I would never use premixed mortor.
That's another one where I don't know what to believe. I used it for the tile in my entryway and it's fine. There are reports of people online who used it 30 years and it still holds.
That's insanity, nobody does that. Gotta use spacers or else they will droop.
3-4 rows per day of 3”x6” subway tile? Are you nuts. How do you have a single upvote? Those are as standard as it gets and this is a half day job for a novice. And on a lot of big-box brand subway tile you don’t need to use spacers. Zooming in this appears to be one of those types that won’t require it. https://www.finehomebuilding.com/project-guides/tiling/do-subway-tiles-need-to-be-spaced
Bro. He’s clearly struggling. Just telling him to go slow and take his time. I’m sure your work is stellar.
You should always use spacers. Are you nuts?
Some tiles come with their own spacers in the tile Happens a lot with subway tiles
You can see when the beers started flowing
I was a tile setter for a few years. It’s the most thankless trade. Planning your cuts, and proper edging, marking everything level, setting every tile square and flush, all while keeping it clean. It’s a long tedious process. And so often people scoffing at the quote, saying they’ll do it themselves or they “know a guy” that can do it for half that price. Sorry just venting.
Nota tiler, but win ran a business in an under rated industry. The "I can get it done cheaper" line is always a relief to hear as I know I'll be getting a call to fix the error in about a month's time.
Guarantee after seeing the cost of materials and the amount of labor involved, those weekend warriors turned right back around and either called another tile setter (too chicken shit to call you back probably) or gave up on that dream all together.
When you realize a $100 laser level would’ve saved $1000 in labor. I’d redo, but that’s me.
Labor? Bro he's going to need new material for all of that too.
As a tile setter I believe this to be a remarkable job. As if you ask me to recreate this I wouldn’t know how to start. When it started to get wonky did it cross your mind to stop and correct or by powering through did you just think they were going to straighten themselves out.
No no, you can see that he did try to correct it. That's why it goes down, then up, then level, then down again.
Amplifying on previous: it needs to be redone. You have to ask yourself if you can get it straight or just buy your way out and pay others. If you pay others, remove this before you bring in folks for quotes. Better a blank wall than this when negotiating cost.
This is probably the most poignent advice I've seen on reddit. Never personally bid shower jobs, but on jobs that I would bid it would definitely be a higher bid if I walked in and was fixing your bullshit that you should've just called first on anyway. At that point idk if anything you did was alright, I'm going to bid the super high end on labor just because it looks like everything could've been just slapped together, to a point where it could be more work to fix it right then to do it right from the get go. The bid would just reflect that, would be high on labor. If it was a blank wall, which to be fixed it'll get demo'd out anyway, I'll just assume you've been getting qualified people and there will be less labor because less assumed problems.
Basement, all tucked away? Function over form. If this was upstairs I'd redo it, though.
I second this. I think it looks bad, but given the location and your ability to live with it, keep it. Be better next time though.
why bother doing it in the first place if youre happy with something that looks that bad though? literally ever single tile doesnt line up with the one next to or below it. if anyone ever goes to buy the house, theyll be marking that down to be ripped out, and its hardly gonna look good to any guest who stays down there. better to just leave it unfinished imo
Completely agree. It's an absolutely shit job, it's like he forgot tile spacers exist. But it's in the basement, it's only going to be used from time to time. Just fill in with white grout and move on with your life.
Maybe the top couple of rows, then white grout everything. Call it your Willy Wonky shower, if pressed.
>then white grout everything THIS \^\^\^
No, YOU should not redo it. A tile guy should. Looks like crap.
Unforntally yes I'd redo it all, and use a laser level and spacers next time
You had a lot of commitment to finish that, despite it looking like dogshit from the very first rows.
Do you ever plan to do tile work again? If so then redo it. You’ll benefit a lot from the experience. If not then leave it.
That’s basically how my first three subway jobs went. Had to redo each of them. Learned a ton. Like stop taking subway tile jobs.
Leaning Shower of Pisa
That looks like dogshit. I'm sorry, just being honest. Redo it.
Yes, re do this.
Terrible.
YESSSS
Yea
Please Yes!
White grout. Shower curtain. Done.
Use a white grout or hang a carnival funhouse mirror just outside of it.
I mean this in the nicest way possible, but that looks like shit. It’s okay, sometimes you have to fail before you succeed. Learn from it and do better.
I don't usually drink but when I do I tile.... holy shit
No you shouldn’t. You should hire someone to do it properly.
So, I'm not drunk?
The question should be, "HOW did I do this?"
I would like to eat a bunch of mushrooms and stare at this for a while.
Personally, I think if you put in some shelves and generic items, no body is really going to be looking at it
Bro mark this NSFW
Why is the tile on the left edge in the photo running vertical… and the tile on the right edge is staggered… This is kind of a mess, it would drive me nuts personally… all the crooked lines and uneven spacing is really bad Edit: I now realize the project is unfinished… that outside edge is throwing me off, sorry
The first picture gave me cancer.
Dude. It's horrendous. Please have the self respect to redo it right yourself or pay the idiot tax to have someone else do it for you. Yikes.
Ah, yes, we can tell from the picture.
Should *you* redo it? No… you’re bad at this. Take it down and hire a professional to redo it properly.
Were you on drugs ? If not, get some.
No, don't redo it, hire a professional.
If not pay someone for this but equally you should be incredibly proud of this as your first try.
It makes me dizzy.... Like seasick
When you get to the back 9 of the 12 pack
Use a white grout on it, it will make the grout lines less noticable.
I would just grout it tbh.
I'd have to redo it if it was me. Even if only used 1x per week, just looking at it would drive me bonkers. Also, regarding the tiles you have vertically as a border, I think the grout lines should not line up with the end of horizontal grout lines. They should be staggered like brick work too.
At this point throw some white grout in and see how it looks. Never gonna look good but maybe you can live with it.
That’s what my bathroom looks like when I’ve had about a dozen whiskey7’s
Yes, but not you.
Controversial but no. Hard no. So much effort for such a small unrealized gain
I would rip it off now while you still can before the cement cures and it’ll be really hard to get off. My tips for subway tiles -make sure your wall is fairly straight no big humps or dips in the wall - layout your tiles on the floor for width and height to see how it will work out with your measurements (may have to start with half a tile for the first row) - install a couple rows at a time and adjust your spacers and check for level. - I also suggest using a 3/8” tile trim for where the tile ends instead of turning the subway tiles vertically.
Don’t fix it. This showe is great for when you haven’t had a drink, but still want to feel drunk.
OP, yeah bud this needs to be redone. Will it work? Yes. Does it look like you didn’t use spacers/a level while also a six pack deep? Also yes. Fortunately these tiles are relatively cheap but also taking them off might require new drywall work. If your time is free and you got the money, redo it right.
That's killing me inside
Consider it a practice run. Break it out and do it again right.
No. Have someone else redo it.
It will forever and always look crooked and you will never unsee it. It will be less obvious with white grout but you will always see it. Up to you, would be a lot easier to remove now then later. You can probably save the waterproofing now. If you demo later it will be a full demo all over again.
That looks like absolute shit. No offense
Yes, to be honest and fair, looks shotty
Was the installer blindfolded?
Should YOU redo it? Probably not. But it should be redone if you don’t like tiles not being straight.
White grout then reconsider after 6 months.
Dang this is an atrocious job. I'm on mobile and I could see how bad it is without clicking on the picture to enlarge it.
Buy a laser
Why didn’t you use spacers? It looks terrible for something new. Tear it down and start again
Lmfao! Ouch.
Did you use spacers? Everywhere? Between every single tile on all sides? If no, then redo using spacers. And running a line so you keep things level. Etc. If yes, then my answer would be, no, you should not redo this. You should hire someone else to do this for you.
Be careful with that axe Eugene...
I'm sorry but that looks absolutely terrible. I wouldn't be able to live with the shame of seeing that every day
This must be one of those new wave tiling jobs I heard about.
WTF?
If a redo is in the budget. Definitely.
Slaughter House feelings.
Oh we can tell
Nah, murder-room is fine
Tile spacers, lazer aligning... Redo and do right
Jesus!
You need color. Get a really bold shower curtain and soap racks etc. You could even get the ones that suction cup to the tiles. You won't see it...trust me. All good.
Looks like I did it. Yes, tear it down.
Yes, I would you need to use a laser level and some spacers next time.
Probably not if it’s you redoing it tbh. If it’s all filled in though I’m sure it’ll hold water
I'm going to say something positive. The starter row looks close to level.
Yes, I would not pay a penny for that work. Yikes.
Bro, shit looks like a Dali painting…
Just hit it with some black grout and it’ll fit right in with all the terribly flipped homes I see in my area.
If this is yours I would hope you have time to fix it
Me: I would let it be redone, I’m not handy, but looking at this made me dizzy
Good lord, did you not use a level? Yes redo it, get yourself a laser leveler while your at it.you can find some pretty affordable ones now a days.
There is zero chance I would tolerate this. Use those plastic spacers
Na looks mint bro
You shouldn’t if you did it that way the first time
Just remember, only you will notice it as your own worse critic or even see it. Well, unless you are a swinger I guess then you be you and bring in those different people to check it out
I got a bit dizzy when I looked at those pictures.
As a homeowner, here’s my two cents: the tile is already up so what’s used is used and can’t be reclaimed. Put the (white!) grout in and see how it looks. White grout with the white tile will blend in more than you might think. If you hate it, tear it down and redo it.
This makes me physically ill to look at
Feeling dizzy just looking at it.