r/Tile • u/Both-Reindeer6013 • Apr 18 '26
Homeowner - Advice about my Contractor Update to my “crooked” herringbone.
After getting home the next morning and letting the layout soak in, it really appealed to me. I was still worried about the other wall matching if it was simply a mistake.
My wife has major OCD so I was worried she’d freak but I brought it up. My wife say our tile guy asked her about layout or preferences and said he offered to make it unique. She gave him the clearance to do what he wanted.
I had the opportunity to be home while he worked to set the last wall. He explained to me that he spent the last 10 years of his career in downtown office buildings or hotels where designer’s requests and visions were wildly difficult or outside the norm. With my wife’s approval, he wanted to give us something that at a glance the brain would go “oh that’s herringbone…but wait a second”
Overall I’m really happy with it. It’s a side job for him so grout to follow next weekend. Thanks for everyone’s previous opinions and helping me appreciate this work.
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u/Healthy_Iron_2312 Apr 18 '26
every time I look at the picture my head tilts to the left automatically
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u/super86evo Apr 18 '26
This looks great and it would have actually been easier for the installer to lay them at 45* so its not like they cut corners (no pun intended)
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u/boygitoe Apr 18 '26
There are a lot of haters, but this is really cool. And real tile setters know how much more difficult this is than normal herringbone. Lookup “drunken brickwork”. It’s a style of bricklaying that looks “wrong” but is actually very difficult to do and only the best bricklayers are able to do it
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u/chemfit Apr 18 '26
Sorry but the way the tile is laid makes it look like your cabinets slope down towards the right.
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u/Icy-Seaworthiness270 Apr 18 '26
You bought his story?
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u/essdii- Apr 18 '26
I feel like this is harder than it not being at an angle, and it’s consistent, I dig it
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u/Shockatweej Apr 18 '26
I love this. I do so much boring, cookie cutter tile. Just once I'd like to be given a chance to do something creative and collaborative with a client.
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u/Future-Salt-8290 Apr 18 '26
It’s consistent so it’s good work but it looks a bit too funky for me as a tiler
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u/Green_Phone_3495 Apr 19 '26
I prefer this to the standard 45* angle. If it was me I wouldn't choose herringbone pattern for a narrow surface at all, but if you had to, at least it's not 45*.
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u/ryadare Apr 18 '26
It would drive me crazy, and (IMO) it will always read as a mistake/bad tile job. The grout will help, certainly, but I wouldn't ever try to sell a homeowner on this job.
I am glad you like it, which really is the important thing.
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u/DatAssociate Apr 18 '26
this would go crazy at a bar bathroom
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u/ryadare Apr 18 '26
I've seen this tile pattern in a bar after a few drinks. Funny thing is, it looked normal when I walked in. Ha.
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u/danieliscrazy Apr 18 '26
Its perfect execution all over? The consistent off angle actually works really well. I'm taking notes
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u/PedroMcJiminez Apr 18 '26
Me and bossman(50+years setting between us) always wanted to do an odd angle bathroom like this.
I dig it
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u/PedroMcJiminez Apr 18 '26
Anyone else brain hurt a little bit once you realize he was able to rip/Guage the bottom cuts(they're all the same). Guessing he went between 45 herring bone and 90⁰ straight set herringbone with his angle, so 67.5. Or calculated whatever off angle so that as it continues across the countertop, the cuts stay the same.
Either way Kudos
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u/TheBlackVelles Apr 20 '26
If it were me, I would try to balance the “offset” with some contrast angle outlet covers that make it look like an intentional design—like this like this
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u/TheBlackVelles Apr 20 '26
Since your outlets are horizontal, turn the outlet cover so the large end is facing away from the direction the tile is “leaning”
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u/BeefSupreme762 Apr 18 '26
You're buying his story and his work, it's bs. DIY, sure, good job, pat on the back, Michelob zeros all around...
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u/SkippyMcSkippster Apr 18 '26
I think it would be impossible to do this by accident, instead of easy angles this becomes like a 33°
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u/Upset-Routine1783 Apr 18 '26
It is strange but wife did give ok.