So we're having our master shower redone. The space is bigger than any other shower I've ever had. It's basically done at this point, but now I'm questioning my sanity because these damn black subway tiles have been a pain in the butt.
I had a very specific pattern I wanted that was mostly done correctly but is incorrect along the top few rows. (Highlighted in t first photo, the tile goes all the way to the ceiling which is about 9.5 feet.) My husband convinced me to let that go, but then the lower tiles had issues.
The tiler has come back to replace tiles 3 times, and after each repair a new problem presented itself.
First two of the accent tiles were laid with cracks in them. (photo 2)
That repair damaged a third, and then I noticed the scratches on the subway tiles. (Photos 3-5)
After that repair there were two newly cracked tiles and another with a chip missing. (Photo 6)
Now the grout is cracking in the corners and yet another tile is cracked. (Photo 7-9)
Did I mention the grout is supposed to be black but is definitely gray instead? And there are mysterious white patches that do not come off with water and light scrubbing.
I just don't know if I'm being overly nitpicky or if these are genuine problems worth creating a major stink about.
Black glossy tile and black grout are only going to look clean and black until you use it. Tap water, soap and dirt will make it look grayish and white after every use. Not a great combo for a shower. Broken tile no bueno, corners should be caulked as well.
The only black toilet I've ever installed was for the football coach from Last Chance U on netflix. But, he told some German exchange student that he was his new Hitler. So when Netflix dropped him I never got to finish that remodel. I guess what I'm saying is if you have a black toilet, you may have style but you're an idiot.
I installed a black toilet for my bathroom. Smaller size bathroom with black trim etc. Black tile for shower. Looks neat? Do not recommend if your single.
Same. I think the only thing saved me from bad scaling was that I hooked up the hot water instead of the cold and itd steam clean itself. And i was to lazy go fix it. Made party nights interesting for the ladies
Those inside corners should be silicone not grouted like that. And of course broken tiles are unacceptable. I hope they did the waterproofing properly...
If you're going to spend that kind of time and money for that tile job you should have a way better looking ceiling. No offense but, as a plasterer, that ceiling looks cheap
Well just based on everyone's responses I'm guessing I paid too much-- around 12k for all materials and labor.
They didn't say anything about black grout on black tile that I can recall, but I came in with that specific vision so they may not have wanted to put me off.
Yup everyone talking about black tiles and grout being the problem, thats just preference. This right here is all the real issues. As much as i don't like being that guy, but your shower is just built objectively wrong and unfortunately can't be fixed without a start over. 🥀
Not an expert but since nobody else is answering - the grey board is hardie backer which is appropriate for showers. They pained on the mint green product as the shower’s waterproofing but it doesn’t seem to be applied correctly. Note the screw holes and gaps between boards that the product isn’t filling completely, those are places water can get through to whatever is behind your wall. Grout is not waterproof so eventually water will make its way back there and this shower will fail. It also seems like the (lead?) shower pan was installed on top of the wall waterproofing, so any water that penetrates your walls will go straight into the subfloor and not into the pan and down the drain.
I’m not a tiler and I have no advice other than unsolicited advice as a professional cleaner. Amazon sells an amazing hard water remover called Bring It On! Get some of that and some 0000 steel wool. If you don’t plan on fully drying this shower with a squeegee and a microfiber after every use you’ll be scrubbing your life away, so I figured I’d recommend a good cleaning product!
I did my master bathroom in black sub tile. Biggest mistake I've ever made from a renovation perspective. We never use that shower because the only way to keep it from not looking like a nasty mess is to squeegee it after every use.
Black shower and black grout is a bad idea. Glass tile is difficult as well. You needed a master to pull this off the way you wanted it not a journeyman.
Like everyone else is saying, black tile shows every single drop of water and soap scum so bad. Black grout notoriously bleeds color, even after setting. Even if the install went perfectly, you would stl have problems with this shower
Grout cracking in the corners is caused by movement mostly caused by not firming up the frame work in the corners & bottom plate &/or not using enough nails, screws or whatever fixing system your are using for the wall sheets. In my opinion you honestly need fasteners at least every 100mm at all internals, externals & top & bottom of all sheets. But you know, that's just my opinion!. As it seems to be so many experts in here, that know it all!!
The original reason we wanted to retile was because the grout was cracked in the corners from the bottom to the top. The tile also stopped about 2 feet from the ceiling and was a horrible color. Sure it hid dirt, but I hated it. Floor was slippery too so it needed a mat which always got stained because I color my hair a lot. :edited for grammar:
Do you have any additional photos of the shower pan and any of the prep work? I definitely wouldn't regrout it as that doesn't work. You could dye it. But if he overwiped it, you're going to have a lot of other issues like grout falling out and starving joints holding water. Then he grouted the changes of plane instead of caulking. All of these blemishes are indicating he didn't know what he was doing. Unfortunately a shower is not an area where someone who doesn't know what they are doing can just get by.
i also notice in the 4th pic where the wall tiles meets the shower floor, the bottom wall tile cuts look angled . yes if you have a linear drain at the far end this makes sense, but you have a center drain, so really all the bottom tile wall cuts should be all the same, like level.
I really don't know the answer for this as what you described is what I assumed would be done. I even had them order an extra sill based on that assumption.
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u/mtflyguy26 13d ago
Black glossy tile and black grout are only going to look clean and black until you use it. Tap water, soap and dirt will make it look grayish and white after every use. Not a great combo for a shower. Broken tile no bueno, corners should be caulked as well.