Squint Tiles

benson1980

DetailDave said:

When I measure, every 130cm or so, it’s 1cm out - all the way round and on the same tilt. So I think that means no (I mean I would imagine the walls aren’t completely square, but it seems they may well be - or as close as). Either way, I wasn’t asked which wall to align to, and I was there to ask.

I would agree that they should have ensured that the grout lines are running parallel/perpendicular to the longer walls of your hallway and sounds like they could have feasibly achieved this as you say.

DetailDave

pramsay13 said:

It's difficult for others to give their opinion without photos, and even then it might be impossible.
If you go over everything with a fine-tooth comb you will undoubtedly find flaws, the question is are they noticeable with normal use, and can you live with them?
Lifting them all and laying again is a nightmare, so will need to be a last resort, but if it's really bad that might be the only option.

I’m finding it doubly frustrating because the measurements show that it could have been laid much more aligned, if not near perfectly.

The nine chipped tiles (8 of which are in the last area that was tiled) are the icing on top and are making me wish I’d done the job myself. 

Eldi_Dos

In the last two photos was that skirting off when the tiler did that side.

DetailDave

Eldi_Dos said:

In the last two photos was that skirting off when the tiler did that side.

Yes. Skirting was put on top afterwards - which is why the squintness became so obvious 

Eldi_Dos

Just thinking out loud here.
Would a tapering thickness of skirting and a bit of adjustment with packing behind it make the problem less obvious.

DetailDave

Eldi_Dos said:

Just thinking out loud here.
Would a tapering thickness of skirting and a bit of adjustment with packing behind it make the problem less obvious.

I also wondered if I could sand a bit of the skirt off, it probably would help. More and more, I just want it right though.

Section62

DetailDave said:

Eldi_Dos said:

Just thinking out loud here.
Would a tapering thickness of skirting and a bit of adjustment with packing behind it make the problem less obvious.

I also wondered if I could sand a bit of the skirt off, it probably would help. More and more, I just want it right though.

Beware that attempts to 'rectify' something like this can end up making it look worse.

As with the poster on that other thread, one thing to consider is how other people see the tiles.  Without giving them too much prompting, ask family/friends living with you/visiting what they think.  Because if this goes 'legal' it would be the opinions of average people about whether the job is OK which would determine who ends up with a large legal bill.... and in general most people would probably say the tiler has done a good job (some would only notice the alignment if you point it out to them).

If "right" means it being done the way you wanted (but hadn't communicated to the tiler) then you need to be prepared to pay for the job to be done again, or lose the goodwill of the builder/tiler.  It doesn't sound like the builder will accept this as a 'mistake'.

Again, ask the tiler (in a non-confrontational way) why they aligned them as they have.  They will know better than any of us here.

benson1980

The issue is immediately noticeable in your first photo, and description of issue appears quite clear- assuming your hallway is regular rectangular shape? 

It is reasonable to ask the tiler how they planned the job before looking at escalation options but the job should be done with reasonable care and skill.

my issue with the linked post is that some people seemed happy that the lining up at been done via the door threshold to the room. Find a diy floor tiling guide anywhere that advises you to do that. 

Whenever I tile, I use a temporary batten which is placed dead on my line which is parallel to my key feature in the room that you want to line up against (as above, never known this to be a door threshold. 

In any case if there are multiple key features that one could line up the tiles with, would the tiler be taking reasonable care by consulting the customer and confirming preference- arguably yes.

My first exhibit in legal proceedings (if required) would be the diy floor tiling guide which will tell the tiler to start from the middle and line them up with a key feature. 

What was the sub floor/prep out of interest?

Section62

benson1980 said:

My issue with the linked post is that some people seemed happy that the lining up at been done via the door threshold to the room. Find a diy floor tiling guide anywhere that advises you to do that.

You'd hope a "diy floor tiling guide" would explain there are situations where aligning to just one feature could result in a poor result, and to consider whether 'splitting the difference' between two non-parallel/non-perpendicular features gives a better overall look.

benson1980 said:

My first exhibit in legal proceedings (if required) would be the diy floor tiling guide which will tell the tiler to start from the middle and line them up with a key feature.

The tiler, or their expert witness, would simply point out they are a professional - not a DIYer - and they used their professional skill to determine a line which gave the best overall result.  Something which the "diy floor tiling guide" apparently failed to explain.

The key point - again - is how the job looks overall, and whether it was completed in accordance with any instructions given.  Focussing solely on how the tiles align with a single wall/feature is pointless unless a specific instruction was given to do so.

"The tiler should have followed a diy guide and done it this way" will not be a winning argument in court.

benson1980

Section62 said:

benson1980 said:

My issue with the linked post is that some people seemed happy that the lining up at been done via the door threshold to the room. Find a diy floor tiling guide anywhere that advises you to do that.

You'd hope a "diy floor tiling guide" would explain there are situations where aligning to just one feature could result in a poor result, and to consider whether 'splitting the difference' between two non-parallel/non-perpendicular features gives a better overall look.

benson1980 said:

My first exhibit in legal proceedings (if required) would be the diy floor tiling guide which will tell the tiler to start from the middle and line them up with a key feature.

The tiler, or their expert witness, would simply point out they are a professional - not a DIYer - and they used their professional skill to determine a line which gave the best overall result.  Something which the "diy floor tiling guide" apparently failed to explain.

The key point - again - is how the job looks overall, and whether it was completed in accordance with any instructions given.  Focussing solely on how the tiles align with a single wall/feature is pointless unless a specific instruction was given to do so.

"The tiler should have followed a diy guide and done it this way" will not be a winning argument in court.

Agree regarding splitting the difference, if required. In this case the key feature of a narrow hallway would likely be the two long walls.

The op is saying the tiles don’t line up with either of these walls and is skewed in the same orientation.