Squint Tiles

BlueVeranda

ThisIsWeird said:

BlueVeranda said:

ThisIsWeird said:

 

And, (2) the poster/customer in that example had evidence of this superior layout, as the existing floor tiling (did the tiler need to remove this first? Can't recall) did precisely this - and they had photos to prove it. 

I read through the entirety of the linked thread yesterday (fascinating) and no, deep into the discussion it was revealed the existing tiles had been taken up before the new tiler started. I don't think he ever saw it.

I have to say Dave's hallway looks stunning and if I had just walked in to visit, I'd not look twice at the edges. But it's different when it's your own home, isn't it?

I haven't gone through the entirety of that thread (since its time), and have no intention of doing so, but the OP of that thread posted photos of the old tiles, certainly where they ran along the opposite wall, and this showed a straight grout line from one side of the bay recess to the other, unlike the new layout. This indicated that the original layout was at a slight anti-rotation to the new, and this would have helped - possibly even fully resolved - what was the main point of contention, the obviously squint LH line against the units which, I think I recall, the OP confirmed it would.The OP's sketch showed all these measurements, and this confirmed the situation. Obviously I only had the OP's info to go by. Based on this, I stick with what I said, and what the tiler did there is not the layout I'd have arrived at. 
I agree with your thoughts on Dave's hallway - it's just fab, and I doubt I'd have thought anything was amiss on visiting.

Yes, I saw the photos and diagrams in the thread when I read it. It's probably not helpful to Dave to relitigate those issues here, unless by some chance he has the same tiler.

ThisIsWeird

BlueVeranda said:

I haven't gone through the entirety of that thread (since its time), and have no intention of doing so, but the OP of that thread posted photos of the old tiles, certainly where they ran along the opposite wall, and this showed a straight grout line from one side of the bay recess to the other, unlike the new layout. This indicated that the original layout was at a slight anti-rotation to the new, and this would have helped - possibly even fully resolved - what was the main point of contention, the obviously squint LH line against the units which, I think I recall, the OP confirmed it would.The OP's sketch showed all these measurements, and this confirmed the situation. Obviously I only had the OP's info to go by. Based on this, I stick with what I said, and what the tiler did there is not the layout I'd have arrived at. 

I agree with your thoughts on Dave's hallway - it's just fab, and I doubt I'd have thought anything was amiss on visiting.

Yes, I saw the photos and diagrams in the thread when I read it. It's probably not helpful to Dave to relitigate those issues here, unless by some chance he has the same tiler.

As you know, these are two completely different scenarios. With respect to Dave only, I'm going to stop there.

DetailDave

Thanks everyone. I may well have to draw up such a floor plan if I decide the only way is a redo. But I’m hoping when my builder sees it he understands my frustration. That might be the most important thing tbh. Or they can explain why it’s been done the way it has.

stuart45

What would be the best result for you. Ripped out and relaid to the way you want, or left as is with considerable discount? 
It's possible the tiler has screwed up with the setting out and is thinking about how he gets round the issue. 

DetailDave

I think you may be right @stuart45 - he may be thinking what to do. We've been on this renovation since last October, and to think about yet another delay is heartbreaking. I'm wondering about the longevity of tiles (this was meant to be forever), but if the chips have appeared since laying - hoover possibly? - then perhaps we'll be wanting to re-tile in a few years anyway - or am I now looking at speaking to the tile company?

If re-tiling so soon, this isn't such a massive problem, but is a very expensive one. It was never about the money, but only about having our forever home the way we wanted....however, I don't have the money to spend ripping out and redoing.

How much discount would I expect to be offered/ should I ask for?

stuart45

With regard to the quality of the tiles it depends on whether you or the builder supplied them.
As regards a discount it would depend on whether the tiler has screwed up you would need to talk to him and hear his explanation first. Without knowing the exact dimensions and angles of the floor it's difficult to know. 
Generally a good tiler will spend a lot of time on setting out the job, as they will tell you that the most important tile is the first one. There could well be a genuine reason for the way the job was set out.

benson1980

DetailDave said:

I think you may be right @stuart45 - he may be thinking what to do. We've been on this renovation since last October, and to think about yet another delay is heartbreaking. I'm wondering about the longevity of tiles (this was meant to be forever), but if the chips have appeared since laying - hoover possibly? - then perhaps we'll be wanting to re-tile in a few years anyway - or am I now looking at speaking to the tile company?

If re-tiling so soon, this isn't such a massive problem, but is a very expensive one. It was never about the money, but only about having our forever home the way we wanted....however, I don't have the money to spend ripping out and redoing.

How much discount would I expect to be offered/ should I ask for?

Are they ceramic or porcelain? Porcelain tends to be more suited to high traffic areas such as hallways. The chips wouldn’t bother me too much personally as the tiles have a ‘vintage’ look.

It is awkward but I’ve asked trades to rip up days worth of work before and redo it. They were grumpy for a couple days but they got over it. At the end of the day they aren’t your friend and you are paying for a service. 

I personally wouldn’t ask for a discount. I tend to do that in cases where a small amount of damage has been caused and I can potentially repair it. If the job hasn’t been done satisfactorily and all of the layout is ‘out’ ( difficult to fully assess from the photos) my personal opinion is that the best option is to reject the job- assuming you are paying in instalments and settling upon satisfactory completion of each stage.

Ksw3

I must have very low standards as I think it looks lovely as is!

benson1980

Ksw3 said:

I must have very low standards as I think it looks lovely as is!

With the photos on page 3 it looks good. I would say with the second photo on page 1 it is obvious but then you can’t see how it aligns with all of the other walls. Might be one of those ones where it is tricky to portray via photos.

DetailDave

Update. Our builder was very good about it. He said I wasn't being unreasonable and could see that it was off. The tiler had lined up to the stair wall, which obviously didn't work out too well. The longest wall does bow out a bit, which makes it look even worse. He is really sorry about it and offered to do whatever was needed to sort it if that is what we want (i.e. re-lay it all) - although did state that his tiler wouldn't be able to bring himself to do it. Because in every other way it looks really good, we can't bring ourselves to tear it up either, so have decided to live with it. No discount has been offered, and we haven't paid the final instalment yet. I think I'll ask him to adjust the invoice to take into account the mistake, but don't know what that amount would be...the tiles alone (bought ourselves) would cover half of the amount quoted to lay them. Any more advice is welcome.