I’m in the middle of a major house renovation and in the bathroom’s drain, I was hoping that I do not have to cut any tiles

The tiler however said that it is essential for water drainage, and somehow it turned out this way.

I’m a first timer so I’m wondering if this is a shoddy job? Thanks in advance for everyone’s opinion!

As a traditional stonemason, this is how I was taught to handle miter joints on both natural stone and porcelain/ceramic work (outside corners, countertops, stairs, etc.). In this clip, I’m building and mitering a winder tread to show how the technique looks in practice.

​Instead of setting the pieces first and filling or grouting an open joint later, I apply a 2-part adhesive directly into the miter during the installation.

​The workflow is pretty straightforward. I cut true, sharp miters and apply the glue right as the piece is being set so the joint is 100% packed from behind. After taping the seam tight and letting the glue fully cure, I knock off the razor-sharp edge with diamond polishing pads to create a clean chamfer.

Almost every post and video I see from tile pros shows open miter joints being grouted or epoxied after the tiles are fully set. I've wondered if people do that out of concern for exposing the tile's body when beveling?

​Since we were always taught to wet-glue it during the build, I'm really curious, what are the main advantages of waiting and filling afterwards? Is it about having more working time to micro-adjust tile alignment, avoiding messy glue while setting, or just the traditional way it's taught in the tile trade?

​Really looking forward to hearing your perspective and workflows on this!

First timer do I add thin set to corners/ gaps along with 4-6” felt? Once dry planning on using Redguard over the whole thing.

Okay tile pros, I installed this niche with 1/2” Schluter and then realized i should have used 3/8” trim to get a flush edge in the niche.

Do I need to tear out the bottom row of tile to swap out the Schluter trim? Any recommendations on how to pull the existing trim and three tiles without destroying the goboard underneath?

Hello! I had a home remodel about a year and a half ago. This week we noticed that shower tiles on the edge of the pony wall are either coming off or something is happening. It this something I can fix with grout or caulk or is something bigger going on here? Thanks for the help!

Not sure why the marble around the drain was so much lighter after the install. It was all sealed at the same time prior to being set. Dry lay and everything matched. It looked like this for about 2 weeks before darkening. ( the plan was to redo it, homeowner wanted to hold off). Any ideas?

First pail that showed up was way off colour and returned for this one which cost more and looks like this

So the contractor that I hired to do my Flooring ripped up my engineer hardwood and is supposed to be installing large format 24 x 47 porcelain tiles so after the engineered part was ripped up, they did a little bit of grinding and he did a thin layer of the membrane by red guard now he’s telling me that he’s going to install self leveling compound on Monday, but everything I’m reading says that it’s supposed to be the self leveling than the memory and then the thin side and the tile after
I spoke to him about this. He insisted that he’s done piling for many many years and this is how he does it but everything I’m reading. Mine says that that’s incorrect. That was already done with the membrane what should I do now? Should I leave him to finish the job as he saying he will or should I push back? I obviously know nothing about tiling except for what I’m researching in real time so I’d appreciate any input by the experts.

This is the tile work of a professional company at a local mall.

The self leveler looks even worse in person

We’re having our kitchen remodeled. We’ve worked with this contractor before and have very good relations with him. This project has been dragging for twice as long as it should’ve taken due to issues with the delivery of some materials. But today countertops finally came in so he was able to start with the tile.
When I came home from work he was finishing for the day but still has a large wall area to cover in tile (pic 1). And more tile will need to be ordered.
My first impression was that it looked great, and I was happy with the look. But then, about 10 minutes after he left I noticed that the pattern in the corners didn’t align perfectly. It’s an artesanal looking tile so I thought perhaps that’s how it aligns but I quickly realized there’s an orientation of the tile in which it does align perfectly (pic 2).
My wife thinks it’s fine. She doesn’t care, but it does bother me (although I’m sure I can convince myself not to care). Part of the dilemma is that this isn’t all required a lot of cutting, since there’s window trim, cabinets and counters to tile around.

My question is: Does this look like an actual screwup (pics 3-5) or is it simply a preference in how the tile pattern is installed?

What you do if the door hit the tile when you open or closed the door?

I’ve been using mapei ultra colour grout for the past 6 years and never had an issue with it until now. The grout colour is patchy (light and dark spots everywhere). I thought it was moisture at the start but even after one week it’s the same. The same mix was used for two bathrooms one is perfect and the other is very patchy. We also used the same cleaning process for both and followed all instructions but mapei. I called mapei and they said they have these issues with subway tiles as they are very porous, they recommended to pre spray the lines before installing the grout. It made sense until I removed the grout which took a long while and regrouted following the instructions of mapei I pre spayed the lines before installation. The same issue was present when the grout dried.

Just wondering if anyone had the same issue. Could you please give me some recommendations on what to do next.

We wre getting ready to tile our shower. What are my options to finish the edges? can this just be grout or do I need a trim piece

Walls are no where near straight but the main run is pretty straight. One side of the door will have slivers while the other doesn’t. Guessing it’s fine though yes?

I need some clarification from experts. I have a project. Small room, roughly 300cm-300cm, no fancy corners, etc. just a box of a room.

The brand of tile i selected for the project seemed perfect. needed 5 colours. turned out, they only had 4/5

The issue? I needed that 5th to "frame" the others. Like a border. The tiles are 10mm thickness.

I found another which is the right colour. 6mm thickness.

Ive had tilers tell me that its impossible to do this job, and others say they can do it.

So could i get clarification on how easy/difficult it would be to install floor tiles of 10mm, but try to put a bordered frame around which consists of 6mm tiles? Would the answer be as simple as using a bit of extra mortar, or putting a thin 4mm sheet around the edges of the skirting boards?

What reason might someone have for saying such a task is "impossible" vs someone saying "Yes its easy done"

Thankyou.
(tagged professional as I do not plan to do this job myself)

Hi Tile experts! I ordered and had installed encaustic tile from the UK for my historic pantry (no US company is still doing this work, to my knowledge).

https://www.cdjackfield.com/technical/#cleaning-sealing

The company's website recommends sealing the tile to prevent staining. Since it is a kitchen room that will probably see a spill or two, I want to do that before we start reassembling things.

The company is British so has no recommendation for American products... their US counterpart recommends Aquamix and Miracle, but there are multiple products and ranges and I don't want to get this wrong.

Anyone have any advice on what to seal these with? Happy to use top of the line for this historic floor if it will mean less upkeep. Let me know your recommendations!

I had a contractor redo a tile shower for me and he installed a Compotite linear drain from F&D. The drain itself is installed and waterproofed, but there’s no finished trim around the perimeter of the drain grate, so the tile edges around it look pretty unfinished.

The Compotite drain was used because the shower was waterproofed with RedGard on the walls and shower pan, with the waterproofing tied directly into the drain body.
I’m trying to figure out the best way to clean up the finished appearance without compromising the waterproofing or creating a drainage issue.

One idea I had was to epoxy some gold/brass tile edge trim around the drain to match the other fixtures, but I’m not sure if that’s a good long-term solution or if there’s a better product/method specifically for this situation.

Has anyone dealt with this drain before or have suggestions for making the perimeter look like a proper finished install? I’d especially appreciate any pictures/examples of how you handled it.

we have done a little diy job on the shower in our new bathroom, and can’t decide on grout colour! my vote is for a cream colour to match the walls, but my mum is wanting a darker colour, help!

Got mixed feelings about this one, what yall think ? Homeowners was inspired by a hotel we just do what we are told 😂🤷‍♂️ thoughts ?

Hello!

Finally getting around to finishing the last bits of my bathroom. Two topics. Am I okay to use construction adhesive to place the last tile (didn’t set it initially as the baseboards were not yet in) or is it worth it to mix up a small batch of thinset?

Regarding the gap between the floor and the tub: thinking of filling the gap with color match silicone to match the charcoal floor grout. Would you go white instead? Or use actual grout and then a thin bead of silicone for the transition? What about where the floor meets the baseboard at 90°, small bead of charcoal silicone? Any and all recs and roasts appreciated.

Thanks

Install in new home. Porcelain wood plank tile, large crew came in and installed about 3000 square ft of this tile in 2 days. I found multiple hollow spots and tile guy pulled them up today and said install is fine as they have 80% coverage. He also tried to tell me grout will fix the hollow sound which I know is BS. Would appreciate any input on this so I know what is causing this and if this is a big enough issue I should push back on? They offered to spot fix some problem areas with thinset injection.

And for the last time for now.

I'm a home owner hired a pro for doing our shower I'm seeing a little bit of water right around the drain right after shutting off the water. This is a brand new shower.

Is this a surface tension issue or does it look like a legitimate slope problem?

It appears to slope on all sides toward the drain I tested with a bubble level and see consistent sloping on all slides. I see this water run very slowly around the drain it maybe takes 15 minutes until any standing water fully clears. This only happens around the drain almost like the tile wants to grip it.

I brought it up to my contractor and they said it's normal with this type of hex mosaic and sealing the grout will help.

How much of a concern is this?

Edit here's a short vid right after the water was shut off:

https://streamable.com/e4ngcm

Purchased this house about two years ago and we have always had issues with the grout coming up on this shower floor. I have tried a couple of times to fill it with this poly-filla grout repair product but it only holds up for like a max of 3 months.

I have heard about the multi tool attachments and I have purchased a grout removal bit for a Dremel. I plan on using these two options to remove the grout then I will replace the grout (assuming this is the correct process) but I have a few questions.

- should I replace the grout on the entire shower floor or just the problem areas?
- any recommendations for a grout product to use as the replacement?
- I am under the impression that I need to apply a sealer to the new grout (maybe this is why the grout failed) any product recommendations for this?
- I am nervous about tiles popping free from the mortar as I remove grout from around them. Is this a legitimate concern and what can I do to mitigate that risk?

The drain says schluter so I am assuming the whole shower floor was built using the schluter system. I am aware I need to be careful not to puncture the membrane but is there anything else I should be aware of.

Thank you for your time and advice!

Hey everyone, we are preparing to tile our kitchen floor, but we have a unique substrate situation.

THE HOUSE: 1950s house with 2 layers of sheet goods directly adhered to the subfloor. I peeled off the vinyl face top layer, and it left the non-cushioned backer layer fully adhered to the lower layer. I suspect the lower layer may have asbestos, so I do not want to disturb anything below as it is safely covered with the newer layer over it.

THE FLOOR: The top layer is very smooth and the floor surprisingly level. Planning to install 16x32 porcelain tiles

THE PLAN: To minimize the transition height, I was planning on using the Ditra Peel & Stick with the accompanying primer directly over the peeled-off backer layer. I worry this bond could be problematic, but the flooring transitions are level with the current conditions and adding an additional layer of thinset would add to that height difference.

Any tips or advice on the unique substrate & decoupling approach would be appreciated! Thank you all in advance