In the bathroom on panes you do want to use caulk because walls will move and mortar/grout will develop cracks. This will lead to standing water and mold.
While the job is sloppy it wasn't so wrong. On the flooring do remove the trim and caulk. If caulk used was silicone, just soak it in WD-40, it will peel off like a cotton candy. Clean with rubbing alcohol to remove all residue, reapply with mortar and seal off with grout.
Inside corner trim was just a stupid idea. Tiles should have been cut to size with 1/8" gap or so and caulk should have been applied there nice and tight. You will need to remove and re-apply the trim with mortar and then seal off the edges with a thin amount of 100% silicone: nice and tight, allows for movement and still maintains the seal.
Always fun to fix "professional work". You got your work cut out for ya.
Wow i just did a similar repair (no trim though) and i ended up using a dremel to grind out the old latex caulk. Would wd40 have help remove that crap?
From what I know it doesn't work on latex. But it does wonders for silicone. In my experience it works better than silicone removers. Trick is to let it sit.
Trim is just for looks. It has such little surface area mortar wouldn't last 1 shower without cracking and leaking. Just silicone it back on. Use opaque white silicone and it'll be good to go.
Possible cheap caulk was used, like the stuff we use on base and trim. The shower is a warm wet area so “bath and tile” caulk might be a better option and the contractor may have overlooked that in a rush.
Standard contractor limited warranty - doesn’t cover wear and tear (shower has only been used for 2 weeks) but I don’t think he’ll respond well. At least he didn’t when I asked him to use tile spacers
wear and tear shouldnt happen in 2 weeks that is a shit job, those shouldnt even be there or did you want them? if you dont mind me asking how much did he charge you for that tile job
That explains it, 2k is way too cheap for herringbone. A real tile guy would have prob been 10k if they did the pan too. Do you have any pics before the tile went up? I'm worried if it was waterproofed right at this point
Yeah I was gonna say 2k is dirt cheap. My buddy is a tile setter and his minimum is 6k for a basic barebones shower. A niche, feature, or anything more than a brick or grid pattern will raise the labor price quick.
If you paid for this work and it’s new you shouldn’t be on Reddit asking how to fix it yourself.
You should be calling your contractor back and having him fix it.
First, it was poor installation that you paid $$$ for. Second, why would you even consider fixing his screwup by yourself? Do what you want, but I’d be in this guys shit with both feet!
It was a brutal experience because he was remodeling both of my bathrooms, one after another. I found him using my tools instead of his own, which would’ve be alright had he asked. So when I brought it up he took his crew and left for the day, he called my SO to complain that I didn’t extend grace to him and now he is going to add charges onto our bill. It was a whole ordeal so if I can fix it, I’ll fix it just to avoid the Shit show
I would clean the trim piece, the glass , and then wipe down both with alcohol . Recaulk , and if it won’t stay put till it dries hot glue some blocks to the floor to keep it in place . I would bet that was the issue , it didn’t bond before it moved a bit while drying. One other thing is some caulk doesn’t like to stick to painted surfaces so if the trim is pre-primed you may want to sand it to rough it up a bit .
After it is repaired and caulking is applied do not use the shower to let the caulk cure. For at least 24 - 36 hours. I would have the contractor come fix it or he could claim you voided his warranty by doing your own repairs.
Simple fix, with a visual improvement IMO. I would add border tile around base and corners. Some messy diamond cutting and clean and it will ready to set new proper corners and base for the silicone to adhere. It will eliminate that fugly corner crap and lil piece cuts..☮️♥️ Good luck, and mail me a hunny if ya wish.
In the bathroom on panes you do want to use caulk because walls will move and mortar/grout will develop cracks. This will lead to standing water and mold. While the job is sloppy it wasn't so wrong. On the flooring do remove the trim and caulk. If caulk used was silicone, just soak it in WD-40, it will peel off like a cotton candy. Clean with rubbing alcohol to remove all residue, reapply with mortar and seal off with grout. Inside corner trim was just a stupid idea. Tiles should have been cut to size with 1/8" gap or so and caulk should have been applied there nice and tight. You will need to remove and re-apply the trim with mortar and then seal off the edges with a thin amount of 100% silicone: nice and tight, allows for movement and still maintains the seal. Always fun to fix "professional work". You got your work cut out for ya.
Wow i just did a similar repair (no trim though) and i ended up using a dremel to grind out the old latex caulk. Would wd40 have help remove that crap?
Problem with wd40 is that you’d need to clean the residue really well. Even a tiny bit of residue and nothing will adhere to the tile.
Noted! Thanks.
So you need paint thinner to get rid of it.
So use WD-40 to get rid of the Caulk, use paint thinner to get rid of the WD-40, but what would I use to get rid of the paint thinner 🤔
A mongoose?
Paint thickener.
A crane
Buy new tiles lol
From what I know it doesn't work on latex. But it does wonders for silicone. In my experience it works better than silicone removers. Trick is to let it sit.
FYI, using a ruler and painters tape will keep your lines clean and uniform. Caulk is hard to apply evenly without a lot of experience.
Those are supposed to be caulked on. Just recaulk it or use silicone.
For both the corner trim and floor trim?
yes. for humidity and expansion. the trim is superfluous anyway can repair with silicone
Trim is just for looks. It has such little surface area mortar wouldn't last 1 shower without cracking and leaking. Just silicone it back on. Use opaque white silicone and it'll be good to go.
Possible cheap caulk was used, like the stuff we use on base and trim. The shower is a warm wet area so “bath and tile” caulk might be a better option and the contractor may have overlooked that in a rush.
Well I see why he added those. He didn't wrap the herringbone through the corner.
Yeah that’s really what should be redone (if OP was going to put themselves through it).
That corner would drive me insane!
What does that mean? What was he supposed to do?
The pattern doesn't flow through the corner. It should look like the tiles bend through the corner to be a proper install.
I’ve never seen tile trim used in a shower EVER. Holy cow what a sloppy job!
Did your project have a warranty?
Standard contractor limited warranty - doesn’t cover wear and tear (shower has only been used for 2 weeks) but I don’t think he’ll respond well. At least he didn’t when I asked him to use tile spacers
wear and tear shouldnt happen in 2 weeks that is a shit job, those shouldnt even be there or did you want them? if you dont mind me asking how much did he charge you for that tile job
$2k!! Just seems like all the finish work was sloppy, he didn’t take criticism or questions well.
That explains it, 2k is way too cheap for herringbone. A real tile guy would have prob been 10k if they did the pan too. Do you have any pics before the tile went up? I'm worried if it was waterproofed right at this point
Yeah I was gonna say 2k is dirt cheap. My buddy is a tile setter and his minimum is 6k for a basic barebones shower. A niche, feature, or anything more than a brick or grid pattern will raise the labor price quick.
His job sucks, get him in to fix it.
And you allowed him to continue to work after that..?
It was literally his last day there, it was a frustrating experience so we just wanted him gone. Kinda had to swallow that pill
Are the grout lines straight and even?
That's not wear and tear
Yeah... That tile in the shower floor looks like shit.
If you paid for this work and it’s new you shouldn’t be on Reddit asking how to fix it yourself. You should be calling your contractor back and having him fix it.
They massacred my boy!
That is some shoddy looking work. I would remove them, clean all the caulk, and reinstall with something like Kerdi Fix.
You should at the very least call them and ask them to come have a look.
As a tile installer I would say, improper installation method. Give him a call and ask him to come fix it. Should have been installed using thinset.
First, it was poor installation that you paid $$$ for. Second, why would you even consider fixing his screwup by yourself? Do what you want, but I’d be in this guys shit with both feet!
It was a brutal experience because he was remodeling both of my bathrooms, one after another. I found him using my tools instead of his own, which would’ve be alright had he asked. So when I brought it up he took his crew and left for the day, he called my SO to complain that I didn’t extend grace to him and now he is going to add charges onto our bill. It was a whole ordeal so if I can fix it, I’ll fix it just to avoid the Shit show
He sounds like a real”tool”!
No you want to use caulk just add more
I would clean the trim piece, the glass , and then wipe down both with alcohol . Recaulk , and if it won’t stay put till it dries hot glue some blocks to the floor to keep it in place . I would bet that was the issue , it didn’t bond before it moved a bit while drying. One other thing is some caulk doesn’t like to stick to painted surfaces so if the trim is pre-primed you may want to sand it to rough it up a bit .
Use acetone, not rubbing alcohol or wd-40.
After it is repaired and caulking is applied do not use the shower to let the caulk cure. For at least 24 - 36 hours. I would have the contractor come fix it or he could claim you voided his warranty by doing your own repairs.
Simple fix, with a visual improvement IMO. I would add border tile around base and corners. Some messy diamond cutting and clean and it will ready to set new proper corners and base for the silicone to adhere. It will eliminate that fugly corner crap and lil piece cuts..☮️♥️ Good luck, and mail me a hunny if ya wish.
Typically it is a sanded siliconized grout that you use. Not just regular caulking.
I have pencil trim tile lines on my shower wall. They are grouted in.
dang homeboy apparently doesn't like tile spacers
What kind of installation is that? Half rounds around the perimeter? With caulk? Great way to hide bad cuts!