Help! Can a good tiler sort this out? - Tile Advice

[Kieraowl]

No, I completely understand. I'm not skilled in a trade like you are (I have so much admiration for people who are) but I know good work and I appreciate having it in my house. For example, my plumber spent ages getting all the copperwork on my boiler and plumbing dead straight, and that makes a difference to me. I like it, it makes me feel happy every time I see it.

I work in a different area but I take pride in my work and it makes me feel dissatisfied and unhappy when I can't do the best job because someone else has screwed up. So I really understand how you feel about this, and why it annoys you.

It was a mare of a room to plaster, so I can also see why it has gone a bit wrong, though I do think this is the builders' responsibility to sort out.

 

[Flintstone]

If this is a regular height kitchen splash back, 4 or 4 rows of tiles, then picking them out by whichever means will leave you with a large visible gap on the top of the tiles/trim.

 

[Kieraowl]

It will be tiled from the worktop surface to the bottom of the wall unit, IYSWIM.

The builder reckons he can pack out behind the wall units so that they appear more in line. I can't quite see how this will work to be honest.

 

[macten]

Without physically being there with a straight edge it's hard to say exactly what a tiler can and needs to do. It's usually the blockwork surrounding windows that throws kitchen walls out like that and makes some plasterers struggle for some unknown reason. It looks like from your pic that that might be the case here. Looks like the plasterer has just curved to meet the proud sill. Sometimes after making good you might be left with a bigger gap at the top of the tiling but that isn't a problem if it's all framed at the top by the base of a unit. Otherwise it can sometimes be disguised by feathering the tiles gently back in over all the rows or using deeper trim than normal, or both. Not ideal but what makes this wonky wall stand out is the tapering gap between sink and wall and, if not sorted, will only be exaggerated after tiling as the gap gets smaller. It can be sorted, just turns a simple happy splashy into an annoying, time consuming job. Unfortunately.
Still best to insist they put it right though

 

[Tilergal]

Totally reasonable of you. This is a recurring theme on this forum and the bane of all the professional tilers on here. We are a finishing trade and get sick of other tradesman who have the mentality 'the tiler will get over that' Yes a good tiler can but why should we? If all builders, joiners, sparkies, plumbers and plasterers did their job properly and took pride in their work then customers wouldn't suffer and professional tilers wouldn't have to become multi tradesmen to turn out great jobs. Lol - rant over

I'm with you macten, why should we have to rectify others poor work? I wouldn't expect the next tradesman to have to fix my errors before doing his own job, certainly wouldn't do my reputation any good.

 

[White Room]

I just spoke to the builder again. He is adamant that the tiler can make it look right and that he can pack behind the wall cupboard to the left of this area to get it looking good. I do know that plastering this wall was a nightmare because there were many different levels. The builder accepts the wall is wonky (I held a spirit level against it).

I don't know what to do. I feel like I've put my trust in these guys and this feels like a horrible bodge. But replastering means taking out the whole of one side of a utility room and starting again.

It dos`nt matter how wonky the wall was a good plasterer should get over it and make it acceptable for tiling.

 

[Time's Ran Out]

As @whitebeam - a good plasterer should have got it straight, a good builder would have got it put right, and yes a good tiler will straighten the tiled area, but that still leaves above the tiling!

 

[John Benton]

It’s unfortunate that tilers, as a finishing trade, have to make good. The builder builds a wall that bows, and he says the plasterer will sort it, the plasterer follows the plane of the wall by boarding and skimming, and says the tiler will sort it. The other two trades have normally gone and been paid so it’s now up to the tiler to sort it out and it’s not a 2 minute job.

The kitchen fitter must have had issues as well fitting the cabinets and worktop.

If the wall was already there then the plasterer who boarded it is the cause of the problem. If I’m following a plasterer into a room to tile it, I always ask them if they need to borrow my 6ft straight edge.

Ultimately, the plasterer has to sort the problem at his expense.

 

[Martyn Leeds]

Who's the tiler working for? as in, is he part of the Builder's crew, or your own man?
Does the tiler know whats needed?

Seems the builder is gambling on the Tiler saving the day