Tile around floor drain -

[bryan11]

A contractor installed ceramic tile over concrete in our utility room. There's a drain in the floor, so they had to cut some tiles to accommodate the slight slant toward the drain.

A spot was uneven on Friday when they were starting, but the contractor said they could add more mortar underneath it and make it all even. A couple days later when it was all done, the uneven spot is still there, the grout is all uneven, and the contractor says there isn't anything they can do. From the photos below, what do you think? Remove and redo the whole drain area so the grout lines are even?

Here's the drain area:

Here's the part that is uneven toward the top of the photo. Besides it being a trip hazard, I'm concerned it will break off when I roll something heavy over it.

 

[bazzateer]

Get him to do again and do it right or get him to pay for it to be done right.

 

[Dakota00]

Man what a mess!!

I wouldn't live with that. I'm a tile setter, I would have slope the tiles around the drain without causing a big step in the grout joint. Then the tile in the middle of the drain if it has to be cut, I would cut the tile in an X pattern and slope it at the drain. And leave it at that.

 

[Toolfool]

Ugly ! I wouldn't accept that.

 

[bryan11]

Thanks for the insight. I suspected as such, but wanted someone else to see if I was being unreasonable. Looks like I need to look for someone qualified.

 

[Flooring For Garage]

I'm not a ceramic contractor, but have done some work in my own home... As the others have said, that is totally unacceptable work! I can't believe he would walk away from a job like that feeling like he did the right thing for you.

I would ask him to redo the work. If I were in your position, I would seek any means necessary to have him get it done right... Is this guy bonded?

 

[slickgt1]

Wow, all I have to say is that he is a noob.

 

[ConCretin]

Not sayin the guy did a professional job but it looks like there is more than a "slight slant" in the floor around the drain.

 

[slickgt1]

I have a feeling the whole floor had a pitch, the dude probably tried to level it, and then pitch at the drain. And that gap can be easily hidden / made to look better within the 2 courses of tile around the drain.

 

[Frank The Plumber]

This is a problem area and is always a problem area.
The fact is that the area does need to pitch into the drain. If he fills the area in with mortar it will most likely crack out.
No matter what anyone does there are still going to be more cuts and more grout lines than could look good.
Because the tiles are too large to flex into the spot that is pitched.

Granted, this looks poor, the communication between you and the tile guy is not so hot because he should have told you this would look like hell in the first place.

The key word here would be design and concessions. I would try to find a smaller tile maybe a 2x2 in sheet form that very closely resembles the large tiles, I would use this in this area to get rid of all of the odd cuts and mess, this would contour into the drain area better and require less use of mortar that will only crack out later. I'm certain there is a lot of sharps here too and that is not comfy to walk over.
You could tie it into the rest of the floor by placing this 2x2 design into the floor in a few other places, thus establishing a pattern and a design.
If a 2x2 can not be found it is not that much effort to make the cuts yourself on a tile saw. Or you could choose a radically different pattern or color that your tastes would accept that could work with your tile choice. A new $3 chrome drop on cover would be advised as well.

Where there is a will there is a way, on both parties sides.

 

[bryan11]

Luckily, this was done by a sub-contractor as part of some restoration work. We've found a new tile worker who said much of what was said here. Current plan is to tear out the nine tiles around the drain, float it, add a vertical pipe in the drain with a new drain above it, then cut some existing tile into 2x2 pieces for finish around the new drain. No cost difference to us, so all looks good.