Back at it again, with a real doozie this time around. This one was a rescue, in that it was completely done by another tile guy, Chattahoochee Glass came in to install the glass door, and they weren’t able to because of the mediocrity (to say it kindly) of the tile job. They recommended a flood test, the customer did so, and surprise surprise, it LEAKED!
So, the homeowners called us and we went out to take a look. Man, was it awful! One of the worst examples of atrocious craftsmanship I’ve ever seen. The homeowner had said she had been reading my blog, and said they had broken every rule in my The top mistakes homeowners make when hiring a tile installer: How to not be a victim of construction malpractice. Here are some before pictures to give the situation context:
The photos say it all! I’m constantly telling people on my websites to beware of hiring the cheap guy, beware of the “cult of personality hire” beware of the builder business model or as I like to call it, The blow and go, minimum standard builder special. I advise: LOOK FOR CONTENT! Photos, videos, credibility, reviews! Bathroom remodeling is a skilled proposition, so don’t be afraid to judge harshly!
We booked this job and here’s what we produced:
Hard surface curbs that we were ONSITE to supervise. You may say, “My granite guys are good, that’s not necessary” Short story, the stone on top of the curb was initially made IN ONE PIECE. Granite people had no problem with that, until Jason said, “How are you suppose to slope that to the inside of the shower if it’s in one piece?” They looked at him like he had two heads…You would think that granite people from a large company would know that that wouldn’t work out! We’re never surprised by the general incompetence of folks in the trades. We had them take the curb back and make it into two pieces so we could successfully slope the curb to the drain. That’s why you should pay extra for the pros at Hamilton Tile.
Ended up having to straight set this tile because these 12”x24” tile were so brutally warped, no way an offset would work out, lips would be noticeable. This customer trusted our expertise and we were able to set these straight set and get a nice, flat floor. To be frank, our finished product depends on the material we get. There’s ways to disguise imperfections in material, but we need your trust and confidence to utilize our skill and experience. We will always have your best interest in mind.
Notice, no clips on top of the curb holding the glass panels. They are simply NOT NECESSARY and the only thing they do is provide water a place to potentially escape. Pay attention to this.
Also, ALL 100% Silicone sealant in the corners and plane changes. THIS is what separates the pros from the amateurs. We don’t grout our corners or use cheap latex caulking. It’s national standards, SO THAT’S WHAT WE DO!
We always install a REMOVABLE panel beneath these tubs. It’s so 20 years down the road if something happens to the plumbing beneath the tub, you just remove the panel and your plumber can go to work. We did a job recently where we had to demo the panel beneath the tub because of a plumbing leak. It happens!
Pretty easy to see the difference!
We steered them away from natural stone. Unless you’re ready to spend BIG BUCKS on quality material, most natural stone is junk! It’s brittle, cheap and packed with filler. The maintenance is a nightmare and you’re better off always, always, always going with porcelain.
I like having the before pictures so blatantly awful. The main thing that I say regularly, in private, is if I could bring a customer to one of our jobs and then bring them to the competitions jobs they would 100% of the time hire us, for more money. This contrast proves my point.
I would also like to proudly display our Five star Review:
Jen Murray:
I can’t say enough wonderful things about Jason and Ben at Hamilton Tile. They were professional, friendly and extremely knowledgeable! Our master bathroom looks amazing! Would recommend to anyone and will use them for any other tiling jobs we have!
What more to say. This is our bread and butter, a customer that has been bamboozled and jerked around by another company and we come in to clean up the mess. That’s who we are. I’m not surprised by anything these days. It’s a throw away world, things are perceived as ‘easy’ so our trade has lost value in the eyes of the masses. When I do talk to potential clients though, I know exactly what our people sound and look like with a very small margin of error.
If you are here, if you have read this article…you care about quality, longevity and functionality. You are a person who values what our small company has to offer. I would like to directly say to you, we want to work for you. We want to exceed your expectations, we want to guide you through this process and ease your mind in knowing you will get a far above standard finish product that will last the life of your home, something you can be proud of, we can be proud of…that will provide you years of comfort and impress your friends and family alike. That’s what we’re about, if you value substance above style, tangible craftsmanship over volume and production…call us today, we would love to book your next bathroom remodel.