07/21/2022
Most homeowners simply trust that the company coming in to do the work has the skills and abilities they say they do.
Here’s a great example of what happens when that trust is violated.
What are you looking at here?
This homeowner called us for a painting estimate and pointed out this corner of the floor was spongy and asked about it. Being as close to the shower as it is this is an immediate sign of water issue.
I peeled back the tile to reveal this horror.
> No Schluter/Ditra Membrane. Not only is this a critical step to prevent tiles cracking, breaking and falling out of the floor, it’s also your layer of *Waterproof underlayment*
> Tiles laid Straight to subfloor. (See cracking and popping above)
> Tiles laid with literally no glue. Someone here literally laid out all of these tiles on the floor and then grouted them in. Not one tile in this floor is glued down. Every single grout seam is cracked, chipping or falling apart.
> improper seal at shower. Because of this, water has now leaked down under the shower and rotted out the subfloor completely. This shower will now need to be replaced.
> Mold and Mildew inside the wall tiles (very poorly glued) from moisture being trapped below.
This is why when you recieve two bills from two different companies that are drastically different, you should ask why. In this case it’s clear that the estimate chosen was cheaper because they were cutting corners and skipping steps.
Unfortunately In this case saving some money then will now take this project from what the customer was hoping was just a quick repaint to a full on bathroom remodel now.
Moral of the story? Hire cheap companies and you will pay the price in the end, either way.