In my many travels, I always keep an eye out for the worst grouting and caulking jobs. Airports, restaurants, hotels, convention centersโevery one of them has given us fodder for our article. Our list gets regular updates and consistently tops itself in what we lovingly call โtile atrocitiesโ. The below examples reveal a true utter devastation of both technique and character. Following are the worldโs worst tiling jobs weโve ever seen. When you see something crazyโฆyou just have to share it!
Everybodyโs seen them. Tile jobs that went wrong. If ever thereโs evidence of needing to hire a professional, itโs those times when I walk into the bathroom at a restaurant or public facility and gaze upon the destruction of a tile job obviously undertaken by a staffer or otherwise unqualified individual. And Iโm not saying that Joe Schmo shouldnโt try to take on a small tile job, but if you donโt have the required skills, a discerning eye, or just a sense of personal prideโyouโre better off hiring the pros to do it for you.
Last year we took a look at some of the worst tile and grout jobs weโd seen. This year I think we topped that list in terms of atrociousness and utter devastation of technique and character.
Donโt Repeat These Worldโs Worst Tiling Jobs
Everybodyโs seen them. Tile jobs that went wrong. If ever thereโs evidence of needing to hire a professional, itโs those times when we walk into a restaurant bathroom or public facility and gaze upon the destruction of a tile job obviously undertaken by a staffer or otherwise unqualified individual.
Weโre not saying that Joe Schmo shouldnโt try to take on a small tile job. However, if you donโt have the required skills, a discerning eye, or just a sense of personal prideโyouโre better off hiring a Pro to do it for you.
Without further ado, here are theย worldโs worst tiling jobs youโve ever seenย (and our obligatory running commentary of sarcasm):
#10 Donโt Drink and Tile
Maybe you should wait until after work to have that beer. Seriously, if you canโt make a straight line you might want to get some help, or a laser layout toolโฆ or something. This tile job might have involved replacing a tile. If so, that still doesnโt excuse the poor alignment. We blame both the tiler and the person who signed off on itโno one gets to claim innocence in this restaurant bathroom.
You run into a similar problem when you fail to make straight cuts. Take this public restroom example which doesnโt even cover the crooked corner line with a bead of grout or gray caulk:
#9 Just Add More Grout!
When you want to renew that old tile and make it new again you just add a ton more groutโฆright? Whatโs not pictured here is the wrap-around portion just off to the right where the grout is literally 1/2-inch wide. I guess since itโs white they figured no one would notice. Remove old grout before adding new and you can avoid this problem altogether.
#8 Let the Color Blind Guy Pick the Tile
Whatโs worse than mixing white with off-white? Mixing off-white with โcigarette stain yellowโ. This beauty of a tile job apparently looks pleasing to somebody. We just think itโs a bad choice from the get-go. Take a brief color theory class or steal an idea from Pinterest. Whatever you need to do to get a cohesive tile designโฆjust donโt mix these two colors ever again. Please.
A close relative of this has to do with choosing the wrong color of caulk to finish a job. In this local restaurant, we canโt help but gasp in horror at the inappropriate use of bright white caulk on a darker countertop.
#7 You Missed a Spot
This little bump may seem like nothing, but in a sea of tile, it sticks out like the proverbial sore thumb. It doesnโt take the best oscillating multi-tool to fix this problemโbut it might help. In reality, you should never leave a bump like this on a tile when you grout. Many of the worst tiling jobs come down to something very small that ruins the entire look. Fortunately, this oneโs an easy fix.
#6 Worst Tiling Jobs Where You Just Slap Some Caulk on There
Weโre not sure what was being thought of here, but the bottom line is that it looks like the solution was a lazy, thick line of white Alex caulk. Itโs not the worst thing weโve seen, but it sure isnโt pretty. There are sanded caulks on the market. They will cost a bit more, but assuming you can charge the client, thereโs no reason not to at least attempt to blend in better with the existing grout.
Hereโs another great example from a public test room at a ball park.
#5 Budgeting Grout, This Worst Tiling Job Takes the Cake
Caulk is cheapโso is grout. Apparently, this tiler decided to skimp on the grout, which resulted in serious shrinkage and ruining the otherwise decent tile job. If the grout doesnโt look right, the tile looks wrong. Take that to heart and make sure you have the right amount and consistency to avoid a call back.
#4 Grout Sponge? Never Heard of It
A sloppy job removing excess grout will leave streaks like this on corners. If you donโt get all the way in there, you donโt remove the excess. That leaves you with residual grout that is harder to remove down the line. If you notice, this was a re-grout, so we canโt blame the original installer. Whereas weโre thankful they went with grout over caulk, finishing the job properly would have been better. Instead, we get a good decision followed by poor execution.
Weโve seen this in plain view and down low where, perhaps, the tiler thinks no one will ever look.
#3 Plan Your Tile, Then Lay It
When you donโt plan your tile you end up with odd results. Here you can almost see the gears turning. Likely, the tile guy got to the corner and realized heโd be laying split tile down the entire inside corner of the door. Who wants to do that? So, at the top of the door, youโre left with a dilemma. His solution? Create a very odd-shaped L-tile, which he apparently broke, rather than cutting out the corner notch with a diamond blade.
Plan your layout and always carry a 4-inch angle grinder with a diamond blade. Of course, failure to plan the layout and take into account the door caused this situation in the first place.
#2 Not-so-Mitered Corner Kick
We love soccer, so weโre used to enjoying a nice corner kick. This one, however, is going to hurt mighty bad if you graze it with a toe. Mitering outside corners is a huge thing when dealing with tile in a kitchen or bath. You donโt want to miss this little detail as it can actually cause a pretty nasty injury to a homeowner. Those corners are sharp!
#1 Ah, Just Slap it in There
This worst tiling jobs example lives at the local baseball field where the minor leagues play and the majors hold their Spring training. Apparently, some tile fell outโpossibly from mold or humidityโwho knows? To some maintenance guy the solution was simple: use Liquid Nails to secure the new tile to the wall!
Yes, of course, why bother fixing it when you can just slap on some glue and affix said tile to the wall. I mean, this time theyโll at least stay! And while youโre at it, donโt bother making sure the tile is smooth, or even bothering with pesky grout. Grout is for sissies.
Our bonus entry lives in the Victoria Falls Hotel in Zimbabwe. While it definitely tops our list, the bathroom itself is a miracle of ingenuityโthe rooms having been built into a former horse stable. I actually love this hotel, but I absolutely had to point out the disaster of a tile job that adorned our oversized walk-in shower.
Wrapping Up the Worst Tiling Jobs
Hope you enjoyed our worst tiling jobs articleโฆ And if youโre a tile guy, please feel free to contact us and let us know of any horror stories you might have encountered. We know youโre looking!
