handyman issue with shower tiles--how to handle?

[Anonymous]

How would you handle this?

We used a handyman for a number of home improvements last year. He redid a small master bathroom (gutted and completely redid it). While it looked good last year, we have now been seeing the grout along the bullnose tiles (under the shower doors) is cracked end to end (both sides of the bullnose), and we are seeing cracking in the grout where floor tile meets shower tile as well.

This was done a year ago. We didn’t have a contract or anything in writing. Can we still make him replace/fix this? Further, he wasn’t the best handyman we are seeing, as there have been other issues that have arisen as well. So, I’m not even sure I would fully trust him to fix this.

Not sure what to do. Has anyone experienced this type of grout cracking before? And would you try to have the handyman fix, or find a different option?

Thanks.

[Anonymous]

Grout will do that.

It could also be tied to the house shifting and the swelling and retraction your house experiences with the changing of seasons.

[Anonymous]

The handyman did a crappy job the first time around so no I wouldn't call him back and get him to "fix" anything at the risk he would make things worse.

[Anonymous]

Grout can do that. You could call him to see if he'll fix it. It isn't that hard to do yourself, either - you just need to get the right kind of drill tool to pull out the old grout so you can replace the cracked areas.

[Anonymous]

A tile person will tell you that you should grout where the wall tile meets the floor tile. It should be caulked there and it should also be caulked where the walls meet at 90 degrees.

[Anonymous]

*shouldn't* grout where the wall tile meets the floor tile.

[Anonymous]

Carveat emptor, OP. When you hire someone make sure you check references and if handyman is licensed and bonded. Was he a master plumber, electrician, etc.? It is better to pay more for a job well and only have to pay once.

[Anonymous]

I have a similar grout problem in our master bath and now the tiles are starting to come loose. I had a few contractors look at it and it seems the bath was retiled incorrectly when it was updated, most likely a weekend DIY job by the previous homeowners. (We've owned only 3 yrs.) Try getting a few estimates from contractors off Angie's List or recs from friends. Abort the handyman and pay a licensed contractor to get it done right. It's worth it in the long run.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Grout will do that.

It could also be tied to the house shifting and the swelling and retraction your house experiences with the changing of seasons.

This. Our contractor was reputable and fixed it for us no charge.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Carveat emptor, OP. When you hire someone make sure you check references and if handyman is licensed and bonded. Was he a master plumber, electrician, etc.? It is better to pay more for a job well and only have to pay once.

umm you don't need a master electrician to lay tile. do you hire a surgeon to check your blood pressure too?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Grout will do that.

It could also be tied to the house shifting and the swelling and retraction your house experiences with the changing of seasons.

This. Our contractor was reputable and fixed it for us no charge.

Ours too. Wasn't a big deal.