Not happy with tile choice-advice please! UPDATE: Pool is finished!

[Rachelmarie]

Re: Not happy with tile choice-advice please! UPDATE: Tile is not the right color

I just donated, so I will be able to post more pics. It is not letting me do it yet though. Do you know how long it takes before it will allow me to?

 

[kimkats]

Re: Not happy with tile choice-advice please! UPDATE: Tile is not the right color

I will get our IT guy on it. He might be getting his kids ready for school so............it might be a few.

 

[Rachelmarie]

Re: Not happy with tile choice-advice please! UPDATE: Tile is not the right color

So here are two pictures of it next to the pavers we are using. One pic is in the showroom and the other outside. The outside one also has a sample of travertine next to it which we also considered but decided the glass tile will give it a more interesting look and make the raised spa a focal point. There will be a gray thin set behind the tiles as well as a VERY light gray grout. So once it is installed it won't look as bright. The PB showed me a picture of a pool with it installed with the same color plaster we are using (pebble sheen blue granite) and it flowed very nicely. I can't wait for them to rip the brown tile out and put the new tile in!

 

[Dirk]

Re: Not happy with tile choice-advice please! UPDATE: Tile is not the right color

Ta da!! All I can add: whoever is responsible for the original tile mixup did you a huge favor!!

Thanks for the donation.

 

[Rachelmarie]

Re: Not happy with tile choice-advice please! UPDATE: Tile is not the right color

Ta da!! All I can add: whoever is responsible for the original tile mixup did you a huge favor!!

Thanks for the donation.

I agree, I feel like it was a blessing in disguise.

 

[YippeeSkippy]

Re: Not happy with tile choice-advice please!

I would leave it as it is. You are unlikely to ever get an exact match between two separate products. Trying to get it to match now with coatings, sealers and even replacement tile, will only make it more obvious that it was a failed attempt to blend the two colors. Keep it with a contrast like it is and no one will ever think it was not planned that way from the start.

I gotta agree whole heartedly with this. When things are so matchy-matchy it isn't near as interesting or giving you depth as when the elements compliment yet aren't all the same.

Maddie

 

[riley00dog]

Re: Not happy with tile choice-advice please! UPDATE: Tile is not the right color

You can’t go wrong with that blue. It will really sparkle and pop! If we had veered away from neutral it would have been with something like this (although my Pb made it clear that he hates working with glass tile - not that he’s actually the one physically applying it [emoji849]). Our neutral waterline line is quite similar to the one you considered. Our paving is quite different to yours though, so there would be no predicting how it would turn out.

 

[eric99gt]

Re: Not happy with tile choice-advice please! UPDATE: Tile is not the right color

Glad you got things sorted out. Interestingly enough I think your new glass tile choice is the same tile we had installed inside of our pool.

 

[kimkats]

Re: Not happy with tile choice-advice please! UPDATE: Tile is not the right color

Look at that pretty badge! LOVE it! THANKS!

Love, love, love that new tile!!!!! You are going to love how it changes in the sun and shade!

I am glad you already thought about the mortar and grout color. That is SO important for this pretty tile.

Now lets sit down and have a talk about this tile going on..............this tile can be hard to do right. Do you know if there is mesh behind it or plastic over the top of it? That will impact the ease of application but also could cause different problems. Me? I would be SO helicopter on the installers it is not even funny! "Here is another bottle of water. Oh I like how straight you are making that tile." Walk away for a few then "Here is a cookie. Oh you are doing a good job lining those little tiles all up." Be there and be oh so sweet BUT keep an eye on their work. Look at the corners and edges where they meet. Bring in breakfast/lunch depending on the time of day. Do you have to? Nope BUT if they think you are there for them then they might go the extra mile and make sure it is purrfect. They might be a little upset about having to take the old tile out and put new, harder to do, tile in.

Kim

 

[Rachelmarie]

Re: Not happy with tile choice-advice please! UPDATE: Tile is not the right color

Glad you got things sorted out. Interestingly enough I think your new glass tile choice is the same tile we had installed inside of our pool.

View attachment 88048

That is beautiful!

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You can’t go wrong with that blue. It will really sparkle and pop! If we had veered away from neutral it would have been with something like this (although my Pb made it clear that he hates working with glass tile - not that he’s actually the one physically applying it [emoji849]). Our neutral waterline line is quite similar to the one you considered. Our paving is quite different to yours though, so there would be no predicting how it would turn out.

I do feel confident this one will look good and I made the right decision. I was stressing out trying to find the right one and my husband was always against the glass but I was able to convince him and now he is happy with it.

- - - Updated - - -

- - - Updated - - -

Look at that pretty badge! LOVE it! THANKS!

Love, love, love that new tile!!!!! You are going to love how it changes in the sun and shade!

I am glad you already thought about the mortar and grout color. That is SO important for this pretty tile.

Now lets sit down and have a talk about this tile going on..............this tile can be hard to do right. Do you know if there is mesh behind it or plastic over the top of it? That will impact the ease of application but also could cause different problems. Me? I would be SO helicopter on the installers it is not even funny! "Here is another bottle of water. Oh I like how straight you are making that tile." Walk away for a few then "Here is a cookie. Oh you are doing a good job lining those little tiles all up." Be there and be oh so sweet BUT keep an eye on their work. Look at the corners and edges where they meet. Bring in breakfast/lunch depending on the time of day. Do you have to? Nope BUT if they think you are there for them then they might go the extra mile and make sure it is purrfect. They might be a little upset about having to take the old tile out and put new, harder to do, tile in.

Kim

This is all good advice. I hate to be all over them but I will try to keep an eye on things and be nice about how I do it. I am always in and out of the house with the kids but hopefully my husband can be home that day to help monitor things.

These tiles are on a paper face not mesh. Do you know how well that typically goes in? My brother in law does flooring for his job and he said with the paper the grout lines won't be perfect.

 

[kimkats]

Re: Not happy with tile choice-advice please! UPDATE: Tile is not the right color

Paper face is MUCH better than mesh as the mesh almost always shows through in a place or few.

IF they use time and care most of the grout lines will be good. There might be a couple of "special" ones in that they are slightly close, turned a bit this way or that BUT with your "niceness" aka food and drink the guys might take extra care to make sure this does not happen too much. If they take the paper off just after the mortar starts to dry them might be able to move them slightly.

Kim

 

[Dirk]

Re: Not happy with tile choice-advice please! UPDATE: Tile is not the right color

I really like Kim's approach, and idea to be there and keep a close eye on things. Myself, I might be tempted to be a little less covert about it. We have many threads here describing owners' disappointment with small tile layout. After the fact, when redoing it is a nightmare. Ward off that possibility, for sure. I wouldn't be shy. I'd go to the contractor and express my concerns about the little tiles and their layout and installation, citing that you've seen some bad jobs, and let him know your expectations up front. That you're expecting attractive edges and corners, perfectly straight grout lines, etc. Tell him you're going to be onsite to assess the install in real time, so that it goes well. His job would then be to go to his installers and relay your expectations, and alert them to your presence on job day. This should be no surprise to him, or them, as they're redoing what they consider a perfectly fine install! They already know you're a perfectionist.

Yes, this could backfire, so you have to use your discretion about this tactic, and how you present it. But I'm of the school of thought (which I use everywhere in life) that you can't blame someone for not meeting your expectations if you never made your expectations known...

When I "helped" my tile guy set my tiles, I talked to him first, in essence giving him the opportunity to consent, and just told him, honestly, that I'm fussy, I want the tiles just so, and that I want to work with him to arrange the tiles. He was fine with that. I had purchased the tiles, and had them onsite, and had already gone through them all and pull out the rejects. It all went quite well. After just a short time, he learned what I was after, and was arranging the tiles just as I would have. I like to think he enjoyed meeting my expectations. I know I like to with my customers.

The "cookies and milk" tips occur whether you go this route or not. Always: "Keep the talent happy!"

 

[Rachelmarie]

Re: Not happy with tile choice-advice please! UPDATE: Tile is not the right color

Thank you both so much! I think they are coming tomorrow to do it which is good because my husband works from home Fridays and he can help since I am in and out a lot throughout the day with the kids. I have a friend who built a pool with the same company and has a spa with glass tiles. I am going to reach out to her to see how hers turned out.

 

[Rachelmarie]

Re: Not happy with tile choice-advice please! UPDATE: Tile is not the right color

Tile was installed yesterday just waiting for them to come back and do grout. I am very happy with it!

 

[Dirk]

Re: Not happy with tile choice-advice please! UPDATE: Tile is not the right color

Looks great!

Moving on... Put a three-foot level on the spillway. Do it today. Borrow/buy one if you don't have one. That spillway should be perfectly level, both along the front edge, and the back edge. We had a build thread here where the spillway was not level, and with the pump on low, water would spill over on one end, but not the other. When confronted about it, the PB just turned up the pump (which does mask a crooked spill way). But that means it always has to be run that way: more electricity, more pH-rise, and the fact that you can't dial down the pump to have a nice ambient water feature sound without revealing the crooked waterfall.

You want that spillway to be perfectly level, so that the water will fall over it evenly from end to end at any pump speed. Now's the time to fix it if it isn't, not when the final finish and water are in the pool and spa...

 

[Rachelmarie]

Re: Not happy with tile choice-advice please! UPDATE: Tile is not the right color

Looks great!

Moving on... Put a three-foot level on the spillway. Do it today. Borrow/buy one if you don't have one. That spillway should be perfectly level, both along the front edge, and the back edge. We had a build thread here where the spillway was not level, and with the pump on low, water would spill over on one end, but not the other. When confronted about it, the PB just turned up the pump (which does mask a crooked spill way). But that means it always has to be run that way: more electricity, more pH-rise, and the fact that you can't dial down the pump to have a nice ambient water feature sound without revealing the crooked waterfall.

You want that spillway to be perfectly level, so that the water will fall over it evenly from end to end at any pump speed. Now's the time to fix it if it isn't, not when the final finish and water are in the pool and spa...

This is such good advice. Thank you and we will definitely check it out!

 

[Poolbella]

Re: Not happy with tile choice-advice please! UPDATE: Tile is not the right color

Looks beautiful!

 

[santacruzpool]

Re: Not happy with tile choice-advice please! UPDATE: Tile is not the right color

That is quite the dramatic change compared to the original tile they installed - the new tile looks amazing!

 

[kimkats]

Re: Not happy with tile choice-advice please! UPDATE: Tile is not the right color

Now that is some VERY pretty tile!!!! Does it look as good up close as it does in the pics?? What color did you pick?

Kim

 

[riley00dog]

Re: Not happy with tile choice-advice please! UPDATE: Tile is not the right color

It’s beautiful! What a difference.