Please help with advice! Panic attack over tile repair 😔

[Dschnell]

So we've had a nightmare with the tile on our wall. It was a front faced installation, which was a nightmare to install and came out horrible. The pool builder is willing drain the pool, tear it down and put a similar tile on that is not opaque and is mesh backed unless we could find an experienced installer to do the same tile. I have searched high and low and nobody wants to touch this tile so I'm hesitant to even put the same tile up. We have the same tile on our steps in tile bands which is fine (installed one by one prior to plaster) and will have to remain. As of right now, even though the tile on the wall is the same as what's on the steps they look very different from one another with one being underwater horizontal and the other on the wall above the water vertically. So they already appear to look like different tile even though it is not. So our decision was to find another tile that compliments what is staying on the steps.
I have searched high and low and found a couple options that blends well with both the 6x6 waterline and the existing tile on the steps pretty well.
Below are pictures of the existing tile and the two tiles we are considering next to samples of our 6x6 tiles.
Which would blend best and give a similar look to what we already have?
I thoroughly appreciate your help as I'm just wanting this nightmare to be over. It's literally been over a year dealing with this tile disaster. This will be the second time our pool is drained for tile repair.

 

[ajw22]

I vote for 1.

@kimkats

 

[kul]

If you’re trying to match your existing tile #1 seems closer

 

[kimkats]

#1 for me as well.

So where is the old tile that is so bad? I wanna see it please so I can learn from it.

 

[Dschnell]

#1 for me as well.

So where is the old tile that is so bad? I wanna see it please so I can learn from it.

Thank you for responding!
Here are pictures of the wall with the tile that's coming down. There are crooked tiles, uneven spacing between tile sections, not leveled (sticking away from wall) and trowel marks so bad I can see ants crawling behind the tile. They attempted to spot repair, but that left mismatched grout. It continues to get worse, especially the areas below the water with trowel gaps. Water has gotten trapped in areas behind the tile and they are discoloring from behind. Simply a poor installation overall so now the whole thing is coming down. The tile was a front faced installation since it was transparent tile. I understand there is a larger degree of difficulty to that type of installation, but this installation was also rushed and time was not taken to do it the right way.
The tiles on the steps are fine. They were hand installed one by one by a different member of the crew and since they are set prior to plaster and are in the plaster, those are staying put. This is the reason I'm looking for a new tile that's not a front faced installation and not transparent, but will match closely to the tile staying on the steps.

Kimkats help ease my mind and reassure me that it's is OKAY to have different tiles in a pool
In this case the waterline, the steps and the raised wall

 

[kimkats]

I can see why you want that old tile down sigh..................no pride in work there gurrrrrrrrrrr

The new tile will look wonderful on that wall! It will be like an "accent wall" and be the jewel of the pool when it is done correctly! No one will even notice they are different and if they do it will look like you planned it to show case each area. NO WORRIES about anyone not liking it!

PLEASE tell me a different crew will be doing this new tile install!!!! If they were that sloppy with that time they are not going to do the trowel work and such any better with this tile. The mesh tile can be messed up too if they don't have pride in their work. I would make sure I was there looking over their shoulders to make sure they do a GREAT job. They might not like it but I would also have plates to yummy stuff to feed them and a cooler full of drinks to help make them happy to have me there watching as they put each and every tile sheet on.

 

[Dschnell]

I can see why you want that old tile down sigh..................no pride in work there gurrrrrrrrrrr

The new tile will look wonderful on that wall! It will be like an "accent wall" and be the jewel of the pool when it is done correctly! No one will even notice they are different and if they do it will look like you planned it to show case each area. NO WORRIES about anyone not liking it!

PLEASE tell me a different crew will be doing this new tile install!!!! If they were that sloppy with that time they are not going to do the trowel work and such any better with this tile. The mesh tile can be messed up too if they don't have pride in their work. I would make sure I was there looking over their shoulders to make sure they do a GREAT job. They might not like it but I would also have plates to yummy stuff to feed them and a cooler full of drinks to help make them happy to have me there watching as they put each and every tile sheet on.

I am definitely requesting someone different. I definitely don't want the same guy installing this. This isn't the first issue I've had with this particular worker with this remodel so I'm sure they are expecting this. I was not home when it was done. This time I plan to be out there with my sunscreen on watching the whole job. I'm sure they are expecting that. I've had a nightmare with this wall and they know it. I will be inspecting each box, every sheet as it comes out of the box and as it goes up on the wall.

I have watched plenty of YouTube videos and researched a ton on removing and reinstalling tile after the plaster is finished. I want to be sure they remove this the correct way as well so the pebble finish is not damaged.

Thank you for the reassurance. The whole reason I put the tile bands on the step was to bring it all together considering I was using the glass tile on the planter as a focal point. That has been eating at me horribly that I will have different tile on the planter but I think I did a pretty good job of matching it well. The way the existing tile appears now looks different from what's on the steps even though it is the same. I do really like the new tile I chose and I even like it better than the existing tile now. I just wished I had found it sooner.

 

[Nikilyn]

I’m sure the project manager will be checking in on the work and making sure it’s done right this time.

 

[Dschnell]

I’m sure the project manager will be checking in on the work and making sure it’s done right this time.

You would think but who knows?! I'm really worried about the outcome. It's been such a mess. They haven't started yet and the more I sit here, look at it and go back and forth in my head, I'm even now considering just taking my 6x6 all the way across that wall and calling it a day.

 

[Nikilyn]

Don't do that! The glass tile will be beautiful and the 6x6 will be boring.

 

[Mfernandes]

How did it go? I have that aquabella tile on a raised spa, fjords majestic in the block pattern though. I had no idea how hard it would be for the tile guys to get it right, first they did it with gray thinset and then had to redo. The 2nd install on the spa is good but not as happy with the trim tile. Now that water is in you can see the pebble tec and gray mortar coming though on some tiles and it's just too much to redo... Ugh. So be happy you could redo that wall. I wish I had done porcelain tile on the trim.