Discuss Seeking advice on an ongoing job (bevelled metro tiles) in the Canada Tile Advice area at TilersForums.com.

We’re on the home straight of our new kitchen being fitted, and the fitter has been working on the tiles.

I think the clue is in the original post.
No doubt he's decent at fitting kitchens, & knows his way round a few cupboards and stuff.
But plastic trim with them big corners look a bit naff

What's wrong with a bit of chrome round the edges instead?
 
T

Tom Ewer

So, putting the brick bond issues to one side (because that seems relatively straightforward), from what I can tell:
  1. Some people are saying that you can (and should) mitre the tiles to provide the cleanest finish. That would definitely be my preference.
  2. There's no debate that if you use a trim, it should be 8mm (not 9.5mm).
  3. Opinion is mixed on whether you put trim on the top or not.
So at this point I'm not sure how to proceed. I have a feeling that the chap I'm using might not be technically capable of producing the end result I'd like (definitely not if I go the mitring route). On the other hand, I'm concerned that getting this job finished off by someone else would be expensive, given that it's only a small job (and making good on someone else's work, no less).

What would you do in my position?
 
M

Mod

Hello,

We’re on the home straight of our new kitchen being fitted, and the fitter has been working on the tiles.

He originally said that he’d mitre the tiles (here’s what we’ve got) to provide a clean finish, which sounded great. However, when he tried to mitre them he couldn’t get a good enough finish on the edge.

His next idea was to use a 9mm trim, and file off and grout the corners (i.e. where separate pieces of trim met). That sounded awful to me, but he said it would look good. In short, it didn’t (and he agreed).

His next idea was to use corner pieces (like this, but plastic) to finish off the corners, which I agreed to. However, he then decided to switch to a 9.5mm trim (without first telling me) because he felt the 9mm trim was too small, and took delivery of and fitted l-shaped corner pieces (rather than the style I agreed to). I've attached the end result.

I’m really unhappy with the finish. I think the trim looks too fat and takes over the tiles, and the corner pieces look really budget. Ideally I would’ve loved to have seen a mitred finish (as we were originally promised), but if not that, a much ‘cleaner’ finish with the trim.

My question is this: can we rescue this? Could the tiles be mitred (and our chap just doesn’t have the knowhow to do the job right), or if not, is there another approach (with or without trim) that would look better than what we’ve got?

I’d appreciate your thoughts!

View attachment 92408
Fff
Hello,

We’re on the home straight of our new kitchen being fitted, and the fitter has been working on the tiles.

He originally said that he’d mitre the tiles (here’s what we’ve got) to provide a clean finish, which sounded great. However, when he tried to mitre them he couldn’t get a good enough finish on the edge.

His next idea was to use a 9mm trim, and file off and grout the corners (i.e. where separate pieces of trim met). That sounded awful to me, but he said it would look good. In short, it didn’t (and he agreed).

His next idea was to use corner pieces (like this, but plastic) to finish off the corners, which I agreed to. However, he then decided to switch to a 9.5mm trim (without first telling me) because he felt the 9mm trim was too small, and took delivery of and fitted l-shaped corner pieces (rather than the style I agreed to). I've attached the end result.

I’m really unhappy with the finish. I think the trim looks too fat and takes over the tiles, and the corner pieces look really budget. Ideally I would’ve loved to have seen a mitred finish (as we were originally promised), but if not that, a much ‘cleaner’ finish with the trim.

My question is this: can we rescue this? Could the tiles be mitred (and our chap just doesn’t have the knowhow to do the job right), or if not, is there another approach (with or without trim) that would look better than what we’ve got?

I’d appreciate your thoughts!

View attachment 92408
 

Andy Allen

TF
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Now I may be old fashioned or just old, but if a jobs worth doing then it should be done correctly.
I would price to mitre because that's the way to do it, so I would either not get the job because I was more expensive or the customer will know to ask the other tilers if they intend to mitre.
I wouldn't say 'it's the way to do it'
It may be ONE way to do it.
I've tiled hundreds of metro kitchens using trim and have had zero complaints all have paid in full.....many recommending me for more metro kitchens........even though I hate doing them !!
Done correctly it gives a more than acceptable finish.

Sorry to be blunt John but you may live in a different world to some tilers who can't afford to just price themselves out of a job.
 
Last edited:
T

Time's Ran Out

@andy-p and @Andy Allen
I can see you are both trying to win me over to the plastic side!
Well it won't work. ;)
Being nice doesn't pay the bills but I'd rather spend more time doing the mitres at my own expense then using trim for an acceptable finish.
There is nothing acceptable in this OP's original picture, from the rounded trim corners, the colour of the trim, to the setting out of the tiles - it's a poor DIY job that a tradesman has charged for. It's work like this that diminishes the standing of our trade, surely if there is a better way of doing a job that's the way to do it.
 

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