Worst problem I can imagine

[gonzomediocre]

I'm building a new house and a little behind,so, I hired a tile guy to set 130 sf of 1/4 inch 6x8 ceramic glazed tiles on the wall of my tub surround, while I installed handrails on the stairs. After he left, I found out that he had run out of adhesive part way through the job (he was using Mapei Ultramastic ECO) so he set the remaining tiles using drumroll please.... Trafficmaster Stainproof GROUT .

Now what do I do? They seem to be sticking for now, but I don't want any nasty surprises later.

Do they have to come off?
I don't know which tiles are set in adhesive and which are "grouted" on. If they have to come off is there an easy way to figure out which is which?
Is there a way to get them to release and still be able to reuse them?

I could get the "professional" back in here to guess where he started using grout but I really don't want him back in my home. He is way to expensive, way to slow, demonstrably incompetent, and he won't stand behind his work, (read that, he'll charge me to come back and fix the problem).

 

[DHTiling]

Hello and welcome...

Is your state covered by codes..?

 

[gonzomediocre]

Not which apply to this situation

 

[hillhead]

did you watch him ride over the hill on his horse? into the sunset........
cowboys everywhere.
You should be able to get the grouted ones off easier that the one stuck on with adhesive but saying that grout goes very hard too !!

 

[gonzomediocre]

I assume by your response that I need to take the grouted ones off?

 

[Time's Ran Out]

I'd tap the surface of the tiles with your knuckle to 'sound' the tiles.
This may give you an indication as to how well fixed all the tiles are.
With the 12sq mts of tiling being glazed wall tiles the backs tend to be of a porous clay and this may help the cement grout to fix the tiles to your background substrate.
PS. If they sound hollow it may be the grout fixed tlles or his fixing method!

 

[Phil22]

Hi, I would contact the manufacturer for advice, if nothing else they should be able to tell you how the product cures, chemically or with moisture leaving the product and how long it takes. You may get a little longer with moisture and they may come off easier if the product is still damp.
After considering advice from trafficmaster, I wouldn’t leave it too long if you do in fact decide to remove them and if they do come off in one piece I would start where he finished and work back till you see a change in product and notice the mapei. If they come off in one piece I would try spraying the tile back with water, let it soak in for a while and then using a good scraper try removing the grout.
If no joy with trafficmaster, you could also try calling mapei technical dept. as their product was used on the rest of the tile and they, although not responsible, may have a sympathetic approach and give you advice.
You could also try the tile your world, John Bridge, forum (link below) as they are more likely to be familiar with the product in the states. Cheers

http://www.johnbridge.com/vbulletin/index.php