Ripped out my own tile job after a contractor called it out

Some guy doing work next door walked over and said my kitchen backsplash looked like a 5 year old did it. He was right - the gaps were uneven and I used way too much thinset. Redid the whole 40 square feet with spacers and a leveling system, took me an extra Saturday but looks 10 times better. Anyone else have a stranger point out something you were too proud to see?

2 comments

2 Comments

hernandez.ben17d agoMost Upvoted

That guy walking over sounds like a real piece of work, honestly. I mean, getting called out by a total stranger on your own home project feels more like a gut punch than helpful advice. I've been in that spot before and I pushed back hard because sometimes your own eyes are the only ones that matter. My first tile job wasn't perfect either but I was proud of it because I learned something from every single mistake. If a stranger had walked up and said it looked bad I would've told them to mind their own business and kept my spacers in the toolbox. You ended up redoing it anyway but that doesn't mean his comment was right just because the final result was better.

james_clark17d ago

Honestly, that's exactly the thing that bugs me about this whole situation. The stranger's approach was all wrong, even if the advice ended up being technically correct. Tbh, good feedback means nothing if the person delivering it can't read the room or show even a little respect.