When the technician arrived, we discussed the tile-work that was to be done - the tile section in front of the fireplace in our living room had sections of small, red tiles that were uneven and falling out in places. The floor was clearly sloped and needed to be leveled, and then new tiles were requested (I had requested larger tiles to minimize the risk of the same issues occurring again).
The materials were procured by the technician and he did in fact remove the tiles from the fireplace landing, but aside from mixing a small batch of cement and applying it to the lowest area of the tile section, the rest of the area was left relatively uneven and filled with debris up to the time that the tiles were affixed.
Regarding much of the tile work, the technician attempted to use multiple tools that were not appropriate for cutting down the larger tiles (24x12) to fit into the area being worked on. I was asked to hold 2 separate tiles as he used a grinder to try and cut the pieces down (mind you, I had no protection on my eyes and had to blindly look away hoping I was not cut in the process) - these attempts failed. He did end up buying a tile cutter, but he was unable to use it since it was new to him. However, since time was drawing to a close and I paid for a full day of labor and the materials, I stepped in and offered to cut the tiles. Yes, I performed some of the labor myself. If I had not stepped in, the project would have drawn on for another day and the area would be unfit to allow a toddler to be near as well as our two small dogs.
So, after my assistance in cutting the tiles and arranging them to fit the area, the technician proceeded attempting to affix the tiles on the still uneven floor. No grout was applied, no attempts were made to clean the region to make sure the adhesive would actually stick or to ensure that the tiles were laying on the surface beneath to ensure adhesion. Instead, I was informed that he was running out of adhesive and that he had to "make it work" with what was left. I told him that given the time already used and how long it took that I would have to grout the area later (especially since the tiles have small gaps between them).
While normally I would be ok with helping out a technician a bit (and trust me I was glad to be of assistance here), I was rather displeased that at the end of the day I essentially paid for a full day of labor to receive the following: someone ran out and purchased supplies, old tiles were removed, and new tiles were poorly glued in place). There was no cleanup work performed aside from the removal of the tiles and some grout debris. There were no tarps laid down on the hardwood floors: instead materials, tools, and other rough objects were left about to scratch and damage our floors. As I gathered his tools to help hasten his exit (his time ran past 6pm, a full hour past the anticipated end time) I was faced with the task of sweeping and cleaning the area myself. There was no time at any point that a vacuum was used or a tarp was laid down. Instead, dust and chunks of old grout were left everywhere.
Later in the evening, upon closer inspection, I noticed at least 3 tiles are completely un-adhered to the area, and there are some pretty nasty marks in the floor around the tile area that were most certainly caused by the chiseling of said grout/tiles in the beginning. Equally as unsettling was that Maurice had removed a screw from the facia of one side of the gas insert fireplace in an attempt to access the tiles beneath it - I only noticed upon inspection that this screw was re-inserted and screwed in completely sideways.
I'm not completely sure why I paid someone else only to do some of the work myself while he was there. It is clear that this was not the correct technician for this job, and while he is probably well suited for some jobs, tile work on a fireplace is most likely not it. I will most certainly have to have my floors repaired and will have to have the tile-work I expected to be done by Nail It performed again by someone qualified to do so.
I did not like the fact that I had to leave a review before the technician left the premises. That was an awfully uncomfortable moment in which I was unable to accurately assess the condition of my property and the work done. read more