Stoned? Or should they be?

On 04/20/2016 10:19 AM, Unquestionably Confused wrote: ...

See other notes; won't repeat here...

What's also weird is that it looks like there is a whole section at the top, extending down about 5", that goes across the whole room, right below the cabinets, that's the same darker color? If these are in sheets, how did that come to be? Or is it a shadow I'm seeing?

It certainly looks bad to me. If the product was bought in a store, he could go back and check some from another lot, if they have it. And I'd definitely contact the manufacturer. I'm also surprised that a competent installer would not have stopped, like you say, after the first ones were put up, make sure the client was OK with it. It sure doesn't look normal or like anything I've seen.

IME, it is the approach that yields the most *memorable* lessons.

How much is it "worth" to you/her to fix it?

For example, would she consider REMOVING it all and finding an alternative "wall treatment"? Perhaps still "tile" but some other product/pattern?

A neighbor installed an exterior light above his garage. He instinctively positioned it directly under the roof peak (gable end).

I bumped into him as he was finishing up and pointed out that the peak wasn't centered over the garage door or driveway. So, the light fixture was considerably off-center. And, as a result, the light distribution wasn't what he had originally intended.

He regularly laments this decision as he sees it each time he pulls into the garage. Yet, the "cost" (inconvenience?) of having to remove and relocate the fixture has been an effective deterrent for many years, now!

Your daughter might similarly see the idea of tearing up the (now completed?) kitchen to "fix" the problem as enough of a reason to "learn to live with it".

Said another way, *if* she is willing to go to that extreme, then that's a strong indication of how displeased she is with the current result!

You said they were afixed to a paper mat. If that is the case, you should be able to bend them toward the mat and simply cut the paper with a knife. Or even cut the paper without bending.

"Good judgement comes from experience, [whereas] experience comes from bad judgement." -- Mark Twain

That would work for obtaining the *replacement* tiles from the yet-unused mats. But, would be inappropriate for removing the tiles (portions thereof) that are already affixed to the wall!

Hence the appeal of an acid wash, stain, etc. (alter the appearance IN PLACE)

Acid will eat them but not bleach them. "Eating" might work if the tile surface was superficially colored in some way bu,t from what you have said, I doubt that.

Notable!

I see it much more common for folks to remember failures (esp when they have associated COSTS/losses) than successes.

I often hear anecdotes of people RE-discovering things that yielded pleasant results (i.e., as if they had somehow forgotten PRIOR to the rediscovery -- "Gee, I forgot how GOOD this tasted!"). But, seldom hear of folks "rediscovering" the same mistake -- once is usually enough!

Sounds like a good way to make what's already a big problem worse. AFAIK you can't acid wash or stain tiles. They are fired, hard ceramic, aren't they?

Sure, I can do that in my sleep with the spare sheets which will become the source for the replacements. Not so much with the thin set the "problem children" are embedded in.

Nope, open and porous finish. Not glazed or sealed (AFAIK) At least she didn't seal them right away

I plan to test whatever acid/bleach, dye, etc. on the extras

snip

It's probably illusory. There are quartz puck lights (installed by yours truly) on the cabinet bottoms, just back from the lower face frame rail.

Beats me. I was 1500 miles west of her when she did it. Same distance when she realized what she was stuck with. I got off the plane at

It didn't take her but a bit to do it, but it's gonna take a lot longer to correct it - if it can be.

Any solution proposed will be test run on surplus pieces so eventually she (and I) will learn what, if anything, will work.

...

I considered that and it is, of course, impossible to tell for certain from just the pictures, but it surely looks to be along a seam to me and doesn't seem that different along the run despite the lights...

But, that's judging _just_ from appearance certainly, which certainly isn't definitive. Would be interesting to hear what it looks like in the flesh (so to speak).

No clutter? Seriously?

You are a very lucky man! I'm jealous!

We have amusingly different ideas as to what constitutes clutter and where it is tolerated.

She likes the kitchen counter *clear*. My container of tea routinely gets "put away" -- meaning I have to go retrieve it at least once a day (despite using it 7 or 8 times EACH day).

She likewise gets upset to find a 5 ft LCD TV lying on the living room floor (where *else* can I get that much clear workspace?).

OTOH, *I* consider the various bits of electronics around the house (DVD players, TV's, stereos, doorbells, cordless phones, etc.) to be "clutter" and will go out of my way to make them disappear (by building them *into* walls, ceilings, etc.). Though my office/workspace is filled with equipment -- which spills over into bedrooms, etc. (but not "living" areas).

And, her "art studio" makes my office space look HIGHLY ORGANIZED (hint: it is NOT!)

She'll object to my leaving a (my) "chore list" (i.e., a scrap of paper!) in the center console of the car -- but, won't hesitate to put her sunglasses, sunscreen, bugspray and several little containers of snacks, there. (is there some reason you can't put the sunscreen on BEFORE heading out? and "store" it in the BATHROOM instead of the car??)

Something about Mars and Venus...

We have a turkey platter that has a turkey molded into it. Does that count?

Sure. And the milk pitcher shaped like a cartoon cow, the juice pitcher shaped like a pineapple, the honey jar shaped like a beehive, the ice cream dishes shaped like waffle cones, the cheese dish shaped like a cheese wheel with a wedge removed, and the parmesan shaker shaped like a mouse.

I thought I had the honey beehive jar, but it's just the plastic bee shaped squeeze container. Everything else is just ordinary dishes. I guess I'm more practical than trendy when it comes to dishes.