ᐅ Wood-look tiles grouted with the wrong color – should the entire job be redone?
Created on: 18 Jul 2025 06:27
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Mina 1983
Hello everyone,
In our newly built apartment, we had wood-look tiles installed throughout the entire living area except for the bathroom, with 2mm (0.08 inch) grout lines. When ordering the tiles through the builder, we chose and confirmed a matching grout color in writing—a nice brown shade, exactly like the tiles. Despite a further discussion with the tiling foreman, the gray grout color we selected for the bathroom was used throughout the whole apartment.
The mistake was admitted in writing yesterday, along with the statement that nothing can be done about it now. I am absolutely not satisfied with the color and would prefer to have everything redone completely.
Do I have the right to demand this in this situation?
In our newly built apartment, we had wood-look tiles installed throughout the entire living area except for the bathroom, with 2mm (0.08 inch) grout lines. When ordering the tiles through the builder, we chose and confirmed a matching grout color in writing—a nice brown shade, exactly like the tiles. Despite a further discussion with the tiling foreman, the gray grout color we selected for the bathroom was used throughout the whole apartment.
The mistake was admitted in writing yesterday, along with the statement that nothing can be done about it now. I am absolutely not satisfied with the color and would prefer to have everything redone completely.
Do I have the right to demand this in this situation?
C
chand198619 Jul 2025 15:01wiltshire schrieb:
My subjective opinion: grout in the same color—your expectations would not have been met. When you try tone-on-tone and it doesn’t work, it looks awful. That’s why a contrasting grout is strongly recommended for tiles. Tone-on-tone practically doesn’t exist. I not only agree with this but would also add, what exactly is “tone-on-tone” supposed to mean for tiles that are not a solid color?
The grout has a different gloss than the tiles, the same color then appears differently, and suddenly you don’t have matching but only similar shades of brown next to each other. And that looks really bad.
Negotiate a discount and leave the floor as it is. Had you tested the idea somewhere and were satisfied with it?
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Mina 198319 Jul 2025 15:04Yes, at friends' houses. I find it very well done and beautiful there. You are right, it is all a matter of personal taste.
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MachsSelbst23 Jul 2025 10:07What is being claimed here is outrageous. You might be able to withhold 500 to 1,000 EUR (approximately 550 to 1,100 USD), but not the entire amount.
If you withhold everything, you would no longer be allowed to use the rooms. Withholding the entire payment is only justified if the defect completely prevents use.
As a homeowner, I also cannot refuse to pay the final installment in full just because the base was plastered in the wrong color, even if the plaster was applied correctly according to professional standards.
In a potential legal dispute, the judge would immediately side with the tiler from the very first minute, and you would lose the case.
If you withhold everything, you would no longer be allowed to use the rooms. Withholding the entire payment is only justified if the defect completely prevents use.
As a homeowner, I also cannot refuse to pay the final installment in full just because the base was plastered in the wrong color, even if the plaster was applied correctly according to professional standards.
In a potential legal dispute, the judge would immediately side with the tiler from the very first minute, and you would lose the case.
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chand198623 Jul 2025 11:21MachsSelbst schrieb:
Absurd, what is being said here. You might withhold 500 to 1,000 EUR, but not the entire amount.We’re glad that a partial withholding is recommended by the majority, which you also suggest. So the word “absurd” escaped you for no reason.W
wiltshire23 Jul 2025 16:00MachsSelbst schrieb:
Because you can only withhold everything if the defect makes the property unusable. In practice, of course, it is possible to withhold “too much” if there is no other way to receive a reasonably fair response. The discussion is then based on the unfinished work (facts) and the payment not made in accordance with the contract (facts). This only works if the amount withheld causes sufficient dissatisfaction with the situation for the other party. Therefore, it is better to withhold somewhat more than the amount set as a negotiation target. After all, the cause of this inconvenience is the service provider. What the final outcome will be is another matter.
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Mina 198323 Jul 2025 21:40We have reached an agreement with the developer:
The niche in the shower will not be charged, and we will receive a credit of 750€.
The niche in the shower will not be charged, and we will receive a credit of 750€.
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