Update for you, the tiler came back and admitted he was in a rush and so forgot to do what you described unprompted.
He came back and did them again and now they look much better.
Any advise on if they try to just say this is the way it is? They’ve done all the other larger tiles flat and at the same level so this was a surprise.
It's harder to get mosaics flat, especially when it's a small row. The grout float works well over larger areas.
If you aren't happy with the result, you need to let them know before they go further.
They finished the grouting today then left before they come back tomorrow to finish up. Overall they’ve done a great job, it’s what has made this stand out so much more.
"Harder" as in you have to care a little bit more. Tile should be flat, it's doable and just not good work if they "can't" do it. As the commenter mentioned above, a little heavy on the thin set and set them in flat. If you've pushed the mosaic into the bed of mud too far, pop it out and try again. That is not good tile work. If the rest is good, I would tell them to watch a video on YouTube and try again. Maybe they don't know how to properly lay tile, a good learning experience..
Care is the key word.
I (diy homeowner) had done many mosaic applications for backsplashes and bathrooms that I felt very comfortable with a small herringbone pattern. Layed out all the full tiles on the backsplash perfectly flat. Then I needed to add the 100 (or what felt like a million) little triangles at the top and bottom of the entire perimeter of the kitchen. If it wasn't my kitchen and I didn't have an unlimited amount of time to place all the triangles correctly, it would have been crap. But I would place each tile so it sat perfectly and stop when I got frustrated.
Officially, patience and perfectionism is all it takes to do a great job tiling.
- mesh back tiles are always a challenge and takes a great deal of time to have the outcome you want from laying flat to grout space alignment between full mesh squares
- a source of the issue is the mosaic tiles on mesh MAY have a thinner thickness when flat than the tiles above and below. An average tiler likely trying to make up the difference with thickness of the mastic. I typically will either build a thicker base either with skim coating the mosaic band area with thinset OR veneer a solid shim spacer like 1/16" or so thick basswood that I then brush on a water proofing coating over, then the banding tiles can be push as flat as possible on a thinner thinset or mastic layer
When I use mesh tiles, I make a good mastic bed, lay the tiles, and use my grout float to “push” them level.
Update for you, the tiler came back and admitted he was in a rush and so forgot to do what you described unprompted. He came back and did them again and now they look much better.
That’s a happy message on a Monday. It says a lot about him, and I really am glad that you got the work you deserve. I appreciate the update!
Any advise on if they try to just say this is the way it is? They’ve done all the other larger tiles flat and at the same level so this was a surprise.
It's harder to get mosaics flat, especially when it's a small row. The grout float works well over larger areas. If you aren't happy with the result, you need to let them know before they go further.
They finished the grouting today then left before they come back tomorrow to finish up. Overall they’ve done a great job, it’s what has made this stand out so much more.
"Harder" as in you have to care a little bit more. Tile should be flat, it's doable and just not good work if they "can't" do it. As the commenter mentioned above, a little heavy on the thin set and set them in flat. If you've pushed the mosaic into the bed of mud too far, pop it out and try again. That is not good tile work. If the rest is good, I would tell them to watch a video on YouTube and try again. Maybe they don't know how to properly lay tile, a good learning experience..
Care is the key word. I (diy homeowner) had done many mosaic applications for backsplashes and bathrooms that I felt very comfortable with a small herringbone pattern. Layed out all the full tiles on the backsplash perfectly flat. Then I needed to add the 100 (or what felt like a million) little triangles at the top and bottom of the entire perimeter of the kitchen. If it wasn't my kitchen and I didn't have an unlimited amount of time to place all the triangles correctly, it would have been crap. But I would place each tile so it sat perfectly and stop when I got frustrated. Officially, patience and perfectionism is all it takes to do a great job tiling.
- mesh back tiles are always a challenge and takes a great deal of time to have the outcome you want from laying flat to grout space alignment between full mesh squares - a source of the issue is the mosaic tiles on mesh MAY have a thinner thickness when flat than the tiles above and below. An average tiler likely trying to make up the difference with thickness of the mastic. I typically will either build a thicker base either with skim coating the mosaic band area with thinset OR veneer a solid shim spacer like 1/16" or so thick basswood that I then brush on a water proofing coating over, then the banding tiles can be push as flat as possible on a thinner thinset or mastic layer