I should have been wiser on this one and read the previous Rip Off Report before I hired Fleux at F.D. Tile & Designs...
Found Fleux (pronounced "Flo") on Craigslist. He posted many photos of his apparent work which looked great, and purported to be a “tile expert.
Had him come out and quote the job and he was cheap compared to other options I was considering: $250 for demo and $750 for tiling = $1K total.
He also committed to finishing in 3 consecutive days from the start date (others came in around the 5 day mark). He requested 50% or $500 upfront and the balance due upon completion.
He seemed to know what he was talking about when we discussed the project and approach (I come from a construction family and have a general sense of tile work), so I hired him and paid the initial deposit.
He worked 2 consecutive days and put in no more than 4 hours each day. He barely made a dent in the demo during this time.
He then suggested replacing the cement board (Durarock) underlayment around the shower walls with 5/8's DRYWALL and tiling over that, which, any tile expert will tell you is the stupidest thing you could ever do… Drywall isn't water resistant but cement board is, which is why that’s the standard underlayment choice. Drywall turns into mush after prolonged water contact (such as a leak through grout).
He also didn't have the right tools for the job. He lacked a hex wrench to take off my bath spout, so instead, he kept turning it in circles around the 1/2in copper pipe and pulling on it which resulted in it being severed at the bottom (which took a subsequent expensive plumbing job to fix).
He then claimed he had personal matters to deal with and couldn't come back for a week after the second day. I asked if he planned to finish the job the day he comes back and he went silent (over text). After some subsequent attempts to get an answer, I finally gave up and asked if he wanted me to take my business elsewhere. He quickly responded to that text saying yes, and he will take my $500 deposit for the demo work he did….
I was beyond fusterated and in need to complete the job soon thereafter so I moved on, took a loss, and learned a valuable lesson, which I’m passing on to you here. Avoid Fleux at all costs!!! He does terrible work, is lazy and is a lier out to underbid jobs to secure business with plans to underdeliver. Do comprehensive research and hire a reputable tile worker for your project!!!
FD Tile Designs Reviews
I should have been wiser on this one and read the previous Rip Off Report before I hired Fleux at F.D. Tile & Designs...
Found Fleux (pronounced "Flo") on Craigslist. He posted many photos of his apparent work which looked great, and purported to be a “tile expert.
Had him come out and quote the job and he was cheap compared to other options I was considering: $250 for demo and $750 for tiling = $1K total.
He also committed to finishing in 3 consecutive days from the start date (others came in around the 5 day mark). He requested 50% or $500 upfront and the balance due upon completion.
He seemed to know what he was talking about when we discussed the project and approach (I come from a construction family and have a general sense of tile work), so I hired him and paid the initial deposit.
He worked 2 consecutive days and put in no more than 4 hours each day. He barely made a dent in the demo during this time.
He then suggested replacing the cement board (Durarock) underlayment around the shower walls with 5/8's DRYWALL and tiling over that, which, any tile expert will tell you is the stupidest thing you could ever do… Drywall isn't water resistant but cement board is, which is why that’s the standard underlayment choice. Drywall turns into mush after prolonged water contact (such as a leak through grout).
He also didn't have the right tools for the job. He lacked a hex wrench to take off my bath spout, so instead, he kept turning it in circles around the 1/2in copper pipe and pulling on it which resulted in it being severed at the bottom (which took a subsequent expensive plumbing job to fix).
He then claimed he had personal matters to deal with and couldn't come back for a week after the second day. I asked if he planned to finish the job the day he comes back and he went silent (over text). After some subsequent attempts to get an answer, I finally gave up and asked if he wanted me to take my business elsewhere. He quickly responded to that text saying yes, and he will take my $500 deposit for the demo work he did….
I was beyond fusterated and in need to complete the job soon thereafter so I moved on, took a loss, and learned a valuable lesson, which I’m passing on to you here. Avoid Fleux at all costs!!! He does terrible work, is lazy and is a lier out to underbid jobs to secure business with plans to underdeliver. Do comprehensive research and hire a reputable tile worker for your project!!!