A pretty hot topic right now is remodeling kitchens and bathrooms and sometimes if you are contracting out the work the general contractor will include the cost of installing the floor tile but sometimes you are not looking for a full remodel and just want to change your floor materials to upgrade from a different material or to replace damaged or worn flooring.
The most important thing about getting a good deal on flooring installs is understanding what the contractor is doing, what materials they will be using and the hours needed to complete the job.
The last part is extremely important because installing tile normally requires at least 2 and sometimes 3 days to complete no matter how big the job. This is because you first have to remove the old flooring and prepare it for new flooring then you lay the new tile. The next day you come back and you grout the tile and then finally you might come back again and apply a grout sealer on the third or fourth day. It depends on the materials you are installing and what the customer wants but curing time for tile often requires 24 hours of wait time.
What often happens in this situation is that a helper will come in and do the tare out and lay the new subfloor materials and then the tile guy will come in and start laying tile. The next day the helper has moved on to the next job and the tile guy will grout and final clean the tile and the job is done. Often the customer is then told to spray aerosol grout sealer in a couple days and then wipe up the excess with paper towels and a household cleaner.
Larger and more complex jobs where tub or shower surrounds, back splash or counter tops are being covered in tile along with the floor will take extended time and cost more in labor however the hourly rate shouldn’t really change much unless you are using a material that requires it. Marble is that way and you have to be careful with the adhesives you use.
So you must know what they are doing, What the materials cost and then what labor they need to perform to complete the job.
Labor And Materials
After you understand the process that will be used you can start getting quotes and ask the contractor to break the job down into Materials and Labor.
Many contractors will use very similar products when they are installing tile and they might even purchase them from the same supplier. On the other hand some contractors may short cut you on the type or quality of the materials they are using. For this reason separating Labor from Materials is extremely important and you should ask for a close breakdown of exactly what they will be using not just a large obscure number that is meaningless. When they say Tile it should have the manufacturer or supplier code so you can order some later if you have an accident and it should have the square footage. Other materials like mastic or mortar they can give you a base price for that and then any other materials they are using.
Comparing Contractors
Every contractor is going to say they are busy and they will make you wait before the install but you should never provide a down payment on the work that hasn’t begun.
If they say they need to special order materials for your job then tell them that they should order the materials and then you will contact their supplier and make payment for the special order directly. Do this especially if there is an extended wait time between the materials being ordered and the contractor completing the job. This way the materials can be shipped to your home and they are owned by you if the contractor backs out. The fact is normal materials that are not very limited special order can be picked up by the contractor at the supplier the day of or the day before the work is started and payment to their supplier should be 30 days Net meaning they have 30 days to pay for supplies. For something very special it might require full prepayment and you just have to decide are you willing to let that much money out of your hands before you decide if the work was completed correctly and on time. I personally would rather go with a stock material that is always available or one that is easily ordered without special terms.
Time to Completion is very important for everyone. The home owner should want the job done immediately and the faster the contractor can get the work done the faster they get paid. However some contractors are either overbooked or they just don’t work at the same rate as industry standards.
Timelines can have a little leeway but delays with one part of your job means all other contractor have to adjust their schedule and that is not reasonable if it is an extended time period. You also can’t have contractors working over top of each other or you are just asking for chaos and mistakes.
Final Note
Getting the best deal on a tile job means that you educate yourself a bit about the materials and methods used to get the job done.
The best contractor is one that comes in and gets their work done correctly and quickly the first time and doesn’t require call backs. Other than that you shouldn’t worry about the little things. They should be friendly but they aren’t going to go on vacation with you this summer unless you are buying.
Price is always a factor but the whole job is important.
If a contractor is a low bid but they say they can’t get to you for two months then forget them. If they have different materials and workmanship or refuse to release prices and supplier information then don’t use them.
Word of mouth and reputation are important factors but always remember that just because someone has a good experience it doesn’t mean that you will. This means you must always do your work and research before signing a contract.