Tiling the hoose..
#1
Tiling the hoose..
Decided we'll tile most of the house. Lowe's and Home Depot have some good deals on basic tile which is enough for us as we're only staying another two years.
Lowe's is advertising installation for @ 3.50 per square foot. That sounded like a great deal so I questioned further.
That doesn't include installation materials.
The quote measurements will cost $40, but that can go against the job. If you don't use them it's non refundable.
Oh and moving furniture, any floor prep, tricky bits = more $$ to take it to $5-$10 per square foot for the job.
So has anyone done this? Any tips?
I'm thinking of just finding a local contractor and telling him what I'm prepared to offer for the job and see if a few will be interested.
Lowe's is advertising installation for @ 3.50 per square foot. That sounded like a great deal so I questioned further.
That doesn't include installation materials.
The quote measurements will cost $40, but that can go against the job. If you don't use them it's non refundable.
Oh and moving furniture, any floor prep, tricky bits = more $$ to take it to $5-$10 per square foot for the job.
So has anyone done this? Any tips?
I'm thinking of just finding a local contractor and telling him what I'm prepared to offer for the job and see if a few will be interested.
#2
Re: Tiling the hoose..
Decided we'll tile most of the house. Lowe's and Home Depot have some good deals on basic tile which is enough for us as we're only staying another two years.
Lowe's is advertising installation for @ 3.50 per square foot. That sounded like a great deal so I questioned further.
That doesn't include installation materials.
The quote measurements will cost $40, but that can go against the job. If you don't use them it's non refundable.
Oh and moving furniture, any floor prep, tricky bits = more $$ to take it to $5-$10 per square foot for the job.
So has anyone done this? Any tips?
I'm thinking of just finding a local contractor and telling him what I'm prepared to offer for the job and see if a few will be interested.
Lowe's is advertising installation for @ 3.50 per square foot. That sounded like a great deal so I questioned further.
That doesn't include installation materials.
The quote measurements will cost $40, but that can go against the job. If you don't use them it's non refundable.
Oh and moving furniture, any floor prep, tricky bits = more $$ to take it to $5-$10 per square foot for the job.
So has anyone done this? Any tips?
I'm thinking of just finding a local contractor and telling him what I'm prepared to offer for the job and see if a few will be interested.
#3
Re: Tiling the hoose..
Lowes just uses outside contractors and takes a percentage for doing the estimate, getting the business, being the front man, and warranting the job. I suspect the contractors charge Lowes less than if someone approached them separately so the total will probably be about the same amount either way.
Installation is usually significantly more than the cost of the tiles (probably at least 2x and more if inexpensive tiles are used).
You can probably get a handy man to do the job but they will probably charge on a per day basis with you paying for all the materials.
Installation is usually significantly more than the cost of the tiles (probably at least 2x and more if inexpensive tiles are used).
You can probably get a handy man to do the job but they will probably charge on a per day basis with you paying for all the materials.
#4
Re: Tiling the hoose..
Floor tiles..nothing on the floors just now. Bare polished concrete. Still to buy the ones we need which will be ceramic or porcelain.
#5
Re: Tiling the hoose..
Get at least 3 estimates. 2 years ago we obtained quotes to have 2 bathrooms half tiled...excluding tiles. The most expensive was $20K...the least being half that price.
#6
Re: Tiling the hoose..
Yes, I'll try to get 3 quotes. Not a lot of them have an online presence though.
Trying to decide what the cutoff point between DIY and hiring someone is.
Trying to decide what the cutoff point between DIY and hiring someone is.
#7
Re: Tiling the hoose..
Until someone looks at what is going to be tiled, it's hard to say how much labor will be needed. If the floor isn't level, they may have to mud it and let it dry before they can mud it again and lay the tiles. They'll probably have to remove the baseboards and replace them and figure out a way to match them up with untiled areas. Depending on the thickness of the tile, bottoms of doors may have to be trimmed. If tiles are in the kitchen, the dishwasher and refrigerator needs to be removed and tiled or wood placed under them to make them the same height so they can be moved in and out or rpelaced. Any small area will require more tile cutting.
#8
Re: Tiling the hoose..
I'd have whoever does it remove the skirting board and then tile up to the wall, which gives greatest flexibility in what sort of skirting board to have, or indeed to have none at all. It is a good opportunity to "upgrade" the skirting board anyway. The door jambs will need to be trimmed off with an offset saw at the bottom, by the thickness of the tile+grout+¹/16", so the tile can be installed under the door jambs, for the best appearance.
Before you get too carried away with plans for tiling, take a good look at the concrete slab looking for cracks, because if the slab isn't stable your tiles are going to crack as the slab (continues to) moves.
#9
Re: Tiling the hoose..
Hubby hates paying someone to do something if he can do it himself. Fortunately he can turn his hand to most things...supervised by moi of course.
#10
Re: Tiling the hoose..
Ugh...will the skirting board absolutely need removed?
Only just finished installing, caulking and painting it in the whole house.
The idea was to then do acid staining but realized couldn't be bothered with stains and epoxies, hence the tiling idea.
Only just finished installing, caulking and painting it in the whole house.
The idea was to then do acid staining but realized couldn't be bothered with stains and epoxies, hence the tiling idea.
#11
Re: Tiling the hoose..
I absolutely hate the quarter round on the floor.
#12
Re: Tiling the hoose..
We have marble floor tiles in our condo which I liked when we bought this place 3 years ago. Now I detest it and want wood flooring. Problem is we are told that the marble will be a beast to removed. I want to pay a company to come in and install a new floor...hubby wants to do it himself.
#13
Re: Tiling the hoose..
Bare polished concrete is an expensive floor,tile over and you've ruined it,just a thought...
#14
Re: Tiling the hoose..
Either remove the baseboards and tile to the wall, place quarter rounds against the baseboards over the cut tiles, leave a dirt collector next to the baseboards, or grout to the baseboards.
The last two really aren't much an option since walls are not straight and grout will crack if grouted against wood.
The last two really aren't much an option since walls are not straight and grout will crack if grouted against wood.
#15
Re: Tiling the hoose..
That is a thought. The effort and cost to do the polishing in the first place.
Although we just want it to look nice when we put it on the market in a couple of years.
Might need to think about this further...It's just, I think, the staining contractors would cost more.
As mentioned we had intended doing that ourselves but can't face it now.
Therefore currently the whole house is nice flat polished grey concrete and some rugs.
Although we just want it to look nice when we put it on the market in a couple of years.
Might need to think about this further...It's just, I think, the staining contractors would cost more.
As mentioned we had intended doing that ourselves but can't face it now.
Therefore currently the whole house is nice flat polished grey concrete and some rugs.
Last edited by Hotscot; Aug 21st 2014 at 12:17 am.