Tile Shopping Tips

Our tile shopping tips are to help guide you with selecting new tiles for your next home improvement or commercial project.

We will inform you about:

• What to look for
• Consider size and style
• Calculating quantity
• Recommended resources
• The 5 mistakes many people make when buying tile.

What To Look For When Selecting Tile

With well over 25+ years of experience in the trade, we've touched and installed an enormous amount of tile over the years. Count on us to assist you in the right direction.

Getting Started With A Plan

Perhaps you're at the stage where you are considering shopping for tile? I understand that it can be a little daunting for many people. There's just so many options out there in the wild.

Do you already have a general idea of what style of tile that you want? Perhaps you already know exactly what tile you want?

That's great!

Allow me share a few words of advice before you hand over your hard earned money.

Tile Sizes, Shapes and Colors

Larger tiles tend to create the illusion of making smaller spaces appear bigger and open. The pattern in which they are installed helps with the flow of the space, as well.

For instance, installing rectangular tiles parallel along the length of long walls, such as hallways, will provide a natural flow. Whereas, installing them perpendicular tends to give the appearance that the space is shorter and compact.

Smaller tiles, especially those with various colors and shapes, can appear to have a busier look. Your eyes will have a tendency to glance and bounce around. Mosaic and mixed media tiles are often used sparingly as accents to compliment the main tiles and surrounding surfaces to complete the overall vibe. But they can also actually be the main attraction, or just to add a bold statement, as well.

At the end of the day, it's all about your taste and personality!

Calculating How Much Tile To Purchase

Before you actually buy your tile, you are going to need to know how much you need, right?

You do this by taking measurements to calculate the square footage. Then add 10% - 15% on top of that. The extra amount is to ensure that you have enough to complete the project, and then some extra.

Why?

• You'll end up with scrap pieces from the cuts that are made during installation, which might not be reusable elsewhere. The scraps add up, eating into the overall amount of square footage that's left and available. Unless you get lucky, or just don't care about a professional looking layout.

• Sometimes there are damaged pieces due to shipping and handling that cannot always be usable. A chipped corner can either be used as a cut, or placed where trim or another piece of tile will cover it at a change of plane. But completely damaged pieces, or even whole cartons, can be an issue.

• Also, there's a lot of tiles that become discontinued over time, or re-manufactured with a different colorway, known as a dye lot. So, it's usually beneficial to have spare materials stowed away for any possible circumstances that you may encounter later on in the future.

We often leave a "courtesy package" with our clients upon completion of their tiling installation project. It includes either an open box, or a full box of tile, along with a partial bag of grout. This is just in case any of their already installed tiles are damaged, or if they just want to add more somewhere else.

This brings me to the next couple of tips about shopping for tile.

Purchase Return & Exchange Policies

Every tile supplier has there own return and refund policy rules. This can be a major factor while shopping for tile.

I've come across exchange policies at different establishments that can range from 48 hours, 7 days, 30 days, and 90 days.

There's a few places that allow refunds up to a full 1 year after purchase. But the caveat is that the products need to have been purchased through a commercial account, or by using one of their credit cards.

Some tile supply companies don't allow returns for certain products. And there's others that absolutely don't allow returns at all.

Looking into the company's return policy is something definitely worth taking a look into. Especially if you're undecided, or end up changing your mind, as one does from time to time. It would be deflating to pay for a product, only to get stuck with something that you don't like.

However, I have a couple of suggestions to help prevent buyers regret:

• You can order samples to get a general feel for it in the space you intend on putting it.
• Some suppliers have "visualizers" that allow you to upload an image of the space, then portrays the tile in that space.

Tile Shopping Resources

There are many places to shop for tile. We all know about the big box stores. But there are a lot of tile suppliers that you may not know about.

The most common places that folks initially gravitate to are stores like Home Depot and Lowe's. A couple other popular stores are Floor & Decor and Granite Expo. You may have even heard of Flooring Liquidators and ABC Tile.

However, don't allow those to be your only options. There are buildings that appear to look like they're just warehouses. Don't be fooled! They have showrooms that are open to the public.

A few of our recommendations in our surrounding areas are:

There's plenty of others around. These are just some of the mainstream tile manufacturer suppliers.

Final Wrap Up

You have a certain look and personality that you want to achieve. Along with your budget.

Hope these tips help you out moving forward with your tile shopping experience.

Be sure to also check out these 5 Mistakes To Avoid When Shopping For Tile.  Number 4 is our #1 pet peeve.

Dreaming of a brand new luxurious master bathroom? Looking to remodel that outdated kitchen with a modern counter top and beautiful backsplash? How about updating those old worn out floors with something a bit more durable and timeless? Perhaps you’re in need of some fresh and elegant ideas for your brand new custom home?

Look no further because we’ve got you covered!!

We provide tile installation services to home owners and general contractors for residential and commercial projects!