Tiling- porcelain pricing

C

Carpenter

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Dear All
I'm trying to decide on a polished porcelain tile for an ensuite and I'm getting conflicting advice from suppliers. I've priced tile at €20 sq yd, which seems like excellent value and the product looks good. However another tile shop sell a much more expensive tile (more than €50 sq yd2) and say that the cheaper tiles are poorer quality, require regular sealing and basically : "you get what you pay for". Sealing porcelain was news to me, I thought porcelain was pretty impervious. I want to use a 600x 300 Crema Marfil (basically "cream marble") tile and the choice of tile will double or half the cost of the job, depending on which route I go. Has anyone used a cheaper (€20-30 sq yd) polished porcelain tile and regretted it? I'd rather pay the extra money and get a superior product (I'm doing this job once only!) but if it's all hype the cheap tile will do. Thanks

Carpenter
 
Hi, We spent between 27 and 50 euro for porceline tiles, some in the kitchen, downstairs bathroom and conservatory and see no difference, except the price :) :) As far as I know porceline is sealed.

All the best optimistic
 
Hi Carpenter,

We were shopping for Tiles yesterday for a bathroom and ensuite and we got a Porcelain Floor tile for €20 ish a sq yard, Guy told us no need to seal the tile. The shop is the Daft Dave ad one.


yours Secman
 
Have over 150 sq m of Porcelain tiles, and I've seen the exact same tile for anywhere between 30-50, so beware the price tells you nothing about the tile itself, good or bad.......

We have 25sq m in an existing sitting room, and it's the greatest thing since sliced bread. Mind you, that's with UFH.............. :D
 
Thanks Galwaytt, I find it incredible that there can be such a variance in price though and its very difficult to get authoritive advice on the different products. There are so many tile stores now (which is great for choice and competition) but it's debatable whether many of the staff have sufficient product knowledge.
 
well I can assure you a lot, or most, have NO product knowledge. Case in point.

House is built and designed in metric. Tiles are built in metric. Tiles are priced in sq yds. WTF is that about ?

My wife picked a v.nice tile for the house. Saw same tile in another shop, 20 miles away. Same box, mfr, tile. Identical. Far away shop was 38 sq yd, local was 32. Far away matches price with no effort.

I know someone who went to spain and bought the whole house worth in one go, and had it shipped by truck. 1/2 price of here.

Ditto on Bathroom stuff. Local place was +200 for the bath. Told they were out (and that's 200 out of 1300, btw.......a big %), and shop agrees to match, on the spot, no question.

Makes you wonder about the margins..................
 
The reason the Tile stores advertise and price the tiles per sq yard is simply that the price per sq yard is less than per sq meter. The per sq meter price is usually in a much smaller print ! Simply a marketing ply me thinks.

The funniest thing is the Plumbers ordering 2 metres of 1/2 inch copper pipe. !!!!!!!!

yours

Secman
 
Ah the old metric vs imperial plumbing debate, it seems strange on the face of it all right, until you remember that the 1/2" pipe used in this country is also referred to as 14.7mm (a direct conversion) whereas the pipe used in the UK is 15mm. I don't know why we never made the change but it's not on the cards yet anyway AFAIK.
 
I have porcelaine in my kitchen and bathrooms. Had it done in my last house too. I was told that it had to be sealed by the tiler who did my last house. In a new house now and had it done again but, before the sealer went on, the kitchen guys started and something was dragged accross the floor. It left a mark on the tile which will not come off! Better to be safe then sorry. Seal it. The store I bought them in also said that they should be sealed because they will stain if red wine etc is spilled on them.
 
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