Building a house: install tiles now or later (wood floors, credit)

[Mckgirl11]

So tiles are costing us close to 10k for a mid level tile. Everything under 6 is ugly crap. I was told I could pick the standard level 1 tile or carpet and after closing redo it or even a few months later. The lady at he design center said redoing the tile is a complicated and difficult task that could damage the baseboards

What do u guys think?

[milwaukeegirl]

Redoing tile is almost impossible. It will be worth the 4K to upgrade because changing out tile is extremely difficult, messy and labor-intensive. It is cost prohibitive to have it removed and replaced and I'm sure it would cost more than 4k to have it taken out. You'll be happy you spent the extra money.

[MckinneyOwnr]

If you want tile, get the tile you want from the start. It's not difficult to remove tile once laid, but it's tedious and time consuming, especially to remove ALL the thinset so you have a flat surface to work with for the new tile.

[loves2read]

one point you might not have considered--

it is fairly easy to lay tile if you are taking up carpet AND you don't have thresholds of different heights to contend with...like where two traffic patterns meet at doorways...

BUT when they pour a slab/foundation AND you are going to put carpet over almost all the first floor I guarantee they won't be as careful about the level/surface of the final finish as they would if they were pouring a slab where the house would have a mix of carpet, inlaid tiles, and wood flooring or laminate...
Wood floors and tile areas often need to be recessed from the normal level of the slab to allow for the two or three floor surfaces to flow evenly across the floor...

We had home we bought new in the early 80s where there was vinyl linoleum in kitchen, porcelain tile in front foyer, and carpet in rest of house --even in bathrooms...
ugh I know-- but frankly we bought at the stud stage and were living out of town so didn't really KNOW they were putting carpet in the bathrooms until we went for the walk through...just assumed it would be vinyl like the kitchen--big mistake and won't ever build a house long-distance again...other problems beside that basically cosmetic one we discovered later...

Anyway--we were doing a big remodel years later and putting tile down in the hall vs the carpet which had been replaced a couple of times over the years...

The tile we picked was larger format like 16x16 and the tile guy had very hard time getting those tiles in that space because the surface of the concrete was not even...
He should have realized that before starting and poured a leveling compound but he didn't...there were other areas like in kitchen where same problem happened but the kitchen was a wider space and easier to deal with...

He had to use extra mortar to raise the areas that were low and in one spot he had to grind down the concrete to try to even out the slab---very messy and frustrating and time consuming...not what a tile guy likes to do...

So I would say that you should maybe shop around for some more tile choices--
ask the builder if you can substitute your own selection and he will credit you for whatever he is pricing in and get his approval of what you want to switch for his product...

there are hundreds of tile stores in the area and sometimes you can get a bargain on lots that have been returned...
just depends on how much you need...
I think you can probably get better quality tile for price he is quoting you--builders always have a markup in what they provide as builder basic...

you can get away with using different tiles in different areas although you need to know what you are doing design-wise because I think the same flooring throughout makes the house look larger/more unified
and large format tile in small rooms--like a half bath--are REALLY difficult to do...so sometimes it does make sense to choose smaller tile...

Just make sure they use grout with sealer in it vs adding it later...think they can do that now depending on grout they are using...
adding sealer to grout lines after tile is laid is just a pain and most of the time it is not done as well as starting with sealer IN the grout...

RE the Baseboards---
the issue is that you want tile or any flooring to run wall-to-wall...not have it butt up against the baseboards that are running along the edge of whatever trim/wall board you have laid...
IF they don't take up the baseboards and something happens--you want to remodel, you have water damage or other issue and you have to take up baseboard trim you are going to see a gap...
When we were laying tile in the kitchen in that house and taking out the vinyl...the first time we laid the tile, they did not do things like take out the compactor in the kitchen and lay the tile where the compactor sat under the counter...
they didn't take up the small island and run the tile under it (and allow for the electric conduit/connection)...
they just ran the tile up to the baseboards...easy and sloppy work...

Second time we redid the tile in kitchen about 10 yrs later we were using larger format tile throughout the house--bathrooms, back patio landing by stairs, halls, upstairs in the wet bar area...
to get unified flow...
they didn't have hard time taking up the kitchen tile cause basically the prior contractor just laid it and grouted it down---sloppy work which padded their bill...
but we did take up all the quarter-round and lay the tile flush to the wall...and some of the trim they could just reuse but some broke ...and the problem was that the trim was difficult to stain to the color of the original...and they weren't making that size trim after 25+ yrs...some rooms had to have entirely new trim...you don't notice it so much because it happened in different rooms and some areas with new tile had painted trim
but just PITA to deal with...

so pick your tile for long term--pay the upcharge and count yourself lucky
cause trying to change it out 6mo or 6 yrs from now might be more costly than just the tile price...

[EDS_]

Originally Posted by Mckgirl11

So tiles are costing us close to 10k for a mid level tile. Everything under 6 is ugly crap. I was told I could pick the standard level 1 tile or carpet and after closing redo it or even a few months later. The lady at he design center said redoing the tile is a complicated and difficult task that could damage the baseboards

What do u guys think?

BS unless the sub-floor is terrible, pot holes, out of plane, lots of very high spots, tiling later is not a big deal at all. Definitely install carpet now. Removing tile later is much more difficult than removing carpet. Removing tile isn't that difficult it takes time and causes a mess/dust.

You can tile over concrete or a wood decked sub-floor with ease.


ETA - BS on them not you.

Oh yea - how many sqft of tile are you talking about?

[Squirl]

If you really can't get tiles you like now, go ahead with the carpet. It is easier to replace carpet than tile. Better yet, get tile that you want now if at all possible.

Will they let you buy your own tile and give you a credit?
Sometimes you can find great deals on tile at other sources. Can't hurt to ask.

[loves2read]

laying tile where carpet was is simple in that it is much easier to remove carpet than previous tiled floor...but...
depending on the subfloor which on the first floor of any house built in TX is 99.9% of the time going to be the concrete slab you can have problems...
dealing with the level of the slab (problems we encountered), issues with baseboard trim, and where floor areas join need to be thought about

and I guarantee you that floating a slab where carpet is the main covering is not taken as seriously as floating one where tile or wood will be the covering...
carpet covers all sins basically as far as a level float...

[EDS_]

Originally Posted by loves2read

laying tile where carpet was is simple in that it is much easier to remove carpet than previous tiled floor...but...
depending on the subfloor which on the first floor of any house built in TX is 99.9% of the time going to be the concrete slab you can have problems...
dealing with the level of the slab (problems we encountered), issues with baseboard trim, and where floor areas join need to be thought about

and I guarantee you that floating a slab where carpet is the main covering is not taken as seriously as floating one where tile or wood will be the covering...
carpet covers all sins basically as far as a level float...

Good points all. But unless the slab is/was floated by drunken sailors or wayward kindergartners a tile guy can re-float it with tile cement for a tiny fraction of the difference between the $10K for mid-grade and the savings seen by contracting the job later. Usually filling in a hole or two or knocking down a high spot or two is all that is needed. Some tile guys lay out straight and level string lines and more or less re-float as they go if the floor is not flat enough our significantly out of level.

[Mckgirl11]

Sorry I should have clarified that I will put carpet on the entire first floor except for kitchen and have whoever rip out carpet after closing and put tile I like.

So U guys r saying even with this I will have issues with leveling?


Builder will not let me purchase tile I like. I wish!

[EDS_]

Originally Posted by Mckgirl11

Sorry I should have clarified that I will put carpet on the entire first floor except for kitchen and have whoever rip out carpet after closing and put tile I like.

So U guys r saying even with this I will have issues with leveling?


Builder will not let me purchase tile I like. I wish!

Might not will.