
01-25-2016, 09:59 PM
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Location: Round Rock, Texas
10,073 posts, read 9,318,063 times
Reputation: 13133
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Pfft. I'll never pay $5/sq ft for installation, not when there are many installers here who will do it for half that.
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05-10-2016, 09:39 AM
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27 posts, read 22,006 times
Reputation: 20
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I am doing a ceramic tile 18x18" tile job in the home I just purchased. The job including labor for an area about 1800 sq.ft. came to $7,000. Now the installer tells me the tile has "size imperfections" and he can do a good job setting it down, (shown some pics of previous jobs) but that there is no telling how the tiles will come out of the box until they do, and there are small differences that can accumulate if you are not very careful, i.e., take a long time. He asked us to sign a paper saying we were aware of the differences in the tiles. I believe we paid for a good quality job for the area, our tile selection and supposedly my husband had vetted the contractor and he's insured and all.
Is this a regular problem when installing tile, or should I be very concerned? Any fast replies on your experience as a customer or installer would be greatly appreciated, they are starting the job now!!! Thank you. Vivian R.
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05-11-2016, 05:57 PM
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Location: Nesconset, NY
2,198 posts, read 3,291,158 times
Reputation: 2080
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No, this is not a "regular problem". How does the tiler know there are "size imperfections"? Is this a batch of rejected "seconds" bought at a discount or something? Industry standards allow up to 1/16th of an inch in variation. Anything more than that and they're considered "seconds".
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05-12-2016, 07:45 PM
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2,746 posts, read 3,428,156 times
Reputation: 4254
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Quote:
Originally Posted by riaelise
Pfft. I'll never pay $5/sq ft for installation, not when there are many installers here who will do it for half that.
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Paco standing outside of Home Depot will do it even cheaper then the guy you know. There is always someone out there willing to do any job for less even yours. You get what you pay for.
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05-12-2016, 09:49 PM
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Location: Round Rock, Texas
10,073 posts, read 9,318,063 times
Reputation: 13133
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Quote:
Originally Posted by eddie1278
Paco standing outside of Home Depot will do it even cheaper then the guy you know. There is always someone out there willing to do any job for less even yours. You get what you pay for.
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Actually the tile jobs I've contracted out were done very well and didn't break the bank either. So, a win on my part. BTW, the person who totally effed up a tile installation wasn't "Paco" if you get my drift.
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05-13-2016, 09:55 AM
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2,746 posts, read 3,428,156 times
Reputation: 4254
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Quote:
Originally Posted by riaelise
Actually the tile jobs I've contracted out were done very well and didn't break the bank either. So, a win on my part. BTW, the person who totally effed up a tile installation wasn't "Paco" if you get my drift.
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I can believe that but if the cost was dramatically cheaper then the rest i can't believe it. I would wonder what shortcuts were taken and why someone that is just as good as the higher priced guys would want to work so cheap. Your bank wasn't broken but i'm sure the contractors bank is barely open lol
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05-13-2016, 09:51 PM
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Location: Scottsdale, AZ
563 posts, read 1,281,670 times
Reputation: 525
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A licensed and bonded guy will charge $4-$7/sf. A home depot guy will charge less. Often times the licensed and bonded guy will hire the home depot guy, pay them 2.50/sf, while charging you $4-$7/sf.
If you hire the home depot guy, you could get same quality without paying the high price.
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05-14-2016, 04:20 PM
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2,746 posts, read 3,428,156 times
Reputation: 4254
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Quote:
Originally Posted by PNWGuy
A licensed and bonded guy will charge $4-$7/sf. A home depot guy will charge less. Often times the licensed and bonded guy will hire the home depot guy, pay them 2.50/sf, while charging you $4-$7/sf.
If you hire the home depot guy, you could get same quality without paying the high price.
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I don't know for a fact but i'm pretty sure the subcontractors that work for lowes and hd aren't allowed to sub for anyone else they sign an agreement with the store. If they did then lowes and hd could be shorthanded and lose money on installs because the contractors are out doing their own work. And the contractors get paid less working for the stores because they don't have to worry about finding and closing leads. All the work is handed to them with consistent work flow.
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05-14-2016, 06:18 PM
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11,388 posts, read 6,435,973 times
Reputation: 6128
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Quote:
Originally Posted by eddie1278
I don't know for a fact but i'm pretty sure the subcontractors that work for lowes and hd aren't allowed to sub for anyone else they sign an agreement with the store. If they did then lowes and hd could be shorthanded and lose money on installs because the contractors are out doing their own work. And the contractors get paid less working for the stores because they don't have to worry about finding and closing leads. All the work is handed to them with consistent work flow.
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Aren't the Lowes/HD subcontractors just local companies that pay local people to work for them? From what I see, a company like "Bob's Tile and Carpet" will have multiple crews they send out to do the work. Complaints seem pretty common, but at least people can complain to Lowes/HD to make it right. The ideal situation is to find one of Bob's guys that does good work on the side - then you might get the $2.50/sf price because you're working directly with the person getting their hands dirty.
A few days ago I saw a couple companies looking to hire roofers - the ad said something like $12/hr and $15/hr+ for someone that can lead a crew (this is in the south). I figure a company like this might pay 4-5 worker bees $600 to do a 10 hr job whereas they are probably charging customers $3,000 for labor (and possibly markup on material). That's $2400+ going back to the company. Of course a company will have overhead though. I think this is the way about all companies in the trades work.
Last edited by eddiehaskell; 05-14-2016 at 06:37 PM..
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05-15-2016, 11:43 AM
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16,494 posts, read 17,539,161 times
Reputation: 23561
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Houston3
I can't believe people are saying it cost any where from 3 to 10 dollars a square foot just to lay the tile...
One of our bathrooms had 160 square feet of tile, that means at $10 a square foot it would have cost $1,600 dollars just to lay it...It would have never been done at that price..
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Depending on the material, needed prep and the design/pattern can easily cost $10- sq. So if you're doing concrete slab with mastic on porcelain tile 1/4 inch spacing, no other prep with a basic grid pattern 12x12 yeah you're looking at basic price. But if you're doing a raised mortar bed on a wood subfloor that needs Hardibacker using travertine in a herringbone 6x3 tight spacing with a mosaic or some design yeah you're not getting $1.25 a sq on that.
Pricing is based on the job and its requirements/specifications. There is no set rule. Also where you are located makes a difference. In a large town you can get multiple bids prices vary. Small town might be one or two guys doing it they can keep the price high
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