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How
do I figure how much tile I need
for my job?
Great question.
There are a few different layers
to this question so I will try
to look at the different
answers.
Generally speaking, in lue of
not delaying the completion of a
certain job it's always better
to have a little extra than what
is needed for a few different
reasons. The first being it's
always a hassle to have to go
back and have to get more
because it delays the critical
path to getting the job finished
on time. That is especially
important when other trades are
involved in scheduling or a
certain deadline is looming on
the horizon.
Occasionally ,even tile
purchased from the same vendor
and manufacturing facility will
have slight shade variations,
from one production run to the
next. No one is happy when all
but a couple pieces are
installed to find that the
re-ordered pieces show up and
look different than what's
already installed. This is
especially true with natural
stone. Some quarries run
consistent in the personalities
of the stone while others can,
at times change over time as
they cut deeper into the
mountain to remove the stone.
It's always a good practice to have a
few pieces left over to be able to store
away incase of unforeseen damages should
occur.
Lastly the cost will also
dictate how close to exact you need to
be. No reason to have 10 pieces of
expensive glass tile left over at $40
per sheet when 2 is more realistic.
Compare that to having 10 pieces of tile
at 2 bucks a piece left over.
So here is the rule of thumb for most
applications. the larger the tiles the
more waste you should expect to incur.
That being said Most of the time when
measuring the dimensions for flooring of
a job you should round up the nearest
foot in your length and width to get
your square footage and then add 10%.
The same would hold true with walls.
Only do this with each wall treated
separately of each other. Smaller tiles
would be the same except that you can
usually round up when measuring to the
nearest half a foot. Then totally and
add 10 % for wastage.
How do I tell the
difference from a good installation and
a not so good one?
Tile and marble is very demanding and
not very forgiving. It's pretty easy to
see some tell tale signs of a less than
perfect job if one know where to look.
There are several things that might be
obvious and others that may not be so.
Lets start with the obvious. Most hard
good should be the same size as well as
square. That should provide good lines
as far as the grout joints are
concerned. If a layout is not perfect,
instead of seeing perfect intersections
at each cross section you will notice
that the corners do not line up with
each other in a continuous line. The
corners of the grout joint should make a
perfect +
It's fairly easy to get out of square
and the + will not line up good once
that happens.
Secondly if you stare down a continuous
grout joint it should be perfectly
straight the entire distance of the
floor or wall without any deviation.
Along the same lines, if you look where
one wall meets another, the horizontal
grout joints should all align at the
same height instead of one wall being
set higher or lower than the other.
The surface should be flat without
lippage from one course of tile to the
next. Outside corners should be square.
This may not always be possible
depending on the framing underneath the
substrate.
The job should look and feel balanced.
Lots of guys will start on one side with
a full and end up with small cuts on the
other side. Normally one should be able
to balance that so as to have equal size
cuts on both sides unless the layout
would dictate differently for some
reason.
The cuts should all be the same size
distance from what ever it is that it is
cut away from.
Grout should be smooth and uniform in
width and look smooth like a piece of
sand paper without sponge marks and pock
marks left behind. They should also look
crisp and clean instead of fuzzy. The
grout joints should also be full up to
the surface of the tile rather than
recessed deeper into the surface.
All of the above require more time spent
with a detailed eyed. These may seem
small and insignificant but the total
sum of all these line items can make a
big difference to the overall appearance
when applied correctly.
Why should I hire you
instead of another contractor or a tile
store person?
Obviously, this is subjective but I will
give my best honest answer.
I don't want to sound proud here so few
this as a combination of confidence
combined with old fashion
straightforwardness.
The very first thing apparent when
dealing with me is my experience level.
I have over 28 years of full time
experience primarily in multi million
dollar custom homes. This kind of
experience is priceless and can only be
earned by working in the trenches year
in and year out. My experience will
ensure that nothing will be overlooked
or unanticipated. By being able to see
the whole picture I can usually be able
to address potential snags in the
critical path so that once the project
is underway it will commence to a timely
finish without interruption.
I treat people right. I have always
tried to treat folks as family.
Reputation and word of mouth is what my
business is built on and is why I am
still hear after almost three decades.
I am in this for the long haul and a
good name is better than ill gotten
riches. I do each and every installation
as if it were in my own home. In my
trade there are many ways to cut corners
to save time or money. Being able to
sleep at night is utmost so I follow my
conscience and do things right, even if
unseen in the final look of the
installation.
I am given to detail and perfection. I'm
not saying I am perfect but my every
intention is to be the very best I can.
I put my very existence and lively hood
on the line every time I start a new
job. I take ownership in your job and
invest in it. Even though it's your
house it's still my work. it's my pride,
it's my feelings of accomplishment, it's
my reward for giving you the best
service possible. Not only will I get in
and out as best able, I will treat your
home with respect while I'm there and
keep the intrusion to a minimum.
I am clean cut and honest. You won't
feel uncomfortable giving me access to
your home and belongings while your at
work and I am in your house.
I'll still be around 10-20 years from
now. I have had the same phone number
since cell phones first came out. I'm
not going any where and I'm certainly
not hiding from any one.
I would like to finish by saying that I
do not believe in, nor participate in
the concept of "lowest price equals the
best deal" mentality. I thoroughly
believe that you get what you pay for. I
do understand the need to stay
competitive in today's economy but I
have no interest in competing in price
wars. I hope you can appreciate someone
who has pride in their ability and is
not interested in just doing well enough
to get paid for the job.This mentality
is what's wrong with America. If you
desire to work directly with the person
whose good name is at stake rather than
someone who is just earning a pay check
we need to talk.
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