I’m pretty much finished with the tile I’m going to do. I will provide an image of my curved hearth as a follow up to Piffin’s and some others help last month with framing and sheathing (sheetrock in this case) the hearth curve. Anyway, I digress…
I’m having the guest and masterbedroom baths done; floors, wainscoating, and tub/shower surrounds. I am working with a tile setter who did a job a couple houses down and who it turns out is related to another neighbor up the street. Anyway, he gives me a price. Does that price typically include or not include the tile??? Like in the title of this post, I’m sure many will think this is a stupid question. We seem to kind of dance around who is paying for the tile.
I mean I am looking at tile at a tile distributor where he gets a lot of tile and does business. If I am paying for the tile (which seems like I probably would be as he didn’t know the tile I am going to use i.e. different tile, different prices???) and getting the tile through his supplier, he probably gets a discount. Should I expect to share in his discount, like 50/50? We plan to meet at the distributor tomorrow morning and I’d like to get a few prices on squares this afternoon just to keep the price of tile in perspective for tomorrow.
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I noticed your in NoCal. Check the phone book for tile distributors in Anahiem on State College BLVD we call that area the mile of tile. about 2 miles and side streets full of tile distributors. They will ship
Darkworksite4:
El americano pasado hacia fuera ase la bandera
Senor Ron, when you're not under your table, have you ever been to the tile stores in Tijuana?
A lot of the same imported tile in Anaheim is in Tijuana at much lower prices. Same stuff, same brands, not the same prices.
If it's a big job take a friend and double the amount you can bring back duty free.
Joe H
Best thing to do is just ask him...does your price include and allowance for the material? No...ok, does it include the thinset and grout?
Whenever you are asked if you can do a job, tell'em "Certainly, I can!" Then get busy and find out how to do it. T. Roosevelt
How could he possibly give you a price that includes the tile if he does'nt know what tile it is? Prices range from cheap to eternity. Most tile guys give you a price, say around $6 a square foot, and supply their favorite brand of thinset.
As far as the discount goes, if there is one,I would share it if you were a blood relative. Otherwise I need to make a profit.
I did a square footage of the two bathrooms and figured this guy is in at about $15.00/sq. ft. A contractor friend of mine said if I was in at $12.00/sq. ft. range I was doing okay; that's why like was outlined above I thought there was an allowance perhaps of "some" tile costs. This is the bloody Bay Area, CA so all costs are all escalated, that's why I'm doing much of the trimwork myself.
Ron, it seems you are on the right track; most of the tile that I think I will use will be shipped up from *ding, ding, ding* Anaheim, CA.
<<I did a square footage of the two bathrooms and figured this guy is in at about $15.00/sq. ft. A contractor friend of mine said if I was in at $12.00/sq. ft. range I was doing okay; that's why like was outlined above I thought there was an allowance perhaps of "some" tile costs. This is the bloody Bay Area, CA so all costs are all escalated, that's why I'm doing much of the trimwork myself.
Per square foot costs don't come into play when the area(s) is small. I could'nt charge $6 sq.ft. if its a small bath. I'd lose my shirt.
In That case I would charge my daily rate. you could divide that figure by sq.ft. but it would'nt do you any good.
Tile isn't all I do so I'm a little slow at it.
I figure min. $15. per sqft with thinset. You supply tile and grout.
If you are my brother or close friend, I might pass along my discount on the tile. Otherwise, I will charge you at least 15% above anything from my price to the full retail, depending on how long I have to hold your hand while "we" select your tile.
Eric
LOL...
...depending on how long I have to hold your hand while "we" select your tile.
Unfortunately, that's where I'm at now, the "hand-holding" stage. I wouldn't say my tiler is that helpful in design (although he knows his stuff about making transitions between tile types, etc.), and the distributor isn't really too helpful either. If had my druthers I would probably have shopped all along the Peninsula here and done things a little differently. But at this stage, right or wrong, I'm trying to streamline some things, this part of the project in particular.
Anyway, thanks for the help to all, I've got to go meet my tiler this morning.
Oh, and what I meant about splitting his discount was that I'm prepared to pay the walk-in price, but if putting the tile on his account would benefit him and give him more credibility and leverage with his warehouse, then better...I don't know, maybe it has no bearing on the way he operates.