Tile

We are currently working on a project for a family that is growing up. They have a boy and a girl who currently share a bathroom and it is already getting a bit cramped for them. Our solution is to give them each their own small bathroom. At the same time, we gave the parents their own updated Master Bathroom. This particular bathroom remodel meant one thing: Tile.

Tile was meticulously chosen, proposed, re-chosen and approved for each bathroom. Now comes the time to order this "perfect" tile. What most people do not realize are the things that may go wrong:

The product may be more expensive than you originally thought. Whether you forgot to check the price, or the price was raised since it was last checked, prices can be higher than expected. A solution to this may be to purchase it online from a discounted tile company. The downsides to doing this is the shipping cost, and you will likely have to buy more tile than you need because most must be purchased by box instead of by square footage.

The product has a long lead time. This was actually a problem we encountered with this project. There were no suppliers with the particular size we needed so it became a special order to be put in with a manufacturer directly. This meant a 10 week lead time when we were supposed to start the project in 3. We needed a 12x24 tile, but we found a supplier that had 24x24 in stock. They told us it could be shipped within 5-6 business days. This was the best solution for us. We ordered the 24x24 and once we receive it we can cut it down to the correct size.

Mosaics can be bought in pieces or already put together on a mesh. It is not common to order or receive a mosaic in pieces. This is because one you receive the pieces you have to puzzle them together, and your tile installer will usually charge more for this. The point here is that you have to be aware of what you are ordering. Making sure your mosaic is already put together will save you time and money.

Your product has been discontinued. It is a real headache when you've found out the tile you fell in love with has been discontinued.Once this happens, you don't have many other options other than to just pick out a new tile. More often than you think, you will be able to find a tile similar enough to the one you had picked out.

Be aware that your project might not go as smoothly as you've planned. Try to be aware of potential problems so you already have a solution when they happen. Give yourself a little room to let your project change if the need should arise and you'll save yourself a lot of grief.

We had a few of these very problems with this family's tile. Luckily, we are able to overcome them, and we are just waiting for the last couple of boxes of tile to show up. They should be able to start tile installation next week!