Installing new tiles - worth it to 'spend more'?

kermit ↓

Yesterday at 8:08 am

Hi all - looking for advice from people who have gone through installing tile.

Really need to redo the tiling in main bath they're yucky, moldy & cracked. it's our starter home (although in this economy we will likely be here a while Tongue Out

)

I definitely don't want to get garbage tiles that will chip or break or crack in a few years, but realistically how likely is it to happen in the next 10 years or so if I get discounted options from home Depot or online?

is it worth it to spend more on something high quality from a Jewish store?

what's the mailah in general? do most people buy from the Jewish places for the better quality or it's more they'll have the 'fancy hungarian' types of styles?

amother

Pumpkin

Yesterday at 8:16 am

kermit wrote:

If you’re debating between porcelain and marble get porcelain. Home Depot is totally fine. The Jewish stores are just more expensive but not because of quality, the tile is just more expensive, just like at Home Depot you can get one tile for 1.99/sq foot and one for 3.99/sq foot.

mathbrain ↓

Yesterday at 8:59 am

Got tiles at floor and decor for bathroom 5 years ago. Bathroom looks amazing, tiles are really pretty and modern looking. Similar to what I saw in many Jewish home improvement advertisements.

I originally went to A frum store and had massive sticker shock then I was quoted 10k for tiles + instillation for what I chose.

Went to floor and decor. Their designer there helped me match floor and wall tiles. I ended up tiling the walls of the entire bathroom - more than what I was planning at the frum store. Tiles cost $1k. Installing was $3k.

Yes, it’s a very large bathroom. And yes, floor tiles plus all walls tiles, plus tile ‘niche’ created by the bathtub. Love the results.

↑ kermit ↓

Yesterday at 9:05 am

amother Pumpkin wrote:

thank you! for sure not marble, was debating porcelain or ceramic, but I'm thinking it's probably better to spend more on porcelain

why do more people not just get from home Depot, it's just the look?

↑ kermit ↓

Yesterday at 9:06 am

mathbrain wrote:

such a ridiculous difference in price! and I'm happy to hear they're still holding up!!

amother

Aster

Yesterday at 9:07 am

kermit wrote:

Like you did, they probably assume that more expensive+ Jewish store= better quality.

amother

Crimson ↓

Yesterday at 9:22 am

Ceramic tile is fine for walls.

Porcelain tile is better for floors because it is harder and the color goes through whereas ceramic tiles are less durable and can chip and crack more easily than porcelain. Also when ceramic chips it is more obvious because the color is different where it is chipped versus porcelain which has the same color.

That is why you would get porcelain for floors which get heavier wear than a wall tile.

That said there are differences in the quality of tiles as some have excessive lippage and so don't look right and can cost more in the end as many have to be discarded.

As someone who did a gut remodel the most important decision is to get a highly qualified reliable GC who employs skilled labor. If you have a shower you need to know exactly how they are going to do the waterproofing and take pictures while it is being constructed so that you know exactly what they did.

Even in terms of aesthetics there are some tile setters who are very skilled and produce magnificent results and others who produce results that look like it was done by a blind person.

↑ mathbrain

Yesterday at 9:28 am

amother Crimson wrote:

Ceramic tile is fine for walls.

Porcelain tile is better for floors because it is harder and the color goes through whereas ceramic tiles are less durable and can chip and crack more easily than ceramic.

That is why you would get porcelain for floors which get heavier wear than a wall tile.

That said there are differences in the quality of tiles as some have excessive lippage and so don't look right and can cost more in the end as many have to be discarded.

As someone who did a gut remodel the most important decision is to get a highly qualified reliable GC who employs skilled labor. If you have a shower you need to know exactly how they are going to do the waterproofing and take pictures while it is being constructed so that you know exactly what they did.

Even in terms of aesthetics there are some tile setters who are very skilled and produce magnificent results and others who produce results that look like it was done by a blind person.

Correct
Regardless of where you purchase tiles, the most important thing is hiring a skilled person to lay the tiles. We called the guy down first. He gave us the square footage of what we needed, and purchased based on that. We could’ve gotten someone for cheaper, but this tile setter was more of an ‘artist’ and a perfectionist.

Floor and decor has a really nice selection, much bigger than Home Depot, and a range of prices.

amother

↑ Crimson ↓

Yesterday at 9:35 am

mathbrain wrote:

Some of the skilled tile setters want to order tiles themselves after you select them because they can be sure of the qualify of the tiles. It isn't necessarily more expensive since they get a trade discount and pass it along.

Also cheap tiles often have to be culled and many might not be usable. A good tile seller goes through tiles that have patterns so that the end design is pleasing. FWIW this is also true of wood flooring as you want the planks laid out so that the pattern of the wood grain isn't all clumped together but has the variations looking aesthetic.

ETA My tile setter was so talented that the Inspector for the City complimented the tile work in my bathroom LOL

He also did the tiles for my balcony and I have had various construction people come in and take pictures of the balcony because they like it so much.

↑ kermit

Yesterday at 11:07 am

thank you so much this is so helpful to know!!

It sounds like porcelain tiles are a must for the floors, at minimum for the floors but I want to match going up the wall so probably the whole thing.
and that the best place to invest is with the person I hire, more than splurging on Jewish brands Smile

time to start asking around the neighborhood for someone good

thank you!!

Last edited by kermit on Fri, Jan 10 2025, 11:09 am; edited 1 time in total

amother

↑ Crimson

Yesterday at 12:23 pm

amother Tuberose wrote:

I just chose tiles, and just so you know porcelain are more slippery than ceramic

This isn’t correct.

Floor tiles have what is called a COF which measure how slippery a tile is. That is what one should be looking at when purchasing floor tiles.

I woiod never have large tiles on a bathroom floor because they are more slippery than smaller tiles because the grout is grippy. Modern grout is much easier to keep clean but is a bit more expensive as it also resists mold.

When selecting grout color is importantly. My floor tiles are Calacatta marble and my grout is a light grey which blends in and doesn’t show dirt like a white grout.

Because my floor tiles are small they are not slippery at all. I have the same floor tiles on shower floor and rest of bathroom floor. My wall tiles are 3” x 6” with some accent penny tiles and I have a marble wall feature which is floral mosac.