ᐅ Ordering Tiling Materials Yourself – Tiles

Hello everyone!

We are building with architects and contracting trades separately, and we are currently preparing the tender for the tile installation.

After a long search, we found tiles that we like. It was quite difficult since we are not really enthusiastic about tiles. Now we are very glad to have found something suitable, but not all types are available from a single supplier.
Ideally, I would like to procure all the tiles myself so that the tiler doesn’t have to start looking for any “exotic tiles” somewhere.

What are your experiences with client-supplied materials like these? Do tilers appreciate it because they might not be able to get these special tiles everywhere, or do they generally prefer to supply the tiles themselves in order to make some additional profit on them?

So, I had two tilers here, and both said I should order the tiles myself. With one of them, I could have even used his discount.

What they usually choose themselves are the materials like adhesives, etc. However, this cannot be generalized.

Of course, they should bring the adhesive and all the other materials themselves! Every tiler probably has their own preferred products. For me, it's "just" about the tiles (because they seem to be somewhat special).

But it's nice to hear that it might not be so uncommon to order them yourself after all 🙂

This is common. Very few have a store. Most are purely tradespeople and purchase materials themselves through building material suppliers.

The "problem" with tiles is the logistics. Suddenly, 2-3 tons (2,000-3,000 kg) or more are delivered right to your doorstep. Who will handle them? Make sure to arrange this in advance 🙂

Most of the tilers here are self-employed tradespeople. They will at most refer you to a friend who runs a tile supply store and are otherwise glad if the materials are already delivered to the construction site, so they don’t have to carry them up to the second floor themselves.