ᐅ Tiles for the basement from a home improvement store

Hello everyone,

Soon we will start doing some work ourselves:

Laying tiles in the basement utility room...

Of course, we won’t rely on the expensive specialist dealer nearby (we already have enough costly materials that will eventually be billed through the general contractor).

We want to buy affordable tiles for our utility and laundry room that are still technically reliable and easy enough to install as a DIY project.

Is there anything I especially need to pay attention to when doing the work myself (easier installation or similar)?

Are tiles costing around €10/m² (about $11/m²) from a hardware store any good? After all, slip resistance, wear resistance, porcelain quality, etc., all seem comparable to our €50 bathroom tiles... So where could the difference lie?

I appreciate any advice since we will need to purchase the tiles soon and naturally want to shop in the lower price range.

We are currently looking around as well. I definitely want to have the bathrooms done by a professional, who insists on using tiles from a specialized retailer because they are "calibrated" (also known as "rectified"). This means that particular attention is paid to the uniformity of the edges, which helps achieve even grout lines.

There are also rectified tiles available at home improvement stores, but you need to look carefully.

Another thing I noticed is that tiles at home improvement stores are often thinner and may be more prone to breaking (at least that’s what I’ve read).

However, there are also “brand name tiles,” such as Villeroy & Boch, available at home improvement stores.

I might be able to share more in a month or two after I’ve completed the energy performance certificate (EPC).

Tolentino schrieb:

We are currently looking around as well. For the bathrooms, I definitely want to have a professional handle it. They insist on tiles from a specialist retailer because these are "calibrated" (also known as "rectified"), meaning that particular attention is paid to edge uniformity. Otherwise, you probably won’t get consistent grout lines.

There are also rectified tiles available at home improvement stores, but you have to look carefully.

What I’ve noticed is that tiles from home improvement stores are often simply thinner and may break more easily (I read this somewhere).

However, there are also branded tiles, like Villeroy & Boch, available in those stores.

I might be able to say more in one or two months once I have completed my energy certificate.

Yes, I had also read about calibration...

I’m curious whether a beginner really finds it more difficult to install a $10 tile compared to a calibrated tile, which is usually more expensive... 😀

Okay, unfortunately we need to buy the tiles earlier than in 1-2 months because we have to tile the concrete base for the air-to-water heat pump first (logically with the same tile used for the floor).

I would have liked to benefit from your experience 🙂

So we’ll just go around the home improvement stores this weekend and look carefully... maybe we’ll find something suitable at a low cost.

No, as a layperson it's just as easy or difficult, but it probably looks even more "messy." Which I really don’t care about in the utility room.
You’re not really moving the heat pump once it’s installed. So why tile around it if you don’t see it?
My tower is just standing there as well, and there are no tiles. Whether I’ll go through the effort to tile underneath it—I don’t think so.

Tolentino schrieb:

No, as a layperson it’s just as easy or difficult, but it probably looks even more “shabby.” Which I honestly don’t care about in the utility room.
You’re not really moving the heat pump once it’s installed. So why tile it if you won’t see it?
My tower’s just standing there too, and nothing is tiled around it. Whether I’ll go to the effort of tiling underneath it—I don’t think so.

Yeah, I’m not too worried about the basement either—better to buy relatively cheaply, as long as the appearance isn’t too bad.

The general contractor said we have to tile the concrete base. Sure, probably for the “look,” though I’m not even sure about that? But the requirement was actually very clear from the general contractor’s side...

I don’t have a problem with it now... it should be pretty quick anyway, and: “if it’s going to be done, might as well do it properly” 🙂

exto1791 schrieb:

Are tiles costing 10€/m² (about $10/sq ft) from a hardware store any good?

Yes.

Many differences come down to the brand name and possibly terms like "rectified" or "calibrated."

exto1791 schrieb:

I wonder if it’s actually more challenging for a DIYer to install a 10€ tile compared to a calibrated tile, which is also more expensive... 😀

No. Just use any leveling system, and it will be perfect.