ᐅ Are additional costs for wood-look floor tiles normal?

Created on: 15 Nov 2017 23:37
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cassiusvl
Hello everyone,

We are building with a general contractor, and the standard tiles offered are 30x60cm (12x24 inches). However, we would prefer a wood-look tile in the size 30x120cm (12x48 inches). We need to negotiate the additional cost with the tiler. We have now received the extra charge: the tiler is asking for €26.30 per m² (excluding VAT) for installation. I understand that it takes longer to lay these tiles, but €26.30 per m² (about €30 including VAT) seems quite expensive to me. The tiler also installed the screed.

Am I mistaken here?

Looking forward to your feedback.
D
Domski
22 Nov 2017 00:37
Larger tiles tend to have more warping, even expensive ones. Ideally, they should be pre-sorted and installed using a leveling system. Larger formats also require more adhesive underneath. Cutting work is significantly more demanding because it needs to be done more precisely.
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Aliban2014
25 Nov 2017 17:14
Interesting topic, since we are also considering laying wood-look tiles later on.

The additional cost (which probably also applies to oversized tiles that are not wood-look), and seems to vary greatly, is especially interesting. :-/

Hope this isn’t too off-topic, but does anyone already have the tiles installed in their home and could share example photos from completed rooms? Most images found through Google searches look too "unreal."

Best regards
N
Nordlys
26 Nov 2017 08:19
You just have to keep in mind:
1) There is an additional charge.
2) A fair additional charge reflects the extra effort involved.
3) A deterrent surcharge means: I have so much work to do. Don’t do that. I don’t want it. It only complicates things for me.
Karsten
andimann26 Nov 2017 10:38
Hello,
a surcharge of 26.3 euros is quite steep, but there isn’t much you can really do about it. For us, it was 16 euros for 90 x 22 cm (35 x 9 inches) wood-look porcelain stoneware.
This was made up of an extra charge for installing porcelain stoneware instead of ceramic tiles (which requires a different adhesive during the day, costing about 4–5 euros per square meter more) and the rest was a surcharge for the larger format.
The floor must be level anyway; with 120 x 30 cm (47 x 12 inches) tiles, it’s possible that additional leveling compound will be needed.

Currently, tradespeople are charging extremely high prices. The only way to push back is to make it clear that if they demand such prices, you will expect absolutely 100 percent perfect workmanship. In other words: your tolerance for errors should be absolutely zero!

Anyone charging sky-high prices must also deliver absolute perfection!

In our case, this meant that for gaps at the edges, a 6 mm (¼ inch) wide tile had to be cut with a water jet instead of simply sealing it with silicone. I just wouldn’t accept otherwise.
Moreover, the tiler had to come back five times for corrections, each time traveling 30 km (19 miles). In hindsight, he probably didn’t really earn much from us.

Best regards,

Andreas
M
Maria16
26 Nov 2017 11:43
Just out of curiosity: what kind of issues needed correction so often? And regarding the mentioned gap: was it due to a floor tile being cut too short (leaving a gap between the tile and the baseboard), or is it the intentional joint between the baseboard and the floor?
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Curly
26 Nov 2017 20:33
Maria16 schrieb:
Just out of curiosity: what needed to be corrected so often?

I’m also interested to know, what kind of issues can still be fixed after tiling?

Best regards
Sabine