ᐅ Differences Between Tiles from a Home Improvement Store and a Tile Specialist Center

Created on: 30 Jul 2017 21:36
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Steve_D
Hi,

there are significant price differences between buying tiles from a specialized tile supplier or from a hardware store.

We would tend to go with the hardware store since the construction specification lists 20€/m2 (20 €/sq ft).

What are the differences between them?

Best regards & thanks
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Nordlys
31 Jul 2017 08:31
@tomtom79
I’m not talking about “whatever, how much does it cost.”
I’m referring to price/selection/service. The tile supplier I mentioned offered us wall tiles for 19.90 per square meter (1.9 sq ft) and floor tiles for 27.90 per square meter (1.9 sq ft). Because of the quantities, we received an additional 10% discount. They also provided brushed stainless steel Schluter profiles. He calculated everything and delivered it on site. The home improvement stores available to us—Toom, HaGebau, and Bauhaus—neither had this selection nor these prices.
My advice was simply: Check if there is a similar pick-up and specialist tile supplier near you.
Otherwise, you can’t really criticize Bauhaus and the like; their quality is not bad either. That’s true.
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Steve_D
31 Jul 2017 20:35
Thank you for all the responses.

In our case, it’s about the living room, dining room, hallway, bathroom, kitchen, and guest toilet. Except for the bathroom, only the floors will be tiled, possibly using those elongated tiles that look like laminate.

The tiles we looked at in the tile center that we liked were all over €20 per m2 (over $20 per sq ft). At the hardware store, there were many tiles we also liked, and if we can keep it under €20 per m2 (under $20 per sq ft), that would be a good saving.

So, these are my current updates.^^
77.willo31 Jul 2017 21:04
Tiles in the living room were my nightmare – but tastes vary so much...
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ypg
31 Jul 2017 21:06
The mentioned store "Harrys Fliesenmarkt," located at Schützen, corner of Leuna in Hamburg, is probably the store in Hamburg I have visited most often in my lifetime. I would recommend anyone within a 300km (190 miles) radius to visit it. (Back then for my parents, then for apartments, for my old house, and three years ago for my new house. Sometimes it’s even a place to browse instead of shoes.)

Home improvement stores rarely display expensive tiles because they are purchased less frequently. Lower-priced products sell faster. It’s that simple. More expensive products are available in specialist stores.
There are also customers/builders who prefer something other than mass-produced items and want a somewhat higher quality design.
That’s why the products in home improvement stores should not be of lower quality, but they are mass-produced. And mass-produced products are cheaper, and for some, that means lower-priced.
Of the home improvement stores I know, Bauhaus still has the best display for me.
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nelly190
31 Jul 2017 21:45
I was very pleasantly surprised by the local building materials supplier. They have a wider selection and provide excellent service. The prices are often more affordable as well. We bought their house brand at incredible prices. We spent 4 hours going through the showroom and then talked with the salesperson. They gave us fantastic advice and put together a great mix for us.
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Steve_D
1 Aug 2017 15:34
Thanks in advance for all the responses. I will also talk to our tiler and let him know that we are going to the home improvement store.