ᐅ Tiles – Differences Between DIY Stores and Specialist Retailers?

Tarnari schrieb:

Our question is, how exactly is “higher quality” defined, and is it possible to get something of lesser quality as well? Appearance is irrelevant at this point.

Expensive doesn’t necessarily mean higher quality, but higher quality is usually more expensive because the production process is more complex.
Among other things, I outlined what contributes to quality in #4.
Also, the quantity produced is a factor. Mass-produced goods are cheaper and often sold in hardware stores. Some people deliberately want to avoid mass-produced items and are willing to pay more for different products, even if they might look similar to some.

Tarnari schrieb:

One would assume, since expensive obviously equals high quality, that this flooring is high quality. In fact, the exact opposite is true. The floor is a complete disaster. It looks fantastic—everyone who sees it for the first time says "Wow." But only we know that we constantly have to clean stains, deal with splinters in our feet, etc.

Sorry, natural materials simply have these characteristics. Quality doesn’t always mean low maintenance. Usually, it’s quite the opposite: the feel is great, but maintenance and natural aspects are significant drawbacks. This applies equally to items like a fine art print versus an oil painting, wooden door versus plastic door, natural stone, porcelain tiles, and so on.
Plastic is easier to maintain but is not considered higher quality compared to natural products. However, plastic can be manufactured more elaborately and can be twice as expensive as cheap plastic.
You could have gotten your parquet flooring cheaper with expensive laminate flooring, but then you wouldn’t have received compliments from visitors; with cheap laminate, you would now be dealing with wear and tear frustrations.

Tarnari schrieb:

Honestly, it’s hard for us to judge, especially since we don’t see them side by side.

Then it doesn’t really matter if you can’t tell the difference yourself.
As mentioned before, there are people who spot such things immediately and choose the “rare” option among tiles, take pride in it, and can genuinely appreciate the difference.

ypg schrieb:

Sorry, natural materials simply have these characteristics. Quality is not always easy to maintain. Rather the opposite: the feel is great, but the maintenance effort and the natural aspect are significant drawbacks. This is also true for things like art prints/oil paintings, wooden doors/plastic doors, natural stone, porcelain stoneware tiles, and so on.
Plastic is definitely easier to maintain, but it doesn’t have the same quality as natural products. However, plastic can be made more elaborately, which can make it twice as expensive as cheap plastic.

That’s why we are installing real wood parquet flooring again in the new house. But this time, one that is definitely worth its price of about 100€/sqm (100 €/sq ft). Unlike the cheap flooring we have now, which cost a lot more and is not even close to worth the money.
When comparing wood floors to non-wood floors, it’s probably easier to explain the cost differences than with porcelain stoneware. At first glance, for a layperson, it’s just all stone.

I find terms like “cheap” and “expensive” very vague. There is a wide range in between, and everyone defines for themselves what counts as cheap or expensive. For our standards, I would rather use the term “good value.”
Something is worth its price. That price can be high or low.

Partly, higher-quality tiles also offer better slip and abrasion resistance, more attractive patterns, and it may be possible to obtain matching replacement tiles of the same batch for several years (if you are lucky).
Tiles from DIY stores can already differ after one week (with the next delivery).

Tarnari schrieb:

The idea is to choose something from the tile supplier, possibly together with the installer, then place an order that includes the previously selected tiles as well as the required quantity (determined by the installer) and the costs for installation. When the time comes, the installer goes, picks up the tiles (or whenever appropriate), and brings them to the construction site when starting work. This way, we don’t have any inventory lying around, and from our perspective, the installer is responsible for any warranty claims, such as damage during transport.

The wholesaler delivers the materials punctually and on schedule. The supplier also guarantees the delivery—for example, if you select samples six months in advance and the manufacturer discontinues the product. They also cover any damages. Retail stores won’t do that; they just deliver the materials as soon as possible. If the tile becomes unavailable shortly before installation, the usual reaction is a shrug and: “Take a look, we just got this tile on special this week; it looks similar.”

And why should the installer take warranty responsibility for damage during transport from the hardware store? He has no control over that. But with the supplier, he personally knows the person.

Recently, we thoroughly checked both specialist stores and regular retailers and felt the tile surfaces (might sound weird, but for me, a tile has to feel pleasant). We found our favorite tile. You might find the same tile elsewhere at a completely different price; ours were delivered directly from Italy to our house, very easy. My main focus would be absolutely on liking the tile, and there are plenty of affordable options if you look around a bit. I agree with @ypg, it’s a personal choice and you have to like the tile.

We got our bathroom tiles from a tile showroom, and they were installed by their tiler. Our kitchen tiles, on the other hand, are porcelain stoneware from a hardware store for under 20€/m² (under 2 USD per square foot), also installed by the same tiler. He said the quality was good. I don’t see any reason why we should have paid more, except for the reasons mentioned by @ypg regarding pattern repeats or similar issues.