Your local Floor and decor: not the best option.

Just your everyday 12x12” pebble mosaic. Or is it?

Within my blog posts there’s developed a certain discontent toward Floor and Decor, the local box store that homeowners love. I attempt to direct our clients away from this particular supplier because of my general overwhelmingly negative experiences with the products they bring to the market.

Here is another example of why I say the things I do to discourage you from spending money there.

The photos below are a basic pebble mosaic advertised as a 12x12” sheet. That would be 1 square foot. Now to start, we did not source this material. This was bought by an unassuming client and we picked up this job short notice. The client was tiling an 81 square foot decorative wall which was a perfect square, nothing to cut around, no corners or obstructions.

When we arrived we saw that they had 94 square feet of mosaic, and being under the assumption that each sheet was 1 square foot, we thought we had plenty, but wait! As we neared the end of the project we began to fret, “we’re not going to have enough!” How could this be, they got plenty extra.

Well, to no ones surprise…Floor and Decor strikes again.

We measured the sheets and they were actually 11.25” —- so instead of each sheet being 1 square foot, they were actually .87 square feet….Do the math. .87 x 94 = 81.78 square feet. Yes, we ended up having BARELY enough to finish the wall…but this doesn’t negate the fact that Floor and Decor misled their customers….if the box says the sheet is 12x12” —- you should be buying 1 square foot, not .87 sqft and if it is .87, shouldn’t someone mention that or shouldn’t it be written on the box somewhere?

Yes, when you’re dealing with tile you sometimes can expect to deal in “nominal” measurements, nominal meaning “in name only”. I get that. with a 12”x24” tile the actual tile will be 11 7/8” x 23 7/8” …the company is selling you the grout joint…I can understand that….but to me, there is a huge difference between an 1/8” short and 3/4” inch short, especially if you are figuring for a large area. Note how manufacturers do business, a discussion for another time.

I’d like for you to be aware of this when you’re buying tile, especially from a box store. This is another reason why you need to buy plenty of extra tile when you are doing a tile job. “Oh, my goodness, there’s two extra boxes!!!” I hear it all the time, Better safe than sorry! Expect to always have extra.

This is the reason I say Floor and Decor is a nightmare for tile guys, for people who know what they’re looking at and have high expectations from suppliers. Tile guys who’s lively hood depends on getting quality material. Being short tile on a project ruins our day. A homeowner going to Floor and Decor, it’s no big deal, to them, all tile is the same….but when you get down to the details, the esoteric stuff, the stuff non tile installers don’t care about…the place is not where it’s at and they’ll let you down. If you don’t mind spending unnecessary amounts of time in a tile store, shop Floor and Decor. Remember, your time is worth money…there will be an opportunity cost.

I’m completely willing to have my mind changed on this place. They sell Mapei products, I love Mapei products. Flexcolor grout, for example, is a great product…but when they don’t carry the full line of 100% silicone Mapesil caulking, the color match stuff… it’s a real drag on production…and a major reason why people don’t follow national standards, because it’s so difficult to. The harder it is to supply material, the less likely installers are going to take the time to get what they need to do a job right. My customer chooses a Flexcolor grout color that’s not in the store, we have to order it online, that takes a week. Of course they have the full line of Keracaulk caulking that’s absolute junk! (and not rated for inside a wet area!) I bring this stuff to the attention of the staff, I’ve been told they’re going to bring in what we need, but I’m going to wait and see! We all know how corporate bureaucracy works!

Catering to the homeowner is one thing, the reality is that the homeowner isn’t putting this stuff in and frankly, if they are, they deserve quality material, they should have the opportunity to buy quality material. Don’t advertise that they’re getting something they are not. If the box says 12x12” sell them 12x12” and if it’s not ,have customer service reps who know enough to say something.

.87 sqft is not 1 square foot.

The price of each sheet was $14.

$14.00 x 94 square feet = $1,316

$14.00X 81.78 square feet= $1, 144.92

I’d say Floor and Decor owes our client $171.08

Yes, this is sold by the “piece” but it’s labeled on the box as 12x12” as you can see. How can you figure how much material you need for a job if you are not aware that you are buying .87 square feet and not 1 square foot?

Notice: “Made in Indonesia”.

The added cost of floor prep for large format tile.

I was at the tile store the other day and I was looking around at all the happy faces doing their tile shopping. I'm sure some are shopping for a back splash, others maybe for a bathroom remodel. I was left to wonder a very common question in my mind, "Who's installing all this tile!?"

While I was there I noticed many people looking at 6" x 36" plank tile (large format tile). Wow, the stuff looks great and you can tell the excitement in their eyes about possibly having that tile in their home. My main question to myself was:

"Has anyone talked to these people about the added cost of floor preparation for large format tile???"

There's added cost for big tile you ask?... The long and short of this is YES! The Tile Council of North America handbook states that....

"For tiles with at least one edge 15" in length or longer, a maximum allowable variation of 1/8" in 10' from the required plane, with no more than 1/16" variation in 24" when measured from the high point in the surface" (Page 31 TCNA Manual 2016)

So what this means is you cannot have a wavy floor and install a big tile! As the tile size increases, the effect of the floor irregularities is compounded. If there is a bump or dive in the floor it will make it impossible to install large tile. You will have lips and poor coverage and support under the tile.

I have found that very few homes have wood or concrete substrates that are ready out of the box for large tile. EVERY floor needs some degree of prep.

Prep, is short for "preparation". Meaning, flattening or leveling the floor to get it ready for whatever material you're hoping to install.

When we show up to a large area where we know large format tile will be set, what we'll do is take out a large straight edge, 8'+. We set it on the floor and decide what kind of prep will need to be done. Many times if there is flooring already down you won't know what needs to be done until the old flooring is up. This adds a bit of a mystery to the installation process and you need to make sure your builder gives you an allowance or find out if the unexpected labor is in his/her price. Many tile people won't tell you about the added costs until the tear out is done, and hit you with the extra cost! This is why I'm writing this post!

If you do indeed have a wavy floor there are a couple ways to fix the problem...You can self level the area, which will raise the level of the floor by as much as a quarter inch (think transitions between rooms) or you can use a product like Feather Finish by Ardex to fill the low spots, or you can grind the high spots. Or you may have to do a combination of all those things! The repair of the floor is where it is SO important to have a skilled, experienced tile installer. As I always say, the quality of the finished tile job is determined before any tile is ever set! Below is an example of our work where we used Lev-Tec leveling system to help get the flat floor:

With large tile the quality of the tile is very important as well. Every tile has a certain amount of warp to it and if you're looking for a flat, smooth floor you will want to cite the manufacturer for grout size and layout specifications. Many people want a 1/16" grout joint with a brick set...but on most occasions, the manufacturer of the tile will recommend NOT to install the tile in that manner. So, ultimately it's really not up to us or you, for that matter, how your tile is set. The layout and grout joint size is determined by the manufacturer and is backed up by the TCNA.  A 50 %  offset with a 1/16" grout joint will accentuate the warpage in the tile. The Tile Council of North America says:

"The actual grout joint size shall be at least three times the actual variation of facial dimensions of the tile supplied. Example: for tile having a total variation of 1/16" in facial dimensions, a minimum 3/16" grout joint shall be used." (Page 38 TCNA Manual 2016)

ANSI standard 108.02 also covers grout joint size, lippage and brick set. Read it all here for yourself:

https://www.ceramictilefoundation.org/blog/ansi-standards-tile-installers-best-friend

Would you consider it important to have your project installed according to national standards? If so be sure to hire a contractor that uses the "Handbook Method" (Like us)

Most tile has a great deal of variation. You CAN find consistent tile....but be prepared to pay a high dollar, if you want a flat, consistent floor. It can cost big bucks not only when buying high quality, A+ grade tile....but also for installation. Most interior designers and sales people do not have and interest in telling you what to expect in this regard. Their main priority is to sell tile and design services. Sales people often time promise the world but the material they are selling has too much variation to allow the installer to deliver on said promises.

Another thing to think about is that Larger tile involves larger tools! A more expensive score and snap…a much bigger tile saw. Getting “full coverage” under your tile is also much more difficult. Larger tile is also harder on the installer’s body!

When you're shopping for tile, know that bigger tile comes at a greater cost! Self Leveler is upwards of $30 a bag plus the labor and time of installation! For evidence regarding the consequences of not preparing a floor properly and not following guidelines for large tile, go to ANY COMMERCIAL SPACE that has large format tile and look around. You will see lips and dives everywhere. Here's an example and this is not our work:

This could have been avoided by not using a 1/16" grout joint and also not setting the tile brick set. Basic, common sense stuff if you hire an installer that performs due diligence and is willing to speak up.

A couple things to notice when hiring someone to tile a floor:

1. Does the installer check the flatness of the floor with a large straight edge?

2. Does the installer mention the extra cost involved in installing big tile, Like the possibility of extra floor prep?

3. Does the installer use some sort of leveling system to help get a flat floor.

4. Does the installer speak to you about grout joint size, tile offset and the fact that all tile has warpage?

5. Does the installer speak about complete thin set coverage, back buttering tile,  expansion joints and crack suppression?

My top piece of advice for you is to have your installer go to the tile store with you to help you shop for tile. They’re going to know what to look for as far as tile quality is concerned and won’t be motivated by making the sale. If the tile you’re ordering is special order, they also may have some knowledge on which manufacturer is the best to buy from. Also, I wouldn’t be surprised when you get the special order tile, if you’re installer decides to send it back. We’ve had to do it before. That’s how you know you have a good installer .That’s a person who isn’t just going to throw something on the wall that’s mediocre quality.

Also, involve your installer in the design process. It’s almost a sure thing that you will get quite a few gems from a person who works with tile every day, for a living.

With that said, if you still decide you want large format tile be prepared for the extra cost of doing it correctly (following TCNA and ANSI standards) and I hope you are now armed with knowledge to help you avoid a construction nightmare, which have unfortunately become typical in this industry.