One of my recent blog post entitled “The source of my Floor and Decor animus” I wrote a scathing critique of Floor and Decor material from the perspective of a professional tile installer. I wrote about how the store is a nightmare for installers because there is little to no standardization of material, and you never know what to expect…Bad for us (pros) WORSE for homeowners.

Today I thought I’d write about what great tile from a legitimate supplier (Tile House of Marietta) looks like. The only reference I really needed was complete pictures of the outside of a box of tile we’ve been installing over the past week to easily prove my point:

Our first picture is of the manufacturer of the tile. A company called Cermaica Panaria. This is a pretty good company. I am certainly not saying perfect because we have had issues with this tile brand before, which is to be expected based on the amount of this tile we have installed. But, what do you notice about this label? Let’s see, the ADDRESS of the manufacturer, The telephone and fax number of the company, a legitimate website and contact e-mail. All to portray the feeling and also the reality of accountability. Most suppliers will handle contacting the company if there are issues with the tile, but if you absolutely had to personally get in touch with this manufacturer as an installer, you could do it. You could call up the manufacturer and air your grievances. Many tiles you buy from over seas, you have no hope if you have problems with it.

I love, love, love this label. This label tells you that you are a buying a “nominal” tile, meaning “in name only.” I had a discussion with a fellow last week in regards to manufacturers being insincere about tile square footage. “Well, everyone KNOWS things are nominal, you think when you buy a gallon of ice cream you’re actually buying a gallon!?” My rebuttal was, will you pay your installer when you’re short on tile for their time to go back to the store to get more? How are we supposed to know how much tile we have to buy if it’s not clearly (and honestly) noted on the box?

This company has labeled the box of tile to say “This tile is nominal, we’re selling you a grout joint, get over it!” Fair enough, I just want to know! Half of our problem is that consumers lethargically accept this kind of treatment from manufacturers. In fact, like the gentlemen I spoke to earlier in the week, people will actually defend the unethical practices of manufacturers. God forbid an installer wants to be paid for their hassle though!

Usually, the 3/16” that isn’t part of the actual measurement of the tile won’t matter, but if you are dealing with a floor of multiple thousand square feet, that’s when you have a problem and need to know how much you need so you can account for that.

Tile is a game of inches, to say the least.

This picture clearly states the size of the tile in inches and centimeters. It tells you what type of tile you’re buying, and it has two different certifications to portray legitimacy. The next label I love, Made in the USA. Designed in Italy. What does this mean to me? It signifies a long history of involvement with tile (Italy) and it also signifies advanced manufacturing capabilities and the necessary human capital to make high end tile (Made in the USA!)

This photo tells me this tile has gone through a strict ANSI (America National Standards Institute) classification process. This tell us this tile meets minimum United States standards and meets all sorts of manufacturing requirements. This tile meets national tile manufacturing tolerances. Really important, so that you know you’re installing something that at least meets base quality standards. If you don’t see this label, you’re on your own!

Notice, A clearly marked ‘dye lot’ so you know you’re getting a consistent batch of tile, 1.11 square meters, so you know how much space each box covers! All of these labels are on ONE box of tile and not surprisingly, the tile that came from this box was GREAT TILE! That’s what we’re going for!

Now, Let’s look at the Floor and Decor material for comparison:

That’s IT! There was no other label on this box to inform the purchaser of what they’re buying. Basically, the company has told you, “It’s tile, Good luck! Give us your money please!” Speaking of money, it’s not that much less money than if you had shopped at a legitimate supplier. In the grand scheme of a whole bathroom, a person could save $200 on a $25,000 purchase of a new bathroom.

“O, but Ben, you just support adding layer upon layer of bureaucracy to my tile purchase!” No, what I support is consistent, standardized material so as an installer, I can give my customers a lifetime guarantee. The quality of your tile install depends on the quality of the material you buy. That is the bottom line. You can hire the greatest installer in existence, if you have mediocre material there is very little they can do! Yes, there are techniques we can utilize to make things better, but great material begets great tile remodels.