Your Contractor Selection
Your Installation:
Basically
the only protection that a consumer has against a tile job that is inferior or
substandard is talking with the references your contractor should supply. Word
of mouth is the best advertising a contractor can utilize. This is not always
foolproof because you might have a different situation such as bathroom walls,
backsplash in your kitchen, the major tile failure of shower pans, etc. and the
referral may be for floors, which are somewhat easier and cosmetic.
You
should always check with your local Better
Business Bureau first to determine if the contractor has a habit of leaving
his customers in the lurch when a job needs to be corrected. If you have a hard
time getting him to return your calls or meet an appointment with you at the
onset, those personal habits generally spill into his professional work habits
and you probably will be stood up more than once.
You
should also check with the local licensing bureaus to determine whether or not a
license is required and subsequently, if he is licensed.
Geographical areas are not uniform in this respect, so you will
have to determine this for your area. Locally in our area, the codes are sorely
lacking enforcement and having a license doesn’t carry a lot of weight in
determining the contractor’s credibility. A little known fact is that an
unlicensed contractor has very limited recourse if the homeowner refuses to pay
him.
Remember
that if it sounds too good to be true it probably is and you generally get what
you pay for. If the price is too cheap, you will get a cheap job.
Remember also that everyone doesn’t finish at the top of the class.
Someone has to finish in the bottom 10% whether it is a doctor, lawyer,
or tile contractor. A little research is very helpful.
Get the proposal in writing and remember to compare apple to apples when
you compare pricing. Tile contractors are not all alike. Some take a lot of
shortcuts.
Discounted setting materials, insufficient floor prep and trowels that
are too small and do not put a sufficient amount of setting materials on the
floor.
The
background and experience is of utmost importance. Some have “picked it up”
working for a builder and the finished job will show it. Some, and they are very
few, have had formal training from a trade school or program, they have the
basics but lack the experience or on the job training.
Others have learned from the master tile setters from the old school,
have been in the trade several years, and if he is dedicated, he has attended
seminars and various tradeshows to stay abreast of the new trends, products,
materials and tools. This trade is considered cosmetic so there are very few
opportunities for continuing education in the installation field. Coverings
is a trade show held in Orlando each year during the month of May is an
excellent source of information with displays and seminars.
Do your homework ! !