Bought my Porcelain!

Angelfire · Jun 27, 2013

I hadn't planned to purchase for another 18 months as I'm leaving the country in just a few weeks. But I've been watching a tile online for some time that looked pretty good spec wise and I liked the color. Trouble was it was around $2.29/SF and I'm not willing to pay that. It's been this way for nearly a year. So today I stumble across it and it's on clearance for $0.99/SF....I now have ~750SF enroute! It'll sit till I return but that's ok. Rectified, through body, COF looks good, PEI 5, V1 Color variation, 12x24. I think I did ok. They have more if interested:

http://www.builddirect.com/Porcelain-Tile/Costa-Chic/ProductDisplay_6933_p1_10081616.aspx

Yay!

bdamico · Jun 27, 2013

Very good. Looks similar to mine

coachrick · Jun 27, 2013

That's interesting looking. Is this for the garage? I took a look at their cork flooring...not bad at all. We will likely replace some of the carpet in our (new) 8 year-old town house before we move in. I asked for samples...should arrive in plenty of time.

ybnormal70 · Jun 27, 2013

Definitely check the shipping charges! Just looking at the tile I priced 1900sqft at $1881. Then shipping was $815.24?????

Kevin

Gerald O · Jun 27, 2013

Sweet! Thanks for the tip!
I've been watching this same tile for my build. I already got samples of it a while back--nice stuff!

I just placed my order for 760 sq feet of the 24" x 24", honed finish. $750 for the tile and $450 to ship 4,000lbs of it. Even with the expensive shipping still cheap.

Half of it is the 'Film Noir' (black) color and the other half 'City Icon' (white).

This will go down in a checkerboard pattern in my new garage.
Build thread here: http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=200759

:rocker:

mdameron · Jun 28, 2013

ybnormal70 said:
Definitely check the shipping charges! Just looking at the tile I priced 1900sqft at $1881. Then shipping was $815.24?????

Kevin

How much does 1900sq ft of tile weigh? Seems like a silly thing to buy online. $800+ sounds cheap for shipping all that.

Angelfire · Jun 28, 2013

bdamico said:
Very good. Looks similar to mine

Yours was my inspiration truth be known! I was very envious at the price you got yours at and had
been scouring Craigslist for a similar deal to no avail.

As for shipping, I called them and got a much better rate vs what was their online price. Overall, I'm still well below $1.50 a foot so I think I did ok considering I got exactly what I wanted.

Dakota00 · Jun 28, 2013

You got a great deal!!

ybnormal70 · Jun 28, 2013

Gerald O said:
I just placed my order for 760 sq feet of the 24" x 24", honed finish. $750 for the tile and $450 to ship 4,000lbs of it. Even with the expensive shipping still cheap.

Does each tile really weight 21lbs? I never would have thought it weighed that much. That means my 1800sqft estimate would weight 9450lbs. No wonder shipping seemed high.

Kevin

elterrell · Jun 28, 2013

Dumb question -- can you use a floor like this with jacks and jackstands? I have just started looking at some different options, but have not considered this type of tile.

Gerald O · Jun 28, 2013

If the tile is installed properly with full mortar coverage it simply becomes an integral part of the concrete slab with a surface that is harder than the concrete. The color of the tile is the same all the way through and it's about 3/8" thick. So even if you did manage to scratch or chip it, it will still show the same color.

Biggest risk is having big air pockets under the tile due to improper installation. That could make a weak spot if a very heavy weight were placed exactly on that point. Another issue could be adhesion of the tile to the concrete if the concrete is too slick or wrong mortar were used. You also need to take care with setting these big size tiles to get the edges to line up flush. Otherwise things may tend to catch on the edges.

My slab is brand new and has a slightly roughened and unsealed surface for best adhesion.

84944Redline · Jun 28, 2013

What have others' experiences been with ordering from BuildDirect? I could have sworn there have been complaints about service...like giving you a short "X" amount of time to unload your tile from the truck and not helping at all. Would be nice to hear some legit feedback from other members.

I would love to put down porcelain tile in my approx. 1000 sq. foot garage. I'm in NE, so have to deal with freezing temps. and my garage slab is questionable in regards to heaving.

I've got a similar idea with the 12"X24" tile and purchased some samples of these from Lowe's:

Style Selections 12-in x 24-in Mitte Gray Glazed Porcelain Floor Tile
Item #: 399387 | Model #: G8CC15
$1.99 / Sq. Ft.

Style Selections 12-in x 24-in Mitte White Glazed Porcelain Floor Tile
Item #: 399382 | Model #: G8CC20
$1.99 / Sq. Ft.

I brought these home and did my "slip test"...which is a big concern...and was very impressed. They do not have a shiny finish like most tile and have great grip when wet. And unlike most discount tiles people find, these are actually gray which a lot of people are looking for instead of tan. The white ones have little specs of tan in them...just enough so they don't look dirty easily.

So wondering what the difference(s) in quality there are between Lowe's and BuildDirect.

BuildDirect may have a quality tile product...but I'm concerned with what to do if I need just a little more now or down the road and/or if any boxes are damaged.

Lowe's...I can hopefully talk to a manager and try to work a bit of a discount for a large purchase and possibly pick up some as I progress along in my project. And I won't have to worry about buying too much, too little, or damaged tiles since the store is less than a mile from my home. And when at some point they discontinue the tile, I could then purchase my "oh ****" extras just to have on hand for future repairs.

bdamico · Jun 28, 2013

elterrell said:
Dumb question -- can you use a floor like this with jacks and jackstands? I have just started looking at some different options, but have not considered this type of tile.

search porcelain in title and read all threads

Gerald O · Jun 28, 2013

84944Redline said:
...
So wondering what the difference(s) in quality there are between Lowe's and BuildDirect.

BuildDirect may have a quality tile product...but I'm concerned with what to do if I need just a little more now or down the road and/or if any boxes are damaged.

You have to compare apples to apples. Try to find this at Lowes for .99 cents.

builddirect said:
Made in the USA, Takla’s Manhattan Series boast superior durability that is built to withstand heavy traffic in both residential and commercial applications. Given the exceptional technical composition, the Takla Full Body Porcelain Tile – Manhattan Series is priced competitively and is highlighted by the following features:

Extremely Durable: With a PEI rating of 5, these porcelain tiles are extremely hard and impermeable, which makes the tiles highly resistant to moisture, staining and wear
High Slip Resistance: With a high coefficient of friction, Dry >0.87, Wet >0.60, these tiles will limit slippage in your interior or outdoor setting.
Uniform Appearance: V1 Color Variation Rating will guarantee a consistent look across your entire floor
Green Product: Legacy of Green Certified; Indoor Air Quality Certified, assured by Greenguard
Tile Dimensions: Available in 24"x24"x3/8" or 12"x24"x3/8"

At this price I could afford to buy a few extra tiles for spares.

JakeKohl · Jun 28, 2013

I seriously doubt that Build Direct has their own trucking distribution company. Any freight issues are probably related to the individual freight carrier.

With regards to breakage and extras - pros always order a bit extra to cover this. A couple boxes of tile is cheaper than stopping, making a trip to buy another one, and restarting again. Most recommend an extra 10%.

Angelfire · Jun 28, 2013

I'll post back once I receive it as to how the whole experience with builddirect went. I'm having it delivered to the terminal and I'll go pick it up ( made the cost of shipping a bit better). And I did order extra over and above the waste factor in case I ever have to replace. I have found that it really doesn't matter where you buy, the mfg's are constantly changing their products and discontinuing stuff. So I buy the extras when I do a project as there's a good chance it won't be available done the road

As for the tiles linked above from lowes, they were my next choice and I've been keep any eye out for the sales. This one just came on sale first so I jumped on it

84944Redline · Jun 28, 2013

Oh I realize it's not an equal comparison of the BuildDirect and Lowe's tiles, more so just a general comparison along with considering the other variables.

Everyone has their list of priorities...PEI 4 or PEI 5 seem to be "acceptable" from what other members have used and recommend. I can't find if the Lowe's tile is thru-body or not...the ones I looked appeared to have the same color through (looked at some that were chipped).

Whatever freight carrier(s) they use have resulted in negative feedback. What I'd like to know is if that is a common experience or just a small handful limited to a specific carrier or few.

I understand the 10% to cover any bad cuts or damaged tiles. It's just that because tiles are discontinued so often, I'd like to have a good handful of extras AFTER my install. So in my personal situation, the convenience of a Lowe's within walking distance voids any concern or hassle. And with BuildDirect's clearance inventory, they have a limited amount that when gone - is gone.

Angelfire - looking forward to hear about your experience with BuildDirect. You've picked out some very nice looking tile that'll look awesome. I assume you've checked out the Lowe's tile in person, correct? Would be great to get your opinion on how they compare to what you decided on (especially the slip-test). Thank you!

Angelfire · Jun 28, 2013

I did look at the tile at lowes. I don't recall all the specs on it but like I mentioned before, if I found them on sale prior to these tiles, I'd have bought them! I don't think you can go wrong either way.

JakeKohl · Jul 10, 2013

Angelfire said:
I hadn't planned to purchase for another 18 months as I'm leaving the country in just a few weeks. But I've been watching a tile online for some time that looked pretty good spec wise and I liked the color. Trouble was it was around $2.29/SF and I'm not willing to pay that. It's been this way for nearly a year. So today I stumble across it and it's on clearance for $0.99/SF....I now have ~750SF enroute! It'll sit till I return but that's ok. Rectified, through body, COF looks good, PEI 5, V1 Color variation, 12x24. I think I did ok. They have more if interested:

http://www.builddirect.com/Porcelain-Tile/Costa-Chic/ProductDisplay_6933_p1_10081616.aspx

Yay!

I was hoping to get your input on this tile - all they have left is the 24x24" size and I'm a little nervous about the flatness of it....are you still in the country? Have a chance to really inspect your tile?

Angelfire · Jul 10, 2013

Hiya, yes, I'm still in the country....for another few weeks anyway. Here's a synopsis of my order.

I ordered the tile on June 27. It shipped from Anaheim CA on July 3. It arrived in Albuquerque on July 5 via ABF Freight. Given it was a holiday weekend, I postponed picking it up until this past Monday. Picked up 4000 lbs of tile with a trailer and my Toyota Tacoma. Let me tell you, the Tacoma is rated to pull this much but I sure don't buy it. Took side roads all the way home!

Anyway, the interesting thing was when I picked up the tile, my invoice indicated 63 boxes for a total of ~743 SF however, what was on the pallets was 48 boxes. However, the 48 boxes each contained 16 SF of tile which was more than what was indicated on their website. I actually ended up receiving an extra 24 SF pro bono!

Upon further inspection, it was labeled as Grigio Fumo manufactured by Fiandre which is an Italian company. I had ordered Takla Costa Chic. However, the tile perfectly matched the sample I had previously received from Build Direct. And the specs match as well. So all I can figure is Takla is a middle man who buys from Fiandre and re-labels it.

Tile seemed to be well packaged and was palletized (got 2 pallets for this order). I didn't dig through every box but did open a number of the boxes and found there to be zero breakage. Tiles are labeled as made in the USA and have "2760F" on the back which I can only assume is the temperature used to fire them.

Overall, I am very happy with the purchase and would really rather stay in the country to get them installed ASAP! As for the flatness, I didn't do any measuring but they are relatively flat. Mind you, they aren't a polished flat and they do seem to bow slightly at the edges to account for the grout line I suppose. But again, I haven't measured anything to validate this. I'm just going off of feel for the few tiles I fondled. I'm not at home and won't be until Sunday but could do some more detailed checking then if needed.

Let me know if there are any more questions.
Cheers,
cc

JakeKohl · Jul 11, 2013

Thanks for the feedback. I had really wanted the 12x24 and had considered that even those could be tricky to get down without lippage. My tile guy is telling me that the 24x24 could be OK if they are really flat (grade 1) and I can see his point that if the tiles aren't flat, it's going to be impossible to prevent having proud edges - particularly with a larger tile. I don't see any kind of grade rating on them (nor anything else)...

I'm not even sure how you can help me make this decision but if you have the time to lay a few tiles edge to edge, I guess knowing that the edges will align without corners or other areas being proud of the other tile may be a start. Then I just have to deal with any level issues with my floor. The floor is reasonably flat so I think that as long as I'm not fighting the tiles I can manage the minor variations in the floor.

Angelfire · Jul 11, 2013

I'll take a look at them on Sunday and let you know. Just some more information on the tiles:

http://www.granitifiandre.com/porcelain-tile/made-in-usa/cosmopolitan/grigio-fumo/

and here is their spec sheet:

http://www.granitifiandre.com/download/cataloghi/HighTrafficTechSpecs.pdf

I'm not an architectural expert so I'll leave it to you to analyze the specs/standards linked above

Angelfire · Jul 14, 2013

Checked my tile tonight. It does slope down slightly at the edges, maybe 1/32" or so. The slope is consistent on all 4 edges. Not sure what that means for your install but I'm fine with it for my install.

slickgt1 · Jul 15, 2013

Most tiles, are that way. The bigger they are, the more noticeable it becomes, especially in a brick pattern. Don't stress it.

Gerald O · Jul 15, 2013

My shipment of 24x24 tiles was delivered today. No damaged boxes and they appeared to be well packed on the pallets. So I'm optimistic that they're all in good shape. I pulled a couple out to look over--they are huge! One tile weighs 20 lbs. I stacked two of them face to face to check for flatness. They were about as perfectly flat as possible. No gaps anywhere. I hope those two samples are typical.

JakeKohl · Jul 16, 2013

Aaaaa...I bought it. That makes me a little nervous - but what the heck.

Bought my Porcelain!

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