dmeadow
Well-known member
Since my previous thread devolved into a bun fight over labor rates, illegal immigration, etc., etc., I thought I would start a new one with the actual install.
Some salient facts:
Garage is ~1200 square feet (think double-deep three car garage)
House is a new build, though I did the garage floor after closing. The slab is 6 months old and in perfect condition. Had never even parked a car on it at this point.
Tile is 18"x18" porcelain, PEI 5, gray and white. It was manufactured by Inalco in Spain.
Grout is a medium-gray that I will seal later.
Install was done by contractors that work for the tile store and were hired by them.
Spacing for grout is 1/8". I wanted it as narrow as possible to minimize stains showing.
The tile was a close-out special at the store for 99 cents per square foot. It normally sold for around $3.20 to $3.50 per square foot. The store manager said his cost was about $2 per square foot. The same store had some 12"x12" tile on close-out for as little as 69 cents per square foot, but I didn't want tile that small, especially considering all the potentially-stainable grout lines that would entail. I had a fairly limited selection of tiles to choose from, as he had small quantities of most of his close-out stock. This particular tile has a bit rougher surface and a factory "chipped edge" that weren't my preference, but I liked the light color for finding renegade bolts and nuts and for general lighting. Also, it goes well with the color scheme inside the house, so SWMBO was please with it, as well!
The tile store quoted me ~$2.00 square foot for install, including grout and thinset. There is some vertical tile around the edges that he charged me $2.50 a square foot considering it required a lot of cutting. Considering the quotes I had got earlier that ranged from $2.50 to $3.75 per square foot for just the labor, I thought this was a great deal. Especially since the store would be responsible for the labor and the quality of the install. By hiring his team, I also got the tile delivered without additional cost.
Bottom line, the tile purchase and install cost me a little over $3 per square foot. I had a quote for a professional epoxy install at $3.65 per square foot, so I think I came away with a superior floor for less money.
The install took two days. There were anywhere from 2 to 5 guys there depending on the stage. If I had tried to DIY the job in my spare time, I would have been working on it for weeks! This way I got it done before we moved in and I can start arranging the rest of the garage, including building workbenches, etc.
Here are a couple of in-process pictures. The job is now complete and I'll post additional pictures later.
Some salient facts:
Garage is ~1200 square feet (think double-deep three car garage)
House is a new build, though I did the garage floor after closing. The slab is 6 months old and in perfect condition. Had never even parked a car on it at this point.
Tile is 18"x18" porcelain, PEI 5, gray and white. It was manufactured by Inalco in Spain.
Grout is a medium-gray that I will seal later.
Install was done by contractors that work for the tile store and were hired by them.
Spacing for grout is 1/8". I wanted it as narrow as possible to minimize stains showing.
The tile was a close-out special at the store for 99 cents per square foot. It normally sold for around $3.20 to $3.50 per square foot. The store manager said his cost was about $2 per square foot. The same store had some 12"x12" tile on close-out for as little as 69 cents per square foot, but I didn't want tile that small, especially considering all the potentially-stainable grout lines that would entail. I had a fairly limited selection of tiles to choose from, as he had small quantities of most of his close-out stock. This particular tile has a bit rougher surface and a factory "chipped edge" that weren't my preference, but I liked the light color for finding renegade bolts and nuts and for general lighting. Also, it goes well with the color scheme inside the house, so SWMBO was please with it, as well!
The tile store quoted me ~$2.00 square foot for install, including grout and thinset. There is some vertical tile around the edges that he charged me $2.50 a square foot considering it required a lot of cutting. Considering the quotes I had got earlier that ranged from $2.50 to $3.75 per square foot for just the labor, I thought this was a great deal. Especially since the store would be responsible for the labor and the quality of the install. By hiring his team, I also got the tile delivered without additional cost.
Bottom line, the tile purchase and install cost me a little over $3 per square foot. I had a quote for a professional epoxy install at $3.65 per square foot, so I think I came away with a superior floor for less money.
The install took two days. There were anywhere from 2 to 5 guys there depending on the stage. If I had tried to DIY the job in my spare time, I would have been working on it for weeks! This way I got it done before we moved in and I can start arranging the rest of the garage, including building workbenches, etc.
Here are a couple of in-process pictures. The job is now complete and I'll post additional pictures later.
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