Porcelain Tiles

[PepperGuy]

I'm new to the site, so first I want to thank all the senior members for providing such great info. I was debating between epoxy, VTC and porcelain tile for my garage, and after much deliberation and learning from this site, I think I decided on porcelain tile. Mainly because I don't want the epoxy to peel after a few years from a heavy refrigerator and legs from several Gorilla racks that I have in the garage. Wife and I have a lot of **** collected over the years.

My question for the group is cost. I have about 600 sq ft of garage space and I can get PEI 4 tiles (12x12) from Home Depot for about a $1 a piece, but I don't have that much time doing the install because of work commitment.

I know a handyman who offered to do the install for $2/sq ft, but I pay for all the materials. Is that a reasonable cost? It'll cost about $1K more than if I do the epoxy on my own. I've already cleaned the floor because I was about to apply the epoxy as a DIY project. If I hire him to do the work, is there anything different about laying tile for garage vs. bathrooms? What type of thinset and grout should I get? I'm in California and the weather here is pretty mild and dry. Many thanks for your input and advice.

 

[bdamico]

cost looks good. i paid something like a 1.25 per ft but s. fla is likely cheaper. the only real diference is the guy needs to back butter tiles. search for porcelain and read all the threads--there aren't many. these issues have all been fleshed out. people debate epoxy vs regular grout. i went with epoxy but don't think it's worth the extra effort and the install issues associated with it

 

[PT Doc]

How long will it take to have your guy install the tile?

 

[Shea]

$2 a square foot is a good price for an install in California. I would just make sure he has the experience and ask for a reference if you haven't had him do work for you before.

I've always used the Versabond thinset for the larger tile and have been happy with its performance, but there are other quality products out there as well. Epoxy grout is fantastic but will be expensive for 600 sf. of garage. A darker color sanded grout that is sealed will work just fine for most applications and cost much less.

bdamico is absolutely correct about applying the thinset. Make sure the tile is back buttered and that there are no voids in the bed it lays in. If he has done tile before he should know about burning in the thinset and making sure the concrete is not bone dry when laying it.

 

[PepperGuy]

Thanks bdamico. I'll make sure the guy back butters the tiles. I think I'll go with the regular grout. Reading the horror stories about people mishandling epoxy grout makes me nervous. Man, $1.25/sq ft for install is a great price!

 

[PepperGuy]

How long will it take to have your guy install the tile?

The handyman told me a couple of days between him and his friend. His friend is the one that does a lot of tile work. I was renting before I bought this house and they did the bathroom tiles for the place I was renting. That's how I know the handyman. So far no issues with the bathroom tiles.

 

[PepperGuy]

$2 a square foot is a good price for an install in California. I would just make sure he has the experience and ask for a reference if you haven't had him do work for you before.

I've always used the Versabond thinset for the larger tile and have been happy with its performance, but there are other quality products out there as well. Epoxy grout is fantastic but will be expensive for 600 sf. of garage. A darker color sanded grout that is sealed will work just fine for most applications and cost much less.

bdamico is absolutely correct about applying the thinset. Make sure the tile is back buttered and that there are no voids in the bed it lays in. If he has done tile before he should know about burning in the thinset and making sure the concrete is not bone dry when laying it.

Thanks for the feedback, because I was thinking that the $2/sq ft labor cost is a bit high since the garage is totally empty and just a rectangular space. Plus I had already cleaned the concrete. There's not a lot of cutting to do, like you would with a bathroom install. The handyman agreed to lower the install price by a couple of hundred bucks, so about a $1k just for labor to install roughly 600 sq. ft.

 

[PepperGuy]

I have another newb question on thinset. There's a lot of discussion on Kerabond/Keralastic. I live in southern California, so mild temperature year round and pretty dry. I'll be installing 12 x12 porcelain tiles. Can I use economy thinset? Here's the product I was looking at - EconoFlex:
http://www.flooranddecoroutlets.com/s51100017.html
Is this a decent product? It says it's mixed with polymer. The cheapo way to go is the Portland cement at only $5 for 50 lbs. http://www.flooranddecoroutlets.com/s51100038.html

Is there advantage in using something more expensive for my geographic location? The sales guy at the store recommended something more expansive, like this one. His explanation is that I need something finer with more holding power if I want to use it in a garage - he couldn't articulate the reason well, and it sounded like BS... Besides, I trust the senior members on this forum a lot more.
http://www.flooranddecoroutlets.com/s51100005.html

Which thinset should I get? Also, which grout should I go with? I'm thinking of regular grout that I would use in the kitchen or bath. No epoxy or exotic grout.

Many thanks again for all your input.

 

[enginewizard1969]

just read this thread as I am looking to tile the floor in my garage soon not sure which way to go yet. Im in the UK. didnt think about porcelain tiles as my garage is a working garage not one for storing a car and thought that they would get broken very easy. what is this back buttering?? I've never heard of that!!

 

[duneslider]

Pepperguy, I wouldn't use any of that stuff you mentioned. I think flexbond at home depot would be a good option for you.

 

[duneslider]

Backbuttering is putting mortar on the tile and floor to achieve a better bond and ffull contact. I bet if you did a YouTube or Google search you could find pictures and video of it and that will really help you understand.

 

[bazzateer]

what is this back buttering?? I've never heard of that!!

It's making sure both the floor and tile have the grout/thinset on them to ensure there are no voids under the tile when it is set. Voids = weakness = cracks/holes later. Solid grout between the the tile and the concrete gives a very strong and resilient floor.

 

[PepperGuy]

Pepperguy, I wouldn't use any of that stuff you mentioned. I think flexbond at home depot would be a good option for you.

Thanks DuneSlider. I was going to use that stuff because that's what they carry so I don't have to make a separate trip to Home Depot, which is sort of in opposite directions. I'll go to Home Depot then. Thanks.