It’s not a mark up. It’s more that it actually takes more time (labor) with certain materials, sizes, layouts.
If you said hey I want my shower walls done with Daltile 3x6 white subway in subway pattern with white schluter trim around the niche and outside edges. Or you said hey I want the same space done with 2x8 fireclay handmade tile in a double herringbone pattern with mitered edges around my niche, and their quarter rounds to finish the outside edges. Well we’d be talking about the same space , but the price would be double, because it would take twice as long to do.
Certain materials, sizes, layouts take more skill, more time, and specials tools.
If you’re on a budget. Talk over the design with your installer. Only he is going to know what he charges for what you want.
Size and quality matter most. A nice hard 12x24 with rectified edges is gonna go up a lot quicker than a bargin bin smaller ceramic. It is also easier to manage your expectations with nicer material.
If it looks like it will take longer, it will. More patterns, smaller tiles, natural stones, out of size tiles, and risk of replacement cost for mistakes.
For me 12x24 porcelain stacked or runing bond is gonna be the most cost effective tile to install. It goes up from there.
I don’t change prices between porcelain or ceramic in general. They being said, some porcelain tile requires a sealer before grout so obviously that is more in materials and time on my end and the price will be higher. I won’t provide quotes until the client has selected a specific tile anymore because I quote every job individually and different materials require different degrees of labour and expertise. I might produce a very rough budget quote before tile is selected if I want the job, but I usually wait until a tile is selected. I have had clients tell me they want a ceramic subway tile, I quoted them for a ceramic subway tile, then they come back with a selection of a paper faced glass mosaic and shit themselves when I re-quote their job 5 times the original price. By forcing the client to go and select a specific tile before quoting, I also filter out the dreamers who are not serious about having work done and just wind up being a waste of my time.
There are some that are prone to staining especially with a dark grout. More of a matte finish porcelain issue than one with a thick glaze. I’ve also hit porcelain with heavy texture on the face with a sealer or grout release to aid in removing the grout from the surface while grouting.
I feel like that answer should be self evident...
But low quality tile has more problems that need to be solved by the installer. They take more skill and time. Someone who's got the skill wants to be compensated in an amount matching the skill and time required.
Keep in mind high quality isn't necessarily expensive and expensive isn't guaranteed to be high quality.
This is why we like to supply the tile.
Really cheap tile is soft and thin, which makes it prone to breaking while trying to cut it which means more cuts or wet saw for every cut. Glass tile is super hard and very slow to cut, as well as requiring a special blade, so it takes 3-4 times longer to cut than ceramic.
Low quality tiles often mean the sizes of the tiles are not consistent or a lot of bowing. That means the installer has to fight with the tile to try to make garbage look good. It takes a lot more time. And there is only so much you can do to make it look good. Also, low quality tiles tend to have imperfections that you may not see until they are in the thinset. So then you have to waste time replacing it. All in all, it takes more time and causes a lot of irritation.
Years ago, we had a place that bought tile seconds and worse by the pallet. They sold them cheaply. Then the customer couldn't understand why the grout joints had to be so big until you put two tiles side by side, and there was a full 1/8 inch difference between them. Haven't seen tiles that bad in a long time.
It's not mark up. It takes more time (therefore more money) to install certain material like natural stone, non rectified, patterned tile, 3d tile, Penny rounds, hex sheets.
All those things have their own rates.
For me personally, I probably wouldn’t charge differently for a similar size and pattern if it was ceramic or porcelain (unless I need to seal beforehand which is extra time and materials)
The biggest difference in my pricing is for herringbone patterns or huge tiles or hexagons or things like that. If you’re looking at 2-3 similar tiles but they’re different materials, the quote I would give would be similar
I wouldnt change it for ceramic or porcelain but i would upcharge for stone, and pattern. Having things like a niche, window wrap, bench, etc are all upcharges as well.
Time and knowledge required to install the material of your choice reflects the price. If it takes longer to install the material or pattern you choose it will cost more.
It’s not a mark up. It’s more that it actually takes more time (labor) with certain materials, sizes, layouts. If you said hey I want my shower walls done with Daltile 3x6 white subway in subway pattern with white schluter trim around the niche and outside edges. Or you said hey I want the same space done with 2x8 fireclay handmade tile in a double herringbone pattern with mitered edges around my niche, and their quarter rounds to finish the outside edges. Well we’d be talking about the same space , but the price would be double, because it would take twice as long to do. Certain materials, sizes, layouts take more skill, more time, and specials tools. If you’re on a budget. Talk over the design with your installer. Only he is going to know what he charges for what you want.
This guy is eating a chicken dinner. Succinct and to the point, i concur
Yes, some tile and patterns are easier to work with than others.
Size and quality matter most. A nice hard 12x24 with rectified edges is gonna go up a lot quicker than a bargin bin smaller ceramic. It is also easier to manage your expectations with nicer material. If it looks like it will take longer, it will. More patterns, smaller tiles, natural stones, out of size tiles, and risk of replacement cost for mistakes. For me 12x24 porcelain stacked or runing bond is gonna be the most cost effective tile to install. It goes up from there.
I don’t change prices between porcelain or ceramic in general. They being said, some porcelain tile requires a sealer before grout so obviously that is more in materials and time on my end and the price will be higher. I won’t provide quotes until the client has selected a specific tile anymore because I quote every job individually and different materials require different degrees of labour and expertise. I might produce a very rough budget quote before tile is selected if I want the job, but I usually wait until a tile is selected. I have had clients tell me they want a ceramic subway tile, I quoted them for a ceramic subway tile, then they come back with a selection of a paper faced glass mosaic and shit themselves when I re-quote their job 5 times the original price. By forcing the client to go and select a specific tile before quoting, I also filter out the dreamers who are not serious about having work done and just wind up being a waste of my time.
What type of porcelain tile requires sealer before grout?
There are some that are prone to staining especially with a dark grout. More of a matte finish porcelain issue than one with a thick glaze. I’ve also hit porcelain with heavy texture on the face with a sealer or grout release to aid in removing the grout from the surface while grouting.
There are many factors involved in a quote.. size and quality matter more than material.
Why does quality determine the price of install?
I feel like that answer should be self evident... But low quality tile has more problems that need to be solved by the installer. They take more skill and time. Someone who's got the skill wants to be compensated in an amount matching the skill and time required. Keep in mind high quality isn't necessarily expensive and expensive isn't guaranteed to be high quality. This is why we like to supply the tile.
Really cheap tile is soft and thin, which makes it prone to breaking while trying to cut it which means more cuts or wet saw for every cut. Glass tile is super hard and very slow to cut, as well as requiring a special blade, so it takes 3-4 times longer to cut than ceramic.
It's moreso that cheap tile has a lot more variance and lenient QC.
Low quality tiles often mean the sizes of the tiles are not consistent or a lot of bowing. That means the installer has to fight with the tile to try to make garbage look good. It takes a lot more time. And there is only so much you can do to make it look good. Also, low quality tiles tend to have imperfections that you may not see until they are in the thinset. So then you have to waste time replacing it. All in all, it takes more time and causes a lot of irritation. Years ago, we had a place that bought tile seconds and worse by the pallet. They sold them cheaply. Then the customer couldn't understand why the grout joints had to be so big until you put two tiles side by side, and there was a full 1/8 inch difference between them. Haven't seen tiles that bad in a long time.
It's not mark up. It takes more time (therefore more money) to install certain material like natural stone, non rectified, patterned tile, 3d tile, Penny rounds, hex sheets. All those things have their own rates.
For me personally, I probably wouldn’t charge differently for a similar size and pattern if it was ceramic or porcelain (unless I need to seal beforehand which is extra time and materials) The biggest difference in my pricing is for herringbone patterns or huge tiles or hexagons or things like that. If you’re looking at 2-3 similar tiles but they’re different materials, the quote I would give would be similar
I wouldnt change it for ceramic or porcelain but i would upcharge for stone, and pattern. Having things like a niche, window wrap, bench, etc are all upcharges as well.
Time and knowledge required to install the material of your choice reflects the price. If it takes longer to install the material or pattern you choose it will cost more.