Tips on Purchasing Tile For Your Home Improvement

There are so many various types of tiles available in today's market that a few tips can be handy to wading through the selection possibilities.

Any guide to purchasing tile will usually start by advising you to measure the area that you are planning to cover with tile. Be sure to measure it very carefully. When you are doing your tile shopping, the amount of tile needed to complete your job will, of course, depend on the size of the area. It is generally best to translate the area into square feet as this is the most common way to determine the quantity needed. Be careful, however, with your math when making the purchase.

The second step is to determine the type of material that you want to use. Certain materials are not as appropriate for various jobs as others. Marble, for example, tends to easily adsorb liquids and discolor. This makes it a rather poor choice for a kitchen counter top. Some other high grade expensive tiles tend to scratch easily and would not make a very good choice for floor tiles in a high traffic area. Once you have made a material selection that is appropriate for the job and know the square footage that you must cover, you are ready to begin the shopping phase.

You should make a list of suppliers in your area. The list can include both smaller, specialty suppliers and large retail outlets such as Lowes or Home Depot. You can prepare a comparison price list. Remember to make a separate comparison for material costs only. This is the cost of the actual tiles themselves and would not include installation. You should treat installation as a separate item.

The actual job of installation can be done by a contractor or you can do it yourself if you have the ability and confidence to do it. If you are pricing a contractor, be very sure to make sure they have experience with the type of material you have selected. Also make sure they are aware of the exact square footage of the job.

Tile pricing will vary widely based on the material. As in many other decorating areas, there are ways to save money. You can look for sales and for discontinued items. When you have established a good relationship with a supplier, you might be able to take advantage of order cancellations and overstocks. These can result in substantial savings. The price range for tiles will range anywhere from $2 a square foot for the least expensive materials to $50 a square foot for the highest quality tiles.

Aazdak Alisimo writes tile articles for http://www.TileandFloorCompanies.com