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astrobaja
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Saltillo tile/ floor install prices?
Hi all,
Got a quote from one of the better tile places in Tecate. materials are not out of line but the price I got for the labor of installation seemed
steep. Are prices of $27.00 per square meter way high, or about right??
We want it done right..... but...
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John M
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Posts: 1921
Registered: 9-3-2003
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In the states or in Baja?
Makes a difference!
We recently had most of our house done in saltillo - in the states and love it.
John M
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shari
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Mood: there is no reality except the one contained within us "Herman Hesse"
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I the installation of saltillo much more complicated than regular tile?? Here, the tile guys charge from $10-15 a meter for tile.
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msteve1014
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yes, installing the saltillo is more work. The price should be midway between regular tile, and stone. The $10-15 a meter is right on, down here in La
Bocana too.
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Pescador
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Also, you want to take a close look at several installations that have been done by anyone you are considering. We have 4 houses in a small area that
have been done by different installers and the difference is beyond amazing. Some of it is so bad that I would have insisted on pulling it up and
starting over. There are some installers that work magic with saltillo and there are others that are just plain sloppy and inept.
Also, make sure that you buy a lot of sealer and go over the tile several times to really get it sealed.
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astrobaja
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Hi everybody
Thanks for the input, yeah the $26 a metre price sounded more like stateside prices to us! I think we may have to haggle a bit!
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Oso
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That does sound high but I can't remember what I paid 7 yrs ago. We are just on the U.S. side of the border and I checked out Saltillo tile in San
Luis Rio Colorado, Sonora but actually got a better deal at Home Depot in Yuma plus the fact that they replaced any broken ones. We did put sealer on
but were also advised to wax. Wife didn't want that as she thought it would make it too slippery. Some of it has gotten stained but that just adds
"character".
All my childhood I wanted to be older. Now I\'m older and this chitn sucks.
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BajaGringo
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Is that just for a standard install or are you asking for a lot of special cuts/design? Is this for a whole house or just a couple of rooms? Saltillo
is easy to lay down but special cuts are slow and tedious. Just finished helping a friend in San Quintin lay Saltillo throughout his house. He wanted
a diamond pattern interlaced with sandstone on the steps and tile decor pieces all around. We probably spent 80% of our time on all the cuts.
Your remote location probably adds to the quote as well. If it is a simple install for an entire house without a lot of cuts the price still seems a
bit high. If you have a lot of cuts and/or less than 20 or 30 square meters of work then maybe the price isn't that high.
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Dave
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Not my experience
| Quote: | Originally posted by BajaGringo
Saltillo is easy to lay down |
Tile is not uniform size or thickness... and forget about square. To get a professional look you must lay wide grout lines and thick mortor bed. Mud
must be the right consistency, also. I tried laying some and it looked like it was done by a first-grader. Even professionals hate laying it.
And unless your floor has a vapor barrier don't even think about saltillo. Leeching salts will turn it to dust.
Also, I understand the tile from Saltillo is way better than what's made near Tecate. I'll bet it's way more expensive, though.
I love the look of Saltillo but it's a pain in the a$$ to lay and maintain. OTOH, they make saltillo 'look' tile that's easy down, no maintenance and
will outlive us.
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DENNIS
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Saltillo is a lot of work. It has to be sealed before it hits the floor otherwise the porous surface sucks up any mortar that gets on the tile and
the stain is there forever.
Dave is right...wide, sanded grout, like one inch at the top.
That price, $2.70 per foot, seems a bit high for labor alone. I think you have room to deal with the maestro's sense of fairness. Does he have
extensive travel to the job site? Are you going to wait for warmer weather? I would.
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DENNIS
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Dave
OTOH, they make saltillo 'look' tile that's easy down, no maintenance and will outlive us. |
Is that stamped, colored concrete? I've never seen faux Saltillo.
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Dave
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Nah
| Quote: | Originally posted by DENNIS
Is that stamped, colored concrete? I've never seen faux Saltillo. |
Regular tile. Wouldn't fool nobody into thinking saltillo but the colors work. I have, however, seen concrete floors that look exactly like
marble so in the hands of a talented artist I'll bet saltillo wouldn't be difficult.
I have a friend who covered a concrete floor with crumpled/torn brown bags. The effect is stunning.
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Bob and Susan
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i think dave is right...
get fake Saltillo ceramic tile that looks like Saltillo
and it'll last forever
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BajaGringo
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I was only speaking of laying the tile down, not the acid wash or sealing. Saltillo is indeed imperfect in its size and the application we did was a
rustic look with a small volcanic rock pebble design imbedded in the grout between the tiles. We spent many hours a day making endless cuts on
saltillo to fit around a multitude of different geometric shapes in the house design, tile accents, random sandstone inlays and more. Laying a million
volcanic pebbles in the grout is another story in itself.
Believe me when I say that laying the saltillo down was the easy part...
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msteve1014
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The saltillo we have in our SoCal. house, I brought in from Tecate. It cost less than half of the same tile at Home Depot including driving to Tecate,
and back, twice. The install was 50% more than if we had ceramic tile. We use aquaseal sealer and top coat, and have been very happy for almost 7
years now. Your price may be a little high, but you are way out there with your new house. Ask the man how much to do the same job with ceramic tile.
I have seen ceramic tile that looks like FAKE saltillo. Not what we wanted, and not what you want, Ill bet.
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msteve1014
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Oh yeah, you cant get it installed for $2.70 a foot in Ca. today. I believe I paid almost twice that when we did our house, aprox. 1800 feet of tile,
new construction.
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John M
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msteve - about the sealer??
Not to hijack this thread but,,,,, Aquaseal sealer & top coat?
Is that the brand of sealer and is it a gloss or flat look?
John M
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mtgoat666
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| Quote: | Originally posted by DENNIS
Saltillo is a lot of work. It has to be sealed before it hits the floor otherwise the porous surface sucks up any mortar that gets on the tile and
the stain is there forever.
Dave is right...wide, sanded grout, like one inch at the top.
That price, $2.70 per foot, seems a bit high for labor alone. I think you have room to deal with the maestro's sense of fairness. Does he have
extensive travel to the job site? Are you going to wait for warmer weather? I would. |
i installed my saltillo myself, and it was a back breaking job i swear i will never do again. regular thin ceramic tile is so much easier. saltillo
tile requires thick mortar bed and has thick mortar between tiles, so uses much more mortar than a ceramic tile install. heavy stuff when working on
your knees. $27/m2 for labor to install sounds fair if it accounts for remote location and prep of concrete floor and sealing of tiles before
grouting.
fyi, there are dyed concrete tiles that are more durable than saltillo. you drop a wine bottle on your saltillo floor it is guarenteed to gain
character (chips), while concrete tiles may survive.
i used silcone base sealer on my tiles, but wish i had used wax sealer like they do in traditional install. the wax sealer looks better as the stuff
ages, develops a better patina.
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DENNIS
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| Quote: | Originally posted by mtgoat666
sealing of tiles before grouting.
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Agree with all you say but, my reference was to sealing the tile before it's laid. Then again, after.
As for the ceramic tile suggestions above, it would have to be rough in finish as Mike lives in snow country. Glazed, ceramic tile is like ice when
it's wet.
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DENNIS
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| Quote: | Originally posted by John M
Not to hijack this thread but,,,,, Aquaseal sealer & top coat?
Is that the brand of sealer and is it a gloss or flat look?
John M |
Not sure of that, John. I do know when a first coat of sealer is applied with a brush or roller, particularly on a warm day, the entire face of the
tile should be covered without any interuption. The first coat is quickly absorbed and if given a chance to permeate the surface and dry, which it
does quickly, the followup application will show a lap mark where the two points meet.
It's actually best to spray it on.
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