Design Appointment Tile Selection or Deletion Questions

[SpicyCajunPugs]

Hello, we are doing our design appointment next week, and we wanted to know what the tile selection and installed costs are running. We heard the selection was kind of limited and we were interested in putting a slate look porcelain tile in. I also heard that you are not usually allowed to just totally delete the flooring (leaving just the slab) and have flooring installed after closing. It seems like a waste to have carpet or vinyl flooring installed, no matter how cheap, if it is going to be ripped out right away. Better to just give a credit. Also, why can't you close with just the concrete foundation, because I know people in South Florida who just acid stain their foundation for a beautiful floor also.. Any suggestions would be welcome, as well as any other suggestions for our design appointment in reference to building an Iris.

Marcy and Bruce Snell

[batman911]

You will be required to pick flooring. If you do not like the available selection you will need to pick the least expensive and then replace it later. Just finished our design mid December.

[jimbo2012]

I rolled up our carpet the day we closed, putting in what I want.

[Roaddog53]

Hello, we are doing our design appointment next week, and we wanted to know what the tile selection and installed costs are running. We heard the selection was kind of limited and we were interested in putting a slate look porcelain tile in. I also heard that you are not usually allowed to just totally delete the flooring (leaving just the slab) and have flooring installed after closing. It seems like a waste to have carpet or vinyl flooring installed, no matter how cheap, if it is going to be ripped out right away. Better to just give a credit. Also, why can't you close with just the concrete foundation, because I know people in South Florida who just acid stain their foundation for a beautiful floor also.. Any suggestions would be welcome, as well as any other suggestions for our design appointment in reference to building an Iris.

Marcy and Bruce Snell

My guess it is a requirement to have a finished floor for CofO. But som people put down a lower grade vinyl flooring than use it as the underlayment for the tile over the top. I checked if this is "plausable" for long term and the two tile companies I checked with said yes it can be used and can save you the underlayment they use too. If you saw the underlayment they use in TV you would want the vinyl anyway!
There are many threads recently about building an Iris and what to include or change. Do a search for Iris.

[jimbo2012]

U should post the names of those floor companies, so no one uses those guys, that is not the way to do a floor.

[SpicyCajunPugs]

My guess it is a requirement to have a finished floor for CofO. But som people put down a lower grade vinyl flooring than use it as the underlayment for the tile over the top. I checked if this is "plausable" for long term and the two tile companies I checked with said yes it can be used and can save you the underlayment they use too. If you saw the underlayment they use in TV you would want the vinyl anyway!
There are many threads recently about building an Iris and what to include or change. Do a search for Iris.

I was told by a popular tile company also that vinyl flooring is a good base for the tile and that the other underlayment is not needed. I may do some more research on that before I make a final decision. Thanks for the information.

[Jan McCoy]

We did our meeting on 11/6. Selections are somewhat limited but we were able to find almost everything we were looking for. We did eliminate some of the lighting and bought out own chandaliers and fan lights as we didn't like the choices they had. I'm not too happy with the quality of the carpeting but we'll keep it for a few years and maybe change it at a later time. The house was completed last week (also an Iris) and it is gorgeous!!! We are extremely happy with the workmanship throughout. We are going to do all of our own interior painting as they wanted to charge $2200 to do any painting beyond the overall white or bisque. That was a surprise. Good luck!!!!

Hello, we are doing our design appointment next week, and we wanted to know what the tile selection and installed costs are running. We heard the selection was kind of limited and we were interested in putting a slate look porcelain tile in. I also heard that you are not usually allowed to just totally delete the flooring (leaving just the slab) and have flooring installed after closing. It seems like a waste to have carpet or vinyl flooring installed, no matter how cheap, if it is going to be ripped out right away. Better to just give a credit. Also, why can't you close with just the concrete foundation, because I know people in South Florida who just acid stain their foundation for a beautiful floor also.. Any suggestions would be welcome, as well as any other suggestions for our design appointment in reference to building an Iris.

Marcy and Bruce Snell

[jimbo2012]

Tile must be glued or installed in thin set.

Why would you spend all that money on base that can move, it could cause cracking and grout loosening up.

THe right way to do ANY floor is to first do a moisture content test on the concrete, I bet these guys don't do it, it takes 60-72 hours to run that test, ask me how I know....I'm doing it right now.

To be blunt, if these guys do it like that they are not true pros IMO.

U get to bare concrete and spend 3-400 dollars for the thin set or moisture barrier glue according to the results of the moisture content test.

Real pros know this........it's your money and choice.

[SpicyCajunPugs]

Tile must be glued or installed in thin set.

Why would you spend all that money on base that can move, it could cause cracking and grout loosening up.

THe right way to do ANY floor is to first do a moisture content test on the concrete, I bet these guys don't do it, it takes 60-72 hours to run that test, ask me how I know....I'm doing it right now.

To be blunt, if these guys do it like that they are not true pros IMO.

U get to bare concrete and spend 3-400 dollars for the thin set or moisture barrier glue according to the results of the moisture content test.

Real pros know this........it's your money and choice.

Hi Jimbo, I believe it is because we want to put tile in right away, just like people who put select tile to be installed with the new build, and there is no way you can put tile directly on the new concrete as the danger of the settling of the concrete cracking the tile/grout. An underlayment is needed to help prevent that. Otherwise, we would have to wait several months to over a year for the concrete to be safe to lay tile on, depending on the moisture test you are speaking of.

[jimbo2012]

THat's fine but that's not the underlayment the builder or real pros use.

If you want to do it right use ECB, http://www.tools4flooring.com/media/catalog/product/cache/4/image/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/n/a/nac-ecb.jpg

The first Elastomeric Crack Bridging membrane ever available, ECB is the original fast track solution for sameday tile setting. ECB handles up to 3/8" lateral substrate movement. 3' x 50' rolls for full floor coverage and soft joint relocation.