Copper Pan vs. Rubber Membrane-Unsanded vs. sanded grout-Durock vs. HardyBoard Lowes and Home Depot? Ask Chris I Tile Excellence

Is your plumber insisting on using a copper pan for your shower but you remember reading that rubber membranes were not only much more economical, but lasted forever, and did not leak or rust? You can't remember the details, but you want to talk to the plumber and ask questions or insist on using a rubber membrane, but you need your facts.   "ask chris", the do-it-yourself,  and consumer friendly tile installation blog of Tile Excellence, Inc, is written and answered personally by owner Chris Lawson based on his 34 years experience. There are posts all about copper pans vs. rubber membranes.

Doing it yourself? Tile on top of wood? Durock vs. Hardyboard? Is the tile from the designer store necessary, or can he purchase nice tile at a discount store or at Home Depot?

Hired a contractor or tile installation company?  Is three days a long time for installing a backsplash? Is uneven marble floor installation "expected" as you are being told?

At Lowe's or Home Depot and have a question about a product or material? Do you need sanded or unsanded grout? Less expensive thin set, or the more expensive one the salesperson recommended?

His searchable blog allows you instant access to your questions, ask questions or follow his helpful links.

Need more or need immediate answers? Call him directly! You'll find his email and direct number on his site, and almost without exception, he'll answer the phone the first time you call!

backsplashes,tile installers and timelines

 Just the other day I had the experience of meeting someone who had a local tile man(to remain unnamed Who I know personally) replace 6 tiles in their kitchen. The homeowner  had already removed the old tile, then supplied the new tile. And even then this tile guy charged them $500 for the repair. Now I hear this all the time and understand that all folks value their time differently. But fair is fair and real is real And in my real world If I charged this kind of price for what I could do in one hour I really would have a hard time sleeping at night. Now I know that in this economy some guys need to get as much as they can for their work and it works for them
  In another instance  a customer from Peabody called me about his 30 sq ft glass back splash , I asked him a few questions gave him a list of materials and a $350 labor quote  right on the phone. He was immediately skeptical asked about my experience and checked my web site as we spoke. He booked the job with me on the spot after we agreed on the price and the day I could get there.After we had made the deal he shared with me the following;      The cheapest price he had gotten so far was $750
and everyone had said it would take 3 days. I had already committed to a day to complete his job and
to the $350 price and was very happy with the terms. When the day came to do his job the actual job took me the day to complete and now his customer referral is on my web site and a picture of his backslash as well.The short time it took me to do the job was in some ways due to 34 years of  tile experience  and also the quotes he received were based on time lines of  the installers involved. The value and time lines of all installers vary and they all have different ideas of how to do business. So your best bet when looking to get tile installed is to shop installers carefully and consider all factors before making a commitment .