Tile shown: Wave
An upcharge is an additional fee that is added to a bill after a contract has already been negotiated. Upcharges are common when installing handmade tile due to the complexity of the installation. When choosing your tile installer you should always have them visually inspect the job site, allowing them to figure out any variables that may occur during installation. You should also let them know what type of tile you are using–shape, size, pattern etc...This will give the installer a better sense of how to bid the job, and in return you will receive a more accurate quote of what the installation will actually cost. However installing tile is hard, and handmade tile takes a lot of care and patience, so even though you decided on a price with your installer, keep in mind that you still may face more upcharges than you expected. Here are a few reasons why an installer may upcharge when it comes to our tile.
A complex job site
If there is a lot of prep to be done before installing the actual tile, your installer may increase the rate. For example, if there is work to be done leveling a surface, adding complicated substrate, or if there are difficult architectural details to work around–These are just a few complications that may increase your overall installation costs.
Mixing materials
If you're installing different materials together this may create more work for your tile installer. For example, if you mix our Tile and Glass together, your installer will have to make special cuts to make the two materials fit together. Always let you installer know if you have specified two different materials to be used on one surface, and make sure you are in agreement on about how much the installation will cost before starting the job.
The shape and pattern of the tile
The shape of the tile and the pattern you choose also affect installation. For example, a classic 3 x 6 subway tile installation will be much more simple to install than our Chaine Homme shape which intricately fits together. As a rule of thumb, our specialty shapes will require more labor because the shapes are more complex. However if you choose a field tile in a more intricate layout such as a herringbone pattern, your installer may upcharge for this as well.
The size of the tile
The size of the tile you specify will also effect your installation costs. Smaller sizes usually cost less to install than larger tile sizes. For example, a 2 x 2 tile is much lighter than a 12 x 12, making the installation less complex.
Tile shown: Wave; Design by Ronan O'Dea Construction
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