? for Bill V re 3 x 6 White Subway Tile

16 years ago

Bill,

Hello....Is there any appreciable difference between basic white 3 x 6 subway tile from Home Depot (Daltile at $2.58 sq/ft less 20%)and the same from a tile showroom at $3.75 sq ft?

I am looking at the subway tile for three bathrooms showers....Thank you in advance for your help......

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Comments (7)

sweeby
16 years ago
If the tiles look the same, the difference is about 50% on the price -- That's it!
Daltile makes a good-quality tile, and you'd be paying for the nicer showroom if that's the route you choose.

There are some other lines of subway tiles that are slightly different -- more handmade looking, or thicker, different colors, more trims. (Emser Classica comes to mind.) But if you're comparing basic to basic, save your money.
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bill_vincent
16 years ago
The difference is at one place you're not getting ripped off nearly as bad. There's no reason why Rittenhouse Square should be selling for over 2.00 a foot.
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It all depends on why that tile is cracked. if it's because of the mud bed behind it being cracked, thn that will have to be removed, as well, which means the whole thing comes down. Additionally, if you're trying to leave part of it up, and only replace some of the tile, you're going to have a tough, if not impossible, time matching up tile. White is one of the toughest colors to match. There are just too many variables that can influence the shade of white. Also, you can bet that the tile was, at one point, adhered to the mud bed. It was not stacked free-floating, away from the mud. My suggestion would be to take all the tile down, make sure the mud bed is still in good shape, and then install the whole wall. As for the mud cap at the top, I know for sure that both Daltile and American Olean carry mud cap pieces for their subway tile lines.
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We have an historic house and I can relate to your considerations. It's one thing to use a ubiquitous material, but not sure if you want it all over your house? And I can understand for resale value you wouldn't want it to look like you got a volume discount on the same exact type of tile. What we ended up doing was premium 3x6 white subway tiles in the tub and chair height walls in the main floor bath. In the secondary (finished basement) we did basic 6x6 white tiles in the shower, and beadboard wainscot on those walls. I feel the bathrooms compliment each other well and fit the period of our house without being exactly the same. We haven't done the kitchen (I've been scared off of renovating ever again ;) but if we do, I am considering either doing a sheet soapstone backsplash, or some green fireclay-type tiles. I would suggest you browse some local real estate listings and see if you can find any houses that match your level of renovation and sensitivity to historical materials. See what materials they've used coordinating throughout the houses. A lot of it is going to be region-specific. I love to attend open houses of 'time capsule' homes and see what they used. Around here in the 1920's era homes, there's generally a white bath on the main floor and a colored tile bath elsewhere. Kitchens have white subway tiles, but they have a bit of a different look, definitely more utilitarian. GL!
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You don't have to worry about the water "leaking through" since grout and tile are not waterproof anyways -- the waterproofing magic actually happens behind it, which is why everyone on bathroom forums harps on "what waterproofing was used". The grout just serves the purpose of binding the tile surface together for sturdiness and for easier cleaning. You can make your joints whatever size you'd like; for what it's worth, I used the Daltile subways with lugs about 13 years ago and they have held up just fine; I liked the aesthetics of the thinner joint. You will probably want the spacers on hand anyways, there are always little placement situations where the spacers come in handy even if you're largely depending on the lugs. ETA: oh, I see you're also asking about the Daltile variations in quality that might lead to the lugs being uneven themselves. It's a cheaper tile, so we found that there will be the occasional wonky one, but precisely because they're so cheap, you can sort those out pretty easily without losing a lot of cash. I wouldn't be too concerned about this.
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plants4
16 years ago
So....does Daltile sell its Rittenhouse Square for a higher price than other locations, such as HD? Because that is my impression based on the price Daltile told me and the posts above! It seems odd that it could cost more when you go to their warehouse to pick it up!
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bill_vincent
16 years ago
Daltile will not sell to anyone other than contractors with accounts at Dal. They're not a retail showroom, and no-- They're much cheaper than HD.
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deb_2007
16 years ago
I ran into the same problem sweeby and thanks to bill and mongo,I went with the Rittenhouse at HD. The tile is in but I haven't picked it up yet, but amazed at the price differen from a tile showroom and HD. Thanks again bill and mango
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oruboris
16 years ago
Ah, the return of 'Mango'...

It's either very macho or very fruity.
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caligirl_cottage
16 years ago
What I did was wait for a "special order sale" at HD and ordered my Rittenhouse then, so I got a 10% discount. That only works of course if you don't need it right away and it's still a special order item...
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? for Bill V re 3 x 6 White Subway Tile

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