Daltile vs American Olean

12 years ago

My bathroom is 6'x 11' so I'm gonna need a large amount of tile. I want a 2" white hex floor tile and 3" x 6" white subway on the walls. I've been looking for over a year and no regular tile line out there has the accent color I want so I might be custom ordering from Waterworks a more expensive color liner and accent tile. So does Daltile have an advantage over American Olean or do I go strictly on price? Does Lowe's have the same quality AO as going to the AO showroom? Will I save more shopping online or do I help by using my money at a local store? Thanks!

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guy_tile_yahoo_com

12 years ago

Actually there is a lot of bad information on this site... Which is understandable as there are only about 10 billion flooring options on the market.

AO and Daltile's subway tile is made at the same mill. I even had to call the mill checking on AO subway tile for a customer once and the person answered the phone "Daltile". Both AO and Daltile are part of the Mohawk name brand and I have been told by my distributor that AO and Daltile subway tile are actually the same exact product. After looking at samples of both, I would have to say they do look the same.

Lowes and Home Depot sale SOME of the same tile that you will find at your local dealers. While manufacturers do make some extremely low quality tile for HD and Lowes, HD and Lowes also like to rename things. So sometimes if you find it at Lowes or HD you can find the same product elsewhere at your local tile store under a different name.

Buying tile online - the truth. There are companies online that sell flooring products. Depending on the size of your order, and the company with which you are looking at, it may not be cost effective. While there are not many good online companies, there are some out there that will save you hundreds if not thousands of dollars off of your local prices. I buy from only one online dealer and I save a good bit even though I buy direct from the manufacturer. I then sell that material to my customer for profit even though they could have bought online for the same price I did. But then again, if I didn't buy from the online guy I would be out of business. I have never heard of an online company requiring you to have a fork lift before... I've had several dropped off to my customers' curbside no problem.

The particular company I buy from online actually has told me they sell tile to HD and Lowes a lot. People go into HD or Lowes, place an order for their tile, HD or Lowes then goes and buys it from this online company, and then resales it to the customer. Kind of funny how that works sometimes, but then if I am getting better pricing from them than my local guy I guess HD and Lowes is in the same boat.

The best bet is to CALL the online company and talk to them. Read their reviews... Check their BBB rating. Make sure they are selling first grade material AND that warranties are offered with their products. A LOT of online companies don't get warranties with their products, I know of only ONE which does and that is the one I buy from. If they don't have 3rd party reviews, a good rating with the BBB, or they are not willing to answer your call or return it, then I would suggest not doing business with them. I'm not giving away where I shop as I don't want my customers knowing where I buy my material, but I promise you there are good companies out there.

Comments (6)

cangelmd
12 years ago
I shopped hard for tile online before and the shipping killed the price advantage. Onnline was still a little less expensive, but not worth the hassle of delivery (you needed a fork lift to accept delivery, and had to have a place to store a pallet of tile)

A small online order might be different
bill_vincent
12 years ago
Dal and AO are owned by the same parent company, and basically put out the same product. As for AO at Lowes vs a show room or distributor-- no difference..... except maybe a lower price.
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EnolaEagle
12 years ago
Ive noticed that Dal Tile is a little better as far as squareness and quality but the price is usually higher... Some of the Dal and AO lines at the box stores are unavailable through the suppliers because they are run off the mill on a separate production line specifically for box stores and the quality is less to be desired because of being made for dirt cheap prices.

Todd Stull
Enola, PA
bill_vincent
12 years ago
Todd-- If you get AO or Dal subway tile from HD or Loqwes, It's the very same tile, run off the very same productiuon line as the tile you'll get from your local Dal warehouse, or a showroom. The same can be said for all lines available from both places.
bill_vincent
12 years ago
Excellent post. Except for the info on the BBB. I know of good companies that have poor ratings with the BBB because they refust to pay the listing fee. I also know of crappy companies that have a AAA rating because they DID list with them..... including Al Queda. No joke. (I don't know if it's still there, but it was about 2 months ago)

Daltile vs American Olean

guy_tile_yahoo_com

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