Online, I bought two tiles from Southcypress.com - what I also liked about their website is that you can sort by price --- so you aren't even TEMPTED by ideas that you don't want to spend on. Great service, too.

However, no matter where you go online, colors do NOT remotely match the actual visual. And you do have to pay for shipping tile samples to you, no matter any of the online sites. (On the up side, I now have a good selection of trivets....)

I'd find something in your area you can drive to. See if you can pick up loaner samples and take them home.

Tile is by far the cheapest part. It’s the expert talented labor that is expensive! The difference in a $10 a square tile and a $20 a square tile will be small in a small room like a bathroom, or a kitchen backsplash. It’s the difference in a $1500 backsplash and an $1800 backsplash.

Don’t limit yourself to “bargains”. It doesn't end up making much of a difference in the overall price of the job. And you may miss out on something really special!

That being said, clearance specials from name places like Susan Jablon can be the sparkle that your project may be looking for. Never buy from the seconds or overstock retailers though. Not unless it is a first quality overstock, and there is more than enough to do the job. You can’t get more.

Local flooring stores, or plumbing stores, or lumber stores, are always your best bet for the items that you need the most quantity. You get to see them exactly. And you get to develop that relationship with an account manager.

My advice is to shop a lot of places....the bargain ones like Floor and Decor, Home Depot, Lowes, etc...and the high end ones like Ann Sacks, Waterworks, Walker Zanger, plus a ton of online ones. What you may find is the bargain places might have something very similar to the specialty ones that are close enough. We had a large mudroom and laundry room area where I couldn't afford $$ / square foot. My interior designer found us a large 12x18" gray porcelain tile for $10/ft. It was nice, but I found a similar tile at Floor and Decor for $1.29/ft. She also found us a cute vintage hexagon/dot tile at Daltile for $6.99/ft for our guest bathroom. I found the exact same tile from Daltile at Home Depot for $2/sq. foot.

I'm still on the hunt for the perfect kitchen backsplash tile and will splurge if needed because I know it will be highly visible and can make or break the kitchen.

Just remember that the labor price goes up to deal with the out of square, warped, and incorrectly spaced mesh mounted tile. Box stores are notorious for having a very high cull rate. Many tile installers will refuse the poor quality tile from those sources. Proceed with caution! A bargain that ends up costing you 2x on labor is not a bargain!

Also, you have to have an overall design plan from the beginning. And don’t even look at cool stuff that does not fit your design plan.

I would suggest you don't skimp on your tile. We skimped on the tile in the master shower and the secondary bath tub surround (I think my DH got the tile at Home Depot) and it really shows. There would have only been a difference of $500.00 - $1,000.00 or so to get some really nice tile which might seem like a lot, but when your spending hundreds of thousands of dollars, it's a drop in the bucket. I think you get a lot of bang for your buck when using nice tile.

No reputable installer just shows up and installs. They want to be involved in inspecting the work that happens before the install, and the materials selections. Most have a list of approved suppliers that you can choose from. For a reason. Terrible quality tile is a pain to work with.

Using cheap materials won’t really add up to any significant savings when building. You’ll be darn lucky to see a 1% price reduction from choosing cheap tile. In fact, you may end up outsmarting yourself and send the labor through the roof when it takes twice the time to deal with the problems it causes.

You’ll see better cost controls from hiring the best framing crew that can be found and not stinting on the lumber quality.

Do you have a GC/designer involved in your build?

Mention him/her in any high end tile shop you enter into..30% contractor/designer discount is kinda "build in" in their pricing.

The service will be better (choosing, customizing if needed, shipping, handling, etc, )and if things go wrong in some way-ordering more tile for addressing issues/rectifying mistakes will also go more smoothly. In my experience. They'll try to expedite things, and in general will be more knowleadgeable, invested, etc. Depends on one's luck of course. But I always prefer smaller shops that specialize in X. They know better what they sell. From what I observed.

(our issues we ran into, were, mostly-framing and especially drywall guys..))

our tilers kinda disliked them a lot

they also made a mistake once..well one of them. Luckily we caught it on time..

Bologna, a tile is a tile. You just need to figure out where / how to get it. I remember walking many years ago into a Daltile shop been quoted $8.99/ft; telling nice lady what exactly she can do with the estimate. She immediately tells me that the Daltile Corp can not just give a discount to some contractor on the first business... So I contacted a <...> with the same Daltime #s. $1.69/ft at wholesale. Overtime we purchased countless high end tiles.... It is just not a good idea to mention in the public forum....

All tile places have good discounts.... especially for high end tiles. You do not have to pay top $$ to get it. Not be afraid to ask and if place does not want your business ... 100s others will. I never satisfied with only KD discount. Place should give me more than [KD] some under-qualified stay home mom, with some silly accreditation.

I'm all about the bargains.

I've been looking for bathroom tile and the best price I've seen for what I want looks to be here: www.marbleonline.com/. I've also bought other people's leftovers on craigslist or found closeout deals at the big box stores.

For appliances, I find the best prices and then call the family owned place near me (I've bought all of my appliances from them) and then ask them to come in under that. It's saved me at least $800 and their customer service is great.

I love ebay for finding deals on light and plumbing fixtures. Lampsplusopenbox.com is also good.

For paint I buy untinted cans when Sherwin Williams has 40% off, then go back when I know what color I want.

Tile is not tike. And you can’t buy stuff like this and have expectations of anything but being told to trash it in the dump.

Otherwise, you end up with jobs like this. A good installer can only overcome so much, and will never give you a warranty unless they supply the tile. This is is the consequences of buying awful tile and not looking for the right Tile Professional. This is what cheap tile and a “tile guy” give you. https://www.ceramictilefoundation.org/homeowners-guide-to-hiring-qualified-tile-installer

There are some great ideas here! Kaylie, I love the idea of buying the paint when it's on sale in white. That's genius!

Ok guys - I'm not talking buying junk! I'm asking where you've found awesome deals on great products.

For example, I have a local stone shop where they have fabricators there. I've been able to go in and pick out remnants from their yard and save a HUGE bundle on my recent bathroom makeover.

For a kitchen reno I found an AMAZING Bertazzoni range being sold at a deep discount by a family appliance store a few hours away because it wasn't moving. Still had the warranty!

I also bought the vanities I absolutely loved from overstock.com. I checked the brand quality and reveiws and my contractor was amazed at the price I paid.

I found that a professional I worked with had a deep discount with Interceramic Tile for some reason. I was impressed with their quality for the price and went to their showroom to pick out all things IC for the reno too.

Right now I have found a company that has a kitchen full of Ultracraft cabinets still in the box they are selling at a deep discount. Change in customer order? Wrong paint color? Who cares! If I can make it fit my design, I like the cabinets and the quality is good, I may go ahead and buy them and store them in my garage for the huge price savings.

I'm from back in the day when the forum was gardenweb and there weren't so many retailers and 'professionals' scanning all the forums. I understand you guys want to make a profit, but there's no harm in buying quality at a deep discount if you can - or buying a lower quality product if it's all you can afford... just my two cents.

artemis! I love being able to sort by price. You just get me.

pngntx, I get you too, believe me..almost all our lights are vintage..appliances-open box etc..furniture-I'd say third of it is second hand..two vanities out of three-craigslisted for a song..my beloved marble in the master bath-very cheap remnant, stumbled upon it in a small shop..etcetera

it takes a lot of time and legwork, yes

and a bit of risk..say my vintage pendant(one of a pair) broke..twice..can't find the same for the life of me.

and sometimes tweaking

and some things, you invest in them more, because you value them more, or your needs dictate it, or the house does

and some things, you care less about, for this or that reason. you just need them well, to work, and not to be offensive, and be consistent more or less with your concept

so it is about your need, priorities and well, hunt

I'm a tile person, and the house and me wanted handmade (because I don't like handmade look..I like either real deal, or simple and not handmade..in short I like authenticity) ,and I wanted ..no I had to want non-slippery..and it's Spanish Ranch so textured porcelaine didn't cut it-the look was too contemporary. Had to find tiles that would have the character supportive of the house AND customize them so they'd be even less slippery. No it wasn't SO expensive. No dirt cheap either. But affordable. But two hours drive to that shop, and two hours drive back.

And other folks, they might have other needs and priorities. Or less time. Or they want to be sure they can return stuff easily. Etc.

and this hunt thing is often local. even stores of same chain..they can vary reatly in selection and service. Even in our area-we have one Lowe's that I like much better than 3 other Lowe's in the vicinity. But took many months to discover it..somehow.

I think shopping local is the key in a lot of cases, and also checking back frequently at favorite stores, whether it's online or local.

We wanted plain white ceiling fans with no light fixtures, and found at Lowe's boxes of two-pack contractor specials for about $80 on clearance. We bought all the boxes they had (3 or 4), and even put a fan on our back porch which is lovely in the summer.

My husband is a builder and we built our own house, so I was in charge of sourcing most things, complicated by the fact that we live in rural western Canada. I found a great online source in BC for Toto toilets at a great price, and the nicest AND cheapest register covers came from Walmart Canada online (go figure lol).

What also worked for us was buying things on sale when we saw them, even if it was long before we needed them for the actual build, so if you have some place to store items that helps. We did this with the ceiling fans, and also with two Ikea Domsjo sinks which I knew we wanted; I bought them seven years before we needed them -- my husband thought I was nuts, but I was worried that by the time we were ready for them, Ikea would discontinue them (which is what happened, oy) -- and of course then the challenge was remembering where we put them!

"...Place should give me more than [KD] some under-qualified stay home mom, with some silly accreditation..."

Yikes. A bit harsh!

I have all the handmade cream coloured subway tile I ordered for our kitchen backsplash then changed my mind (hey, it's my right), then I have enough Daltile white 6x6 to tile a small bathroom b/c the tile guys brought over someone else's tile and then forgot to come back and get it. I also have several boxes of oversized white Daltile subways that were leftover from our backsplash (seems when insurance is paying they aren't as careful about how much extra they order). There's just a few square feet of lovely yellow penny tile - I think I ordered a box so I could make a design in the middle of the bathroom floor then changed my mind. There is probably more, I've just lost track.

My DH would probably pay you to come haul them all out of our basement, but even as I'm typing this, I'm thinking (with typical hoarder mentality) ... "but, what if I really need it next year".

beckysharp - That's really what I'm doing too. I grew up in a house full of contractors and builders so I'm more hands on than most. I found that GCs got frustrated by me sourcing things so this time we are working with a company that will basically help us be the GC and help educate us (monthly classes, etc) and provide resources and estimates but I'm over here overwhelmed at ALL the purchases that will be made. I might as well go rent a storage unit now!

daisychain - HAHAHAHA! That's totally me! I have some extra tile from my shower and some grey penny tile...and even the soapstone sample I keep from 8 years ago because (don't judge me) it's perfect to thaw frozen meat on!

Kaylie - so it's not just ME? Oy. Hahaha - I appreciate professional advice when I seek it out, but having people constantly belittle ideas in the name of a degree is so frustrating. I'm still going to like what I like and I'm not going to go into debt to appear in an magazine. :P

Oh - BTW - Bertazzoni actually DID contact me to feature my DIY kitchen in a magazine ad and sent me an awesome embroidered apron from Italy, so I guess I managed ok. ;)

Oh, I just remembered. We wanted hardwired towel warmers in the bathrooms, and found the brand we wanted, Warmly Yours, at the best price at Costco Canada online, without needing a membership.

A lot of the things we wanted for our house -- the towel warmers, BlueStar range, several Currey & Co. light fixtures (Wayfair Canada), Toto toilets, cedar shakes, etc. -- were beyond what are usually sourced by my husband, electricians, plumbers etc. in our area. In great part because Home Depot, Rona (now Lowes), Home Hardware etc. -- either 40 minutes away in the small city or 2 hours away in the big city -- are the default for most items.

I used to volunteer at our local ReStore :)

It's always fun to see the awesome stuff coming in for sure.

I think, being in the San Antonio area and LOVING all the beautiful colors in the talavera I might go with a very subdued backsplash and hit the mercado downtown to find some awesome accent tile for behind the cooktop.

So many fun choices to make, so MUCH time I have to obsess about it!

This is a great thread. I've been a member here when it was THS, under a different name. I do love the designer input, but there is a bit less of the ol' 'Look what I managed to do on my small budget" kind of posts.

For example, I did a search using the House filters for small, low budget bathroom pics. Most were useless and probably from showrooms. One pic had a beautiful, carved green marble (or something) sink (the ones on top of the counter that children can't use and that are difficult to get your hands into to wash them). Totally gorgeous, but not low budget by any means...

It would be great to see some pics of what a designer or whatever achieved with an actual suburban kitchen or bathroom on a limited budget. It would be more helpful to people here and, quite frankly, it would show off how clever they really are!

It would be great to see some pics of what a designer or whatever achieved with an actual suburban kitchen or bathroom on a limited budget. It would be more helpful to people here and, quite frankly, it would show off how clever they really are!

The GW Finished Kitchens blog is no longer being updated, but has some very good information and inspiration from the GW heydays,

http://finishedkitchens.blogspot.com/

It would be great to see some pics of what a designer or whatever achieved with an actual suburban kitchen or bathroom on a limited budget. It would be more helpful to people here and, quite frankly, it would show off how clever they really are!

I could not agree more with this statement. I love seeing the $150k inspiration kitchens, it's great to get ideas and color schemes from those. But I find the more realistic budget remodels are the ones that make me think, "This is doable ..." It's the difference between thinking "That's very nice" and thinking "I could have a version of that in my home".

Actually, plenty of inspiration here, with some beautiful kitchens and smart solutions. Either new ones, or updating the old. They're just not consolidated together..they'd be in individual thread about reveals, or personal ideabooks. I don't remember all the users whose kitchens made a deep impression on me (I mean of more modest budget, or size, or..) but off the top of my head..jnmarie, with her working with oak cabinets in a brilliant way..ilikefriday who's working on updating her kitchen into some smashing work of art right now as we speak..a user from California (maybe caligirl but I'm not sure because there are several nicknames thart contain "Cali" and "Girl"..somebody, help me here)) who went with a vintage character of her totally charming home..Anglophilia who is a professional designer, and installed a very elegant and incredibly functional kitchen while reusing some materials, thus saving a lot on the final costs..somebody who had this genious idea of glass front cabinet (I suppose half width) over the over the stove microwave..I was so striken with it, because it seemed so airy-and I'd never think of it myself...the list goes on and on..

One just needs to follow and check threads themselves..it won't appear under inspiration photos of Houzz. There, pros advertize their jobs, mostly. Or it can be somebody's famous kitchen.

but if you want inspiration from users..you either follow their process if they shared one, or look at their reveal, or sometimes they post their kitchens in all sorts of threads.

I usually bookmark /save threads I love..then I have a problem to find it...)) I've too many bookmarks.