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Hi,
We have about a 1200 sq ft home in Heredia, where my wife’s family lives and we want to change the ceramic floor. Someone came and bid it and the labor is not that bad, but the cost of the tiles is coming in around $1,500,000 colones or basically $2900. Does this sound about right? I guess tiles are pretty expensive down there. Here in the stated, you are looking at $1 – $3 a square ft. Has anyone done this recently? Depends on quality too i know.
Thanks
Steve
Steve, you are correct that the quality of tile you purchase has a major impact on price. And you must factor in the cement bed to lay the tile in and the grout, and you need to allow about ten percent for waste. If you’re going to do a tile baseboard (highly recommended), that’ll add to the cost, too.
All that said, you should be able to purchase very good quality tile for less than c6,000 per square meter. That computes to around $1.05US per square foot (hardly $2,900/1/200sf).
Three things to look for when shopping for tile:
First, be sure you’re buying first quality tile, unless you don’t care.
Second, the higher the PIE number, the harder (more durable and less likely to chip or wear through). A PIE number of 4 or 5 on a scale of 1 – 5 is most desirable. Some tiles are harder than a PIE 5.
Third, turn the tile over and dribble some water on it. Better quality tile will absorb the water more slowly because it’s denser.
And . . . A fourth consideration: While my Costa Rican friends are all enamoured of very shiny surfaced tile, I’m scared that it’s a slip hazzard. When we did our house recently, we only considered tile with a good rough surface for that reason. It’s a little harder to mop, but it’s easier than a hip replacement.
Thanks David!!!
So you think $1.05 a sq ft can get the #4 and #5, it’s actually about 1750 sq ft including the garage, so want to get the better/best quality. Can you recommend a place to go? Right now we have a white shiny surface and it shows the dirt and the slip factor is the other thing, + the darker once’s look better anyway. This is what the builder installed.
Thanks
Steve
One of my pet peeves about MultiPlaza in Escazu is the floor tiles. I can NOT believe that they have used the tiles they do because they are so incredibly slippery when wet and yes! It does rain from time to time here.
For older folks, one fall on that floor and you’re toast which may be why you never see old folks in there when it’s raining.
I can only assume that the exiting tiles are A: Reasonably priced and B: Easy to clean because they are certainly not safe to walk on when wet.
Scott Oliver – Founder
WeLoveCostaRica.comYou got that right, Scott. The MultiPlaza is a nightmare when the tiles are wet. I can relate to the maintenance issue, there and in homes, but the risks of a fall outweigh any benefits.
Steve, there are tile retailers all over the place. The problem is that nobody seems to carry anything that anybody else carries, so price shopping is all but impossible. And you have to act quickly. If there’s one truth about Costa Rica (regarding tile and anything else you buy), it is that whatever is in stock today won’t be tomorrow. So if you see something good, grab it!
All that said, the three places I’d start looking are Ferraloza in Tibas (my first choice) and the two places side-by-side on the south side of the autopista that runs between Santa Ana and Escazu. The latter two are on the autopista between the Forum in Santa Ana and the MultiPlaza exit.
On the other side of the same autopista, there’s the ConstruPlaza which may also have something of interest.
Ferraloza would be my first choice for price and selection. One of the two on the autopista is reasonably priced; the other has really beautiful stuff, but expensive. And ConstruPlaza can be a little pricy, too.
Dave
I should have added above that there is a product available in ferreterias and places that sell tile which, when added to the grout, is supposed to suppress the growth of mold and mildew permanently. We used it in our main house, but the tile’s only been down a few weeks so all I can say is that nothing bad has happened yet. I can’t say the name of this stuff, but the guys in the ferreteria will know what you’re asking for.
Edited on Feb 24, 2007 05:00
when we remodeled our home in Esterillos Oeste almost two years ago the tile was about $1200 for a little over a 1000 sq ft home. That included all of the prep materials, grout, and tile itself. The labor was part of the over all remodel, so this was just for the material. Even though a lot of building material has gone up about 20% in the last two years, tile is about the same. it sounds like maybe they are giving you what you think is a good price on the labor and basically jacking up the price of the tile. You might try what we did and simply get a list of all of the materials needed from the person you got the quote for the whole job from and then go and get your own price for the materials and then compare. What we found was our builder was adding sometimes 20% to 30% to our material prices. He wasn’t real happy when we started buying the materials our self, but it’s not an uncommon practice. On one hand you can’t blame them for wanting to make as much money as possible, but it doesn’t mean you have to play the game by their rules. What has started happening here on the coastal area is a lot of Tico’s are pricing themselves right out of work because of the “every Gringo is rich” attitude. One Tico builder here did a job for us at a reasonable price and then the next two quotes we got from him were rediculously outrageous. As much as 3 and 4 times what the cost should be. He tried the same type of quotes with several other people and has not worked in almost a year, other than odd jobs. He could have built two or three more homes for people in that time period. I guess the mentality here just does not allow them to realize the difference between the hopes of making the one big score instead of being reasonable and then in the end being left holding nothing in your hand.
Scott, Speaking of tile floors, I remember a thread about what to have your maid use to clean your tile floors. Did you ever have her try the vinegar and water? Just curious to see how it worked.
Bad day to talk to me about maids… Fired one today. This one was bloody awful at everything.
I have had a couple of great maids here but one got pregnant (nothing to do with me) and the other had problems with her daughter and had to stop working to take care of her.
Vinegar & water is also great mix to remove dog stains/odor from floors…
The ‘Maids’ topic is on my ‘Articles To Do’ list.
Scott Oliver – Founder
WeLoveCostaRica.comWhile my Costa Rican friends are all enamoured of very shiny surfaced tile, I’m scared that it’s a slip hazzard. When we did our house recently, we only considered tile with a good rough surface for that reason. It’s a little harder to mop, but it’s easier than a hip replacement.
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Did you use a penetrating sealer on your new floor? Thanks
… so want to get the better/best quality.
Just a thought… if you really want the “best” then you might want to look for porcelain (here called porcelana or porcelenata) rather than ceramic tiles. They’re harder and more durable than any ceramic tile and they’re non-slip.
They are also more expensive.Another thought: I always urge my clients to choose 20″ or larger tiles. This is a great design trick to making your square footage seem much larger. Try a creamy travertine-style tile and choose a grout in the “mid-range” of the tile color.
Also use this size on vertical surfaces for the same effect. When using this size tile on bathroom vanities, I call for a 20″ tile with a 2″ “cut” at the rear of the countertop and another 2″ cut for the vertical drop to finish the work.
And having a slick tile floor is like living on a “Slip N’ Slide”….ever seen a dog trying to get traction on one of these floors!!!!
Have you ever had experience with a ceramic tile that needs a penetrating sealer? I have this type of tile and I need some advice regarding this. Can I purchase this sealer in Costa Rica? Where? and what is the brand? Aquamix is a good one in the US, but is it available in Costa Rica?
ThanksMy understanding of penetrating sealers is that they are for the joint filler or grout. They seal the joints to prevent staining. When they are applied they penetrate the porosity of the cement joint and evaporate from the tile surface. I am assuming that the tile is glazed or porcelain unglazed. If it is more of a Mexican saltillo then it must be sealed with an entirely different material. It is also set differently in most cases.
I did some research on the Aquamix website. I do not have true saltillo tiles, but I do believe that need to be sealed, because when I damp mop them, they absorb water. I want to buy a penetrating sealer (like Aquamix) and apply with a sponge. I hope to be able to buy a product in Costa Rica, so I don’t have to transport 3-4 gal. from the States. Any ideas? Thank you for your response.
sounds like a clay tile like a quarry tile that you might find in a fast food restaurant. They are some what porous (compared to porcelain especially) but really should not stain. If you apply the penetrating sealer (any grout/joint filler company makes or brands one) It will provide some ease of cleaning and especially project the joints. It may also slightly darken the color. These sealers are very viscous (thin) and a gallon goes a long way 800 – 1600 sf/gal.
One would think that a tile store in SJ would have this.
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