Response from Quality Tile Inc
I received a call on March 26th from our client and I went out to their home two days later to take a look at the tile floor that was coming apart in their kitchen and dining room areas. It had been installed improperly directly over plywood and it continued into the foyer area as well. They asked that I give them a free estimate to repair the kitchen area only and blend into the improperly installed tile that continued into the foyer as it received less traffic and was not coming apart yet although was headed for the same fate as the rest of the tile floor that was in the kitchen. The tile was discontinued but I brought in many samples from my truck and we found a very close match. We talked about many options as to how we could make the kitchen look uniform and still blend up to the ill-fated tile that was in the foyer. One way was to put in a two-sided handicap threshold between the two areas making it look like a natural transition and once the foyer tile started coming up at a later date it could be changed out and not affect the new tile in the kitchen. We also discussed the discoloration of the grout that they were experiencing and how to prevent that by using a premium "Power Grout" for the new tile installation. Upon seeing my Angie's list review from our clients for the work I had not performed I decided to call our clients to see how I could have better served them. The client informed me he had four quotes. The first quote was $4,086.00. The second quote was mine at $3,887.43. The third quote was $3,455.00 and the fourth quote was a low ball quote for $2,400.00. There were many ways and approaches to go about installing the new tile so that it would be a durable lifetime installation and blend into the old tile in the foyer and have it still be pleasing to the eye. There is a right way and a wrong way to install tile to make it last. One way would be to knock off the old tile and stick the new tile right back to the same wood and that of course would be an easy inexpensive application but would not last very long and would be a totally unacceptable installation for my company to perform. Another method would be to simply nail backer board to the floor after tearing up the quarter inch sub floor and then install tile over that with no two-sided handicap threshold for the transition, no "Power Grout" and no sealers and then just butt the new tile that doesn't match up the old tile offering no extras whatsoever to ensure a solid and aesthetically pleasing application. This is the method the client chose to have performed in his home. There are several problems with this application. To name a few the tile is sure to crack between the new tile in the kitchen if it was properly installed to the old improperly installed tile in the foyer as the transition did not fall on a grout joint. The client told me there had been no premium "Power grout" installed which of course is more expensive to purchase and more labor intensive to install. Unless the client seals the grout himself and does it properly the grout will become permanently stained after the first spill of coffee or fruit juice. The client also indicated that the contractor simply nailed the backer board to the floor without using the proper screws which could cause the tile once again to become unstable and crack in the future if the nails ever start to work their way out during the natural expansion and contraction of the home during the weather change cycles especially like the winter we had last year. Hopefully the contractor that he hired left him with a good size care package including plenty of field tile and grout that was used. He will definitely need it as soon as the tile starts to come apart at the connection from the kitchen tile to the foyer tile and possibly in the future if his floor starts coming apart again do to the improperly fastened backer board. If the new tile he purchased for the kitchen installation becomes discontinued in just a few years or less he could be faced with the same problem he just paid to have taken care of. The installation methods and materials we were proposing to use are considerably more expensive than the method that was ultimately used. There a big swing in the cost of using quality materials even right down to the thin set used to mount the tile and backer board. The proper thin set can cost 150% more than the cheap thin set but has a much higher shear strength which is critical especially when installing porcelain tile. Although it cost more initially the long term outcome can cost substantially less and an improper installation can devalue your home. It's important to investigate the contractors you're dealing with and not just look to the lowest price. There are many ways for a contractor to cut corners and skip important steps thereby being able to charge a very cheap price. The client told me the name of the contractor they used but I didn't recognize them so I don't know if they were licensed or not however it's important that your contractor is fully licensed and insured and if they are not they are operating illegally. It's illegal for anyone to work on your home and collect more than $600 unless they are fully licensed. The cost to be a fully licensed and insured legitimate contractor prevents competing in price with those that are operating illegally. Ironically today I was continuing with my required schooling to maintain my two 20+ year State of Michigan license's as they are up for renewal again this year. The expense of the classes and of the cost of dual licenses is not cheap but the education is well worth it and the state requires licensing to protect the general public from unqualified and or unscrupulous individuals that may do substandard work or may defraud the client by simply taking their money and not doing any of the work at all. It gives all legitimate contractors a bad name when others don't follow the law with continued education and proper licensing. There is always the possibility that an licensed individual operating illegally could in fact do a fairly good job. But other questions arise such as, is there any type of guarantee since they're not licensed they are not held accountable to the state for the work performed. Although keep this in mind, you are not held accountable to pay them even after the work is completed if you choose not to. A licensed contractor is held liable by the state for all work done on any home for 18 months. The client also has the right to make a formal complaint against a licensed contractor to the state and it will be investigated and if the contractor is in the wrong his license could be in jeopardy. I suppose one could possibly save money by dealing with an unlicensed contractor operating illegally but I'm of the opinion it's just not worth the risk. I would encourage all members to ask the contractor to see their license and look at it to make sure it's up to date. Either way it's hard to respond to a review for giving the free service of analyzing somebody's problem caused by poor workmanship in the first place, then taking the time to come up with a solution to the problem and presenting a no cost free estimate for the repair only to receive a review stating that someone came in with a low ball price more than $1000.00 less then all three other contractors. The extreme disparity in pricing leads one to wonder why the one bid was dramatically much lower than all the others. As a legitimate legal licensed contractor it can be a bit frustrating to compete against unlicensed individuals operating illegally but then to have a negative review by a member based on price alone where no work has been performed can be disheartening. Either way it has been our extreme privilege to be of service to all Angie's list members who have chosen us to do their tile installation and given us a 100% "A" rating without exception and helped us to achieve the Super Service Award for 2013. We look forward to many more years of being able to serve our valued Angie's list members. Thanks so much for your interest in our company. May God bless you and your family.
