CERAMIC TILE CENTER

Great experience.

I was very happy with all aspects of this transaction. I got exactly the tile I wanted and the price was competitive with other vendors. The store is well organized and matching grout and caulk were in stock. I had to return the backerboard and they refunded that cost with no problems, I am having another tub enclosure tiled soon and I will be purchasing my tile from Ceramic Tile Center.

“None Better” If you want a one stop shopping experience for selecting tile, even if you aren’t completely sure about the design yet, these folks are like a tile search engine, they will help you select great tile at a good price, and have it at the store for you in no time. We needed tile for a shower/tub alcove and floor of the only bathroom in our century old Crafstman home, and wanted to find new materials that looked appropriate in our vintage setting. I had a mental picture of many vintage tile shapes and styles that would look good in this setting, but when I shopped Home Depot and Lowes the offerings were too generic to get excited about. One Contractor that bid the remodel job sent us to a Contractor’s Design store which had many high end items that would have worked for us, but were way too expensive, as much as 40 dollars a square foot. We tried to shop online, but could not find anything we had also seen in stores at any savings. Expensive and sight unseen was too much to risk for our only bathroom. We grew nervous about the lack of good choices, and even tried to buy from the Design store on our own, having gone with a different Contractor, but learned they don’t sell to the public. We also walked into Floor Traders, who say they have tile, but found zero product to even see before buying. Then I remembered a place I have been driving by for what seems like a couple decades, Ceramic Tile Center on Pacific Avenue S. near 90th street in Tacoma. I found their website www.tileit.com and could see from their store photos that they have loads of stock on hand for you to paw and peruse, and so we headed over. I wished at the time that I could have looked at images of their standard stock items from home, even selfies of the crew and the store’s Canine crew with the various types of product they offer would help an armchair planner like myself. But thankfully I went there, because you really need to stop by to understand what they offer. They know tile, and they know service. Each person who works there only does one thing for a living. Tile. Glass, stone, marble, ceramic, you name it, they have it, and what they don’t have they can get fast. They had lots of the products we had seen at the Design store but could not find elsewhere. They also know how to help with whatever comes up, the Counter man for example, laid tile for decades and I found our discussion very helpful. The owner Bob “gets it,” that service and price point are all that matters to folks. He gave us the benefit of his good taste, and helped with some selections, he was able to get us the 2 inch octagonal tile with the gray dot pattern for the floor, when all the big box stores only carry the black dot version or plain white, which was a choice between too frenetic and too bland. We feel like Goldilocks, who got the porridge that is “just right,” and at a price comparable to the other colors elsewhere. This selection made us feel comfortable to look here for glass tile for the shower fixture wall which is our accent wall, our expensive splash of “pop” in an otherwise subdued bathroom, and these folks helped us find white glass block in various width rectangles, by the sheet for about 15 bucks a square foot that looks great. We will also be buying our white subway tile for the remainder of the shower surround from these folks, as they also have all the matching pieces you need to trim it out with a bull nose edge on the top and sides. I made my selections on Tuesday, added to my order on Wednesday, it came into the shop Thursday and I picked it up Friday morning, when the owner himself loaded it into my trunk. At that time I also told the owner I was looking for a bullnosed product to trim the floor along the bottom edge of the bathroom walls, and the owner instantly handed me a great product, and told me to take a piece of it home to borrow and consider. Over those couple days of visiting the shop, I learned the owner is a proud parent along with his wife of a couple college aged daughters, and he is a devoted Dog Father to his beautiful Huskies that are the Shop Stewards. It’s nice to do business with a genuinely kind and decent fellow, who is keeping his profit margins reasonable, and focuses on servicing his customers. I drove a 40 mile radius for items needed in this bathroom remodel to other stores such as IKEA in Renton for a medicine cabinet, and knowing what I do now, I would recommend if you similarly live anywhere remotely near Tacoma, that you will be served best if you stroll in to Ceramic Tile Center, take a seat on a stool at the counter, and let the guys help you determine the products, and the quantities you need, it is truly easy to find what you want for a competitive price there. I will be back when it’s time for my kitchen remodel. Thanks Guys and Dogs!

unknown

Service was sale based not consumer-based, with quick suggestion, the store as disorganized, and sloopy with tiles, papers and sorted hardware piled for quick sale. A comment by one of the owners, could have been miscontrured of it's nature, and promised z9phone call) contact did not occur.

Except for the education issues as noted above it was pleasant and painless to plan and purchase tile for the Ceramic Tile Center. The staff remains incredibly patient as different combinations are planned and soon you will need a chair to look over the of the top of the pile of display boards. As with most time vendors, you can take their display boards home to check them in your room lighting. I would recommend anyone seeking tile for any reason check with the Ceramic Tile Center for help and purchase. While the store doesn't have the glitzy front, they make up for it with the warmth and service inside