Flooring Tile - Cheap Lowes Ceramic Floor Tile
Doityourself.com community forum was created to provide answers to all questions related to home improvement and home repair. Doityourself community can help you find information about how-to topics on small fixes to large remodeling projects. With comprehensive how-to content and expertly moderated community forums DoItYourself.com makes it easy to tackle even the most complex home improvement projects.View Full Version : Cheap Lowes Ceramic Floor Tile
N74TG
06-08-06, 07:29 PM
Anybody got anything good or bad to say about the cheap floor tile Lowes has on sale right now for .79 per sq ft. The only color my store has is Texas Beige and it doesn't look half bad at all.
Tileguybob
06-09-06, 03:59 PM
There is usually variation in the sizing and thickness of those tiles but if you can live with that, go for it. If you are paying to have them installed expect to pay extra for the aggravation the installer will endure trying to keep them level and the grout lines even. Buy all you will need and then some as you will never find them again, its proabably a close out sale for something thats not being made anymore.
twelvepole
06-11-06, 12:45 PM
Also, make sure glaze is kiln fired.
Bud Cline
06-12-06, 04:35 PM
ALL commercially available glazed ceramic tiles that I have seen in the last thirty years have had the glaze fired. That's how it's done!:thinker:
Tilebri
06-12-06, 09:57 PM
Also, make sure glaze is kiln firedI've been enlightened. I always thought it was cooked in an oven along side baked hams. A kiln, huh. Sounds like a good idea. N74TG, being they're heated that hot, make sure you wear oven mitts.
You will find all those things Bob mentioned. You'll also find more cupped tile, fish eyes or pocks in the glazing, perhaps little bumps on them, etc. Per standards, tile boxes can contain about a 9% flaw rate. You will be much closer to that rate with the low price cheapos. If you look real closely, cheaper tiles have a pixelated look to the coloring in the glaze. Big boxes will buy up all of a particular tile to offer at those pecial prices. There one time runs and when they are gone, that's it. Keep a good reserve.
The size variation can be worked around by gridding the floor with a chalkline. Spacers accentuate those size variations and leave you with wavy groutlines. Don't waste time with spacers. There are great instructions on floor gridding with chalklines at www.floorstransformed.com. Click the "ow to" link and scroll down to "layout"
You will find all those things Bob mentioned. You'll also find more cupped tile, fish eyes or pocks in the glazing, perhaps little bumps on them, etc. Per standards, tile boxes can contain about a 9% flaw rate. You will be much closer to that rate with the low price cheapos. If you look real closely, cheaper tiles have a pixelated look to the coloring in the glaze. Big boxes will buy up all of a particular tile to offer at those pecial prices. There one time runs and when they are gone, that's it. Keep a good reserve.
The size variation can be worked around by gridding the floor with a chalkline. Spacers accentuate those size variations and leave you with wavy groutlines. Don't waste time with spacers. There are great instructions on floor gridding with chalklines at www.floorstransformed.com. Click the "ow to" link and scroll down to "layout"