Flooring Tile - 18,000 sq ft

I HAVE SCRACHES ON THE BACK OF MY MIRROR THAT SHOWS
THROUGH ON THE FRONT THAT YOU LOOK AT. HOW CAN I GET
RID OF THESE SCRACHES? IS THERE A PAINT OR SPRAY THAT
YOU CAN GET TO PUT ON THE BACK SO YOU CANT SEE THE
SCRACHES WHEN YOU LOOK AT YOURSELF IN THE MIRROR?

hi folks,

i'm new to these forums, and i haven't taken the time to review all of the past posts and i hope this isnt' a redundant question:

i have some tile experience
a bathroom here and there and a few floors
nothing major or large-scale

but i have a lead on a big one
about 18,000 square feet of granite tile flooring

and i was wondering if anyone would care to help me figure the time factors of this work

national estimator software said 12x12 tiles go down at 1 sq. ft. per 0.146 hours
so that's 6.85 sq. ft. per hour
i'm thinking i could do better
but i guess i'm only thinking about layign tiles, not grouting and cleaning and whatnot

so i'll take that number and see that i'm looking at about 2630 manhours
i'd need a lot of extra tilers on this job
but i think i can amass the manpower

the main things i'm wondering
1. is granite a lot harder than ceramic?
i've heard horror stories, but i've been assured that this place has a level, flat substrate.
2. how many hours do you think this project would take.
3. am i completely nuts for considering this job?

thanks for reading and hopefully, replying

patrick

While installing granite tile does not require a certification, you should be an experienced, licensed and insured contractor to undertake a job of this size. You must be prepared to stand behind your work. Should anything go wrong with the installation, you will be the one who may be confronted with tile replacement and costs of reinstallation. Typically, tile installers present customers with documentation of licensure and insurance, pictures of previous jobs, list of references, and membership to professional tile association(s).

If your not expeirenced, and it sounds like your not, your in way over your head. Do you know how to prepare the subfloor? Do you understand ANSI requirements for stress fracture joints and the necessary expansion joints? Do you understand the different joint size requirements and time involved. All wet cuts. Do you have the ability to layout 18000ft? Can you afford to replace it all if something goes wrong? Probably, a quarter million dollars at minimum. That having been said, perhaps you can contract a tile contractor to do the work and take a 5-7% referral fee.