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One certain fact about brand in the tile industry is if you ask consumers
who pay for the tile that goes into their homes or the building owners
who do the same, it is an unusual event to have anyone name a brand
in this business.
To the contractor who installs the product,
they can have some brand preference, based
upon many factors:
Consider that a lot of contractors shop
at locations where anywhere from 20 to
40 brands can be seen within the same four
walls. A lot of very successful tile stores
and supply houses display tiles placed
on sample boards and displays with many
brands mixed on one example. It isn’t
about retaining brand; it’s about
the look of the products as they go together,
colors and trends.
Contractors place strong emphasis on service
issues.
Their likes or dislikes of installing
the product, location of the store selling
the product and the availability of the
brands of adhesives and grouts they want,
tools they like.
Do the contractors like or dislike the
sales people at the location, and their
ability to work with their customers?
Credit policies, and how the store handles
problems like delayed shipments or installation
issues.
The selection of product stocked at a
particular location will contribute to
overall satisfaction with a store selling
the tile. Will the contractors customer
find what satisfies the need of the project?
Do these customers, with they help of the
stores employees select products that are
suited properly for the area they are to
be installed in? Are the right trim pieces
available.
The contractor places a lot of loyalty
on the stores ability to get the tile when
they need it, or when it is promised. Most
contractors schedule their jobs so as to
maximize their profits. Reliability is
key to keeping them on schedule with all
their customers.
Based upon all of these factors the contractor
will send the customer to the store that
best fits the contractor’s needs
when considering all of these factors.
Brand plays a role in a reliability factor.
Is this brand of products (factory) reliable
in producing product that is delivered
as promised? On time; of acceptable quality;
perform as stated in their specification;
colors are within acceptable tolerances;
and will they stand behind their product
if they fail because of manufacturing defects?
Some tile defects are an important part
of the look. There are however times where
tiles have structural defects that were
not intended to be in the product that
have somehow made it past the inspection
process, and to the job site. I have yet
to visit a factory that would rather pass
off defective tile and ship it, rather
than sort it out and place it in the dumpster.
It is far more expensive to send out defective
tile than to remake it and ship a proper
quality.
To better understand how to shop for tile,
visit that section by clicking
here.
Since tiles are manufactured in a similar
manner, very little advantage is available
for one manufacturer or brand, such as
a patented technology or process. Most
of these developments are for affecting
the look of the product rather than the
performance.
Most all installations are without any
type of manufacturing defect, but should
one surface, look for brand to make potential
warranty issues easier to deal with. You
will more than likely be visiting a store
that showcases many brands, so ask about
the brand, and how are they at helping
that particular store with any past issues.
Tile is such an important and permanent
part of ones home or project, the ability
of a brand to stand behind their product
is the one big difference. Generally the
store that you purchase tile from can help
with the final outcome of any issue. They
will purchase again from this brand even
when you may not. This can sometimes be
an important leverage point in the discussions
if there is a problem.
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