Discover the secret sauce to flourishing in the home building and remodeling industry with our latest episode, where we delve into the pivotal relationships that contractors and DIY enthusiasts must cultivate for success. From negotiating the best deals with suppliers to the nuanced dance with client expectations, I walk you through the essentials. You'll learn how to leverage the collective wisdom of interior designers, navigate the ever-evolving project visions of homeowners, and why keeping a surplus of materials might just be your project-saving grace.
Ever wondered how the pros achieve that impeccable tile installation? I've got you covered with a treasure trove of tips and techniques that will elevate your craftsmanship to a whole new level. From using a Sharpie on polished tiles to mastering the art of grouting, this episode is brimming with little-known tricks of the trade that ensure a stunning finish every time. You’ll get an insider's peek at the artistry involved in making aesthetic decisions, and why a well-executed grout job is more than just filler – it's the final, crucial touch to a flawless tile set.
Join us as we step into the shoes of interior design connoisseurs and discuss the exciting resurgence of terrazzo. It's not just about the beauty – we celebrate its eco-friendly virtues and delve into the practicality of over-ordering for those eye-catching yet elusive special tiles. This episode also highlights a cautionary tale of color discrepancies due to inconsistent material ordering, serving as a reminder for the meticulous attention to detail required in our craft. So tune in, engage with our community, and arm yourself with the knowledge to navigate your next home improvement venture with confidence.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
The Home Building and Remodeling Show.
Let's go.
Welcome everybody to the HomeBuilding and Remodeling Show.
My name is Chris Kirby and I'llbe your host.
(00:21):
I am the owner of threeconstruction companies on the
Alabama Gulf Coast.
The show is about residentialconstruction.
We're going to cover topics ofhome building and remodeling.
Are you thinking of doing aremodel or building a home?
Are you a contractor looking toimprove your knowledge base or
grow your business?
Have you ever done a remodelproject or built a home?
(00:42):
There were so many things youwish you knew or that you could
have done differently during theprocess.
Then this show is for you.
We break down the process ofbuilding and remodeling and how
to have the best results duringyour project.
Whether you're a DIYer lookingfor tips, someone looking to
hire a contractor to do aproject, or a contractor looking
(01:04):
to expand your knowledge baseor your business, welcome aboard
.
Glad to have you.
Stay tuned.
We kick off the show with mythoughts on home building and
remodeling.
I'll share best practices andtalk about some of our
experiences in business and outin the field.
These shared thoughts andlessons learned are meant to
help you on your very ownjourney.
(01:25):
Let's go so make friends withother developers, builders,
contractors.
They can be your go-to.
And then that's so.
Number four home improvementstores.
So, knowing people, theflooring department at Home
Depot those people are going torefer business to you or
(01:47):
recommend business to you, orthat's another.
They have an affiliate programwhere you can become an
installer for a big box storesLowe's, home Depot's.
Apply for those, try it.
You may not get hired if youdon't have all your ducks in a
row, but you should always tryif you're looking for work or
just starting out or that'ssomething that you're
comfortable with.
(02:08):
Go to the big box, go to Lowe's, go to Home Depot and apply to
be one of their installers.
They sell the product and theyhave installers.
A lot of the big box stores noware all in one where they're
going to set you up with theproduct.
They're going to sell you theproduct and then they're going
to set up an installer.
But the installers are usuallysubcontractors that they hire.
(02:31):
They're going to screen you.
You put in an application.
That's a great way to getsteady work.
If that's something that youwant to do and you know, just
having a relationship otherwisewith the different departments
in the home improvement stores,even your local A's.
It's beneficial to know thosesales reps, to talk with the
(02:54):
customer service people, becausethey have clients coming in all
the time to buy product andrecommending installers Some of
your local home goods stores aswell and recommending installers
Some of your local home goodsstores as well.
They may even let you put yourbusiness cards in there, and
it's a great way to gain sometraction, especially if you're
buying product and you alreadyhave an established relationship
(03:15):
with them.
It's huge to know who's who inthe home improvement stores.
Okay, and obviously the lastperson is your client.
So doing a good job for them,being trustworthy, showing up on
time all of the basic things ittakes to make your client happy
and have a satisfied client.
(03:37):
Word of mouth referrals arehuge.
So maintaining thoserelationships with your past
clients, calling and checking onthem to see how things were
Make it more than just atransaction where you go in, you
do the work and you get out ofthere and get paid for the job,
but follow up, have genuineconversations and get to know
(03:59):
the people that you're going towork for.
Those are the five keyrelationships that you need to
have as a tile installer.
So let's kind of repeat here.
Number one is the supplier andmanufacturers, because you want
to have the access to product,the best prices for product, so
you can give the best prices toyour clients.
(04:19):
Number two is interiordesigners, because you do not
want to be an interior designer,trust me.
You may not want to help outwith the vision piece, you may
just want to install the stuff.
Leave it up to the experts.
Have that relationship withinterior designers.
They are going to bring youplenty of clients for install
work.
Other contractors, homebuilders, anybody that you can
(04:43):
get in front of.
That's in our industry.
They are not the competition,they are absolutely your friend
and you are going to get otherreferrals from contractors for
installation works.
And it's important.
Number four home improvementstores.
Hey, talking to the sales repsup there, talking to the front
(05:04):
desk, talking to those peoplemaking friends with them, let
them know what you do so theycan recommend clients to you
when the clients are coming inbuying products from them.
And then number five, thebiggest one, is having satisfied
clients.
They are going to be thebiggest relationship that you
can have.
It doesn't matter if the firstfour, if you have relationships
(05:27):
with the first four people butyour clients are never satisfied
or the work is subpar, it'sonly gonna last.
The other four relationshipsare only gonna last so long
before they figure out that youdon't know what you're doing.
And now we move into Shop Talk.
It's the portion of the showwhere I bring in a co-host and
we cover trending topics in homebuilding and remodeling.
Hope you enjoy.
(05:48):
Let's go.
Speaker 2 (05:51):
Right, so I try to make that.
You know, get that info out ofthe customer.
But you run into a lot ofcustomers where they want one
thing, but by the time you getto the job they've been on
Pinterest so long.
They're like, hey, I want itdone like this, yeah.
Speaker 1 (06:09):
And that changes it up.
So always get extra, always getat least 20% is what we've been
talking about, if not moreextra.
A lot of times you can returnlike if you've got a full box,
let you're.
You lay all the tile andthere's a box and a half left.
Keep, keep that half box.
Speaker 2 (06:27):
But sometimes you can return full boxes yeah, most
everybody we deal deal with likemsi, they'll return yeah delta
will return unless it's a realspecialty item.
Yep, yep, but uh, we got a goodrelationship with them, so so
they usually I'll take it even.
You know what I mean.
Speaker 1 (06:46):
So it's always better to have more, right?
Yeah, so, okay.
So multiple reasons to havemore tile, all right, when
you're estimating tile as well,do you?
Does the cost of the job dependon the style of tile?
Does that matter, or do you?
You know, for us we kind of gotaway from a price per square
foot or anything like that.
(07:07):
We really do what works for ourcompany, which is our labor and
things, and we've got a, we'vegot a formula that we use that
works for us.
But like does it matter?
Speaker 2 (07:17):
type or style Right.
So when you get into like hairand bone Chevron it does, it
takes longer to do.
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (07:25):
So you got to be a little more sensitive too.
Speaker 2 (07:27):
Right, take your time so there is a cost difference
on the install.
Yeah, portion of that yeah,yeah, okay.
Speaker 1 (07:34):
And then, when it comes to, let's see, we've
talked about some of the thetools, basic tools, right, no
one basic math.
I, in that one video we did,you pointed out that you would
need a sharpie, not just apencil.
Speaker 2 (07:46):
Right.
Why is that?
Because not a lot of tile youcan mark with a pencil on,
especially if it's got apolished machine Right.
Speaker 1 (07:53):
You won't see it.
Speaker 2 (07:54):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (07:55):
Or you'll rub it right off.
It won't mark, won't do it.
No, okay, so have a sharpie onyou so you can mark your
measurements.
Is there any measuring ruleswhen it comes to tile?
That would be different thancarpentry or anything like that.
Speaker 2 (08:07):
Really.
I mean, you just got to be ableto do math, you got to take in
effect for grout lines and youknow blade sizes and all that
stuff.
Speaker 1 (08:16):
So when you're doing your layout for tile, you know
and independent on the size ofthe grout line that the client
wants and a lot of people arewanting these super thin grout
lines.
How do you factor?
Speaker 2 (08:29):
So you take your spacer because you're going to
use a spacer.
Yep, you know I mean a lot oftiles.
They'll have a pre-beveled edgeso it creates its arms with its
own 16th inch, but you want tolay it out on the floor really.
Speaker 1 (08:46):
Yeah, because you can always assume.
Let's just say, like on a tubhop-up, it's five foot wide.
Why do you need to lay it out?
It's five foot Right.
Like on a tub hop up, it's fivefoot wide.
Why do you need to lay it out?
It's five foot right.
But depending on thicker, thingrout lines, depending on a
multitude of factors where theniche is going to lay out, you
you want to lay out now, do youlay out the kind of the whole
thing or do you try to do thebest you can?
(09:07):
How do you do that part fromtop to bottom, the way?
Speaker 2 (09:09):
I like to do it from is where my first line is going
to be, like the bottom of theniche or the bottom of a window.
Speaker 1 (09:18):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (09:18):
And I like to have my grout line break right there.
That way you don't have a funnynotch right at your eye level.
Speaker 1 (09:27):
I see what you're saying Yep, Yep, and that's I
mean.
Yeah, anything at eye level isimmediately noticeable.
Okay, what about backsplashes?
So you've got flooring, you'vegot a lot of showers that we do.
What about backsplash?
So let's talk about howimportant it is.
So, on backsplash you are.
How do you calculate yourbacksplash versus how do you
(09:51):
calculate what you need for ashower?
Speaker 2 (09:53):
It's about the same.
Your typical tile run is goingto be about 18 inches, okay, but
that's.
You know what I mean.
That's just standard.
Yeah, some people have smaller,some there might be variation,
right, but assume 18.
Speaker 1 (10:08):
Okay, and let's just say they've got a let's keep it
simple.
They've got a, let's keep itsimple.
They've got a 10, 10 foot backwall, and you know you're
usually you might have a windowor something, right, how do you
talk to the client about?
Or you may have a hood vent orsomething like that, right?
How do you establish thoseboundaries?
When it comes to tile, as faras here's, what I recommend is
(10:32):
you know, do they want it tojust be 18 inches all the way
around, right?
Speaker 2 (10:37):
Do they want to go up If they have a window or, like
you said, a hood vent?
Speaker 1 (10:43):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (10:44):
Just kind of talk it over with them and, you know,
give them your perspective onwhat would look the cleanest.
Speaker 1 (10:50):
Yeah, yeah, and that's really what it's about
too is because sometimes whenthey go, some people want to go
all the way up the back wall,now where that hood vent is, and
some people just want to kindof stop it at the bottom of the
hood vent.
If there's a window, you got tokind of pick and choose where
to stop it on each side of thewindow to make it look right.
(11:12):
What other things are youtalking about on a backsplash,
kind of how you're going to trimit out, right Schluter?
Speaker 2 (11:19):
Or like a pencil trim .
It just depends on really yourfinishings in your kitchen yeah,
I mean your colors of yourhardware and stuff.
Or sometimes they don't lookgood with some of the tile
they'll pick out.
So in that case you'll run somekind of pencil trim that
matches the tile, got it, youkill it off into okay, all right
(11:43):
.
Speaker 1 (11:44):
What else for tile?
What else do we need to knowabout tile route?
Speaker 2 (11:48):
yeah, let's talk about that.
So it's not always best to letyour helper do all the grout
work.
Speaker 1 (11:54):
Ha, why not?
So sometimes that's the stuffI'll tell you.
If there's anything that someof our more senior installers
don't like to do, it's grout.
Speaker 2 (12:04):
But honestly, sometimes grout can make all the
difference, man All thedifference in the world,
somebody that doesn't know howto properly install, grout or
clean it yeah, let's say cleanit yeah you'll have your grout
lines be doing this the wholetime.
Yeah, you'll have fan packedbecause you're not cleaning it.
Speaker 1 (12:24):
That's another one where it bugs me, but I can look
at the straight lines.
Speaker 2 (12:29):
Yeah, so none of your lines are straight from that
point.
Well, it's a pain to after itsets up.
Yeah to get it.
Speaker 1 (12:36):
Well, that's another one that I can immediately start
looking at niches, corners, andman, they will pack out in that
corner.
Yes, now there's a differencein not cleaning it properly,
edging it up and all that, andthen some people use it to hide
their cracks and mistakes.
You know, and I've seen that,so you gotta be leery if you see
(12:56):
some some fat corners or somepacked out grout and corners.
You know, people use that tocompensate, they use that grout
to make it seem more level thanit is sometimes too.
But what you're saying is you,you can tell sorry, you'll have
level, actual level tile, butbecause of your grout you've
(13:18):
messed your whole job up.
Yeah, yeah.
And one thing I've seen too,just sticking on grout how
important it is is we had a hugeshower down at one of our
clients in Gulf Shores, mrKidwell.
I'll cut that piece, but youknow that shower was half of his
entire bathroom, it seemed like, and it kept hazing.
Speaker 2 (13:41):
Why was it hazing?
Remember that 18 feet by 7 or 8feet.
Speaker 1 (13:45):
Yeah, it was humongous shower, Seamless entry
, but it kept hazing up.
I can't remember what did wefigure out with that, because
that's happened before.
Speaker 2 (13:56):
Well, it'll just keep hazing I can't remember, but it
really.
I mean, it's the way you cleanit yeah sometimes it calls for
dry.
Yeah, I mean after you do firstcouple wipes.
Yeah, with the sponge, it helpsto take a dry, clean, clean
towel and wipe off the haze.
Speaker 1 (14:16):
And I've seen.
So one of the first big showerswe did actually the whole
bathroom.
They wanted subway and so wedid a half wall of subway all
the way around the bathroom,around the tub, and then the
whole shower floor to ceilingroom, around the tub and then
(14:36):
the whole shower floor toceiling or and the, the couple,
the.
The guy was an engineer and hewould come in there at night
with a laser and checkeverything.
And that was one, seriously,where that the crew was in there
with razors edging up theground.
I mean, yeah, you know what Imean, and it had to be perfect
to satisfy this client's needs.
But that was one of thetoughest clients, not that they
(15:00):
were wrong, but I mean he justwould set a laser level on there
every night to make sure it'sright.
But the grout lines man, hewanted them things perfect too,
I mean.
And so they were in there withthe razor.
I mean edging it up, getting it.
You know what I mean, gettingit exactly perfect.
Speaker 2 (15:18):
I mean the straighter and perfect your grout line is
the it really sets it off.
Speaker 1 (15:25):
What's your best tip then, when you're finished,
before they, you know,especially for your DIY people
watching this, for yourbeginners, what is your best
advice when it comes to thegrout process?
Talk us through what that lookslike To keep it clean, to keep
it kind of Read the bag, okay.
Speaker 2 (15:44):
So the bag of grout tells you, has instructions.
It's going to tell you exactlywhat it calls for because a lot
of different brands yeah.
Are different.
Yeah, I mean the way you mix it.
Mix it just like it says andnot just by.
So it'll tell you, it'll giveyou mixing instructions, okay,
because you can think oh yeah, Imixed that good.
Speaker 1 (16:12):
You spread it and then within three or four
minutes it's locking up on youand then you got issues when
you're trying to clean it up.
Well, so it so the you can doit too thick, too thin.
Now we're going to move intothe portion of the show where we
talk interior design.
We're going to bring in aninterior designer and we're
going to talk trending designand products.
Hope, hope, you enjoy, let's goyeah.
Speaker 3 (16:32):
And I, you know, I didn't know why.
But then, after finding thatout, I'm like oh, how cool, you
know, now I learned somethingnew, yeah, that I can implement,
moving forward Awesome.
Speaker 1 (16:40):
Education for sure.
Education, knowledge is power.
Knowledge is power Right,especially in our industry as
well, and that's what separatespeople who really care about
their craft from people that arejust, you know, doing it.
That's right.
Okay, what do you got next?
Speaker 3 (16:54):
Number three Terrazzo , and everybody loves that word.
Terrazzo yeah, it brings backso many memories.
I mean truly so.
Terrazzo is a mix of cement andmarble, chips and other
materials, so it tends to have aflecking to it A lot of people
think of.
You know, the oranges with themulticolored greens and blacks.
Well, terrazzo is coming backin.
(17:15):
And the cool thing about it?
It does touch on another trend,which is sustainability,
because you are using chips,material, recycled material.
Speaker 1 (17:23):
So terrazzo is more of a composite, it's a mix.
Okay, I didn't know that.
Speaker 3 (17:33):
It's a mix of cement and marble chips and other kind
of porcelain chips.
Okay, so it is making acomeback.
The cool thing about terrazzothat people tend to forget is
it's a multi-surface material.
It can be used on floors,countertops and walls.
Speaker 1 (17:41):
I'm glad you spoke on that.
So, most of so, you can'tassume that let's just say a
client walks in and they'repicking out tile.
You cannot assume that that canbe used on the floor or the
wall, or so the box, the back ofthe tile, the manufacturer is
going to specify what tile canbe used where.
Speaker 3 (18:01):
Yeah, got it.
There is a reason for that.
There is.
I know Christy touched on thisbefore.
Safety is number one of them.
Speaker 1 (18:07):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (18:08):
You have a slick tile .
Speaker 1 (18:08):
You do not want that on your floor.
Speaker 3 (18:10):
I mean, it's just, it's not something that anybody
would want.
But again, thickness.
Speaker 1 (18:14):
Got it.
Speaker 3 (18:14):
There are certain thicknesses that require it to
be wall tile only Gotcha.
Speaker 1 (18:17):
Okay, and so the terrazzo can be used where.
Speaker 3 (18:21):
Floors, walls.
Speaker 1 (18:23):
Walls.
It can be used in multiples.
It can be molded, gotcha it canactually be molded.
Speaker 3 (18:27):
Most of the time, they're going to sell it like
they sell a tile.
However, you can spread it even.
Speaker 1 (18:32):
Gotcha.
Speaker 3 (18:33):
I mean it's such a multifunctional material because
it is a cement base.
Speaker 1 (18:36):
Sure.
Speaker 3 (18:37):
So yes, terrazzo.
Speaker 1 (18:39):
Got it.
So number three is terrazzo.
Okay, what do you got on therefor four?
Speaker 3 (18:43):
So four was actually sustainability.
So, going back to recycledmaterials, one of the things too
is how they actually boxmaterials.
Now, you know, shipping tile,it takes a lot, a lot of
materials to ensure that thosedelicate pieces or sheets are
being delivered, you know,intact.
Speaker 1 (19:00):
Sure, like what you were talking, I can't imagine
the shipping on that thin glasstile.
I mean, we have a lot of timeswhere we'll open especially if
you're getting a heavy load alot of tile, where we'll open
multiple boxes that you knowsome coming at are broke.
And so I recommend tip, tip,tip, always overshoot with the
(19:22):
tile, always get more.
You don't want to get the rightamount because it's inevitable
that something, even if you getit in and it's not broke, you
may drop a piece.
So are you?
Yes, and we've.
We've started actually doingeven 20 percent more.
Speaker 3 (19:39):
Not just what I recommend yeah now here's the
kicker to that one, though, justbecause I've experienced it.
Before you tell a client you'regoing to need 20 percent.
Now, these are special ordertiles.
This is not Home Depot, this isnot Lowe's.
You order 20%.
Any excess or underage, that isyours, that's to keep.
You might end up with a wholebox.
Don't think of that as oh, Iwasted money on a box I'm not
going to use.
Speaker 1 (20:12):
Think of it as good to have that extra, especially
the special order, because someof this stuff, and quite
frequently it goes out of stock.
Speaker 3 (20:22):
It goes out of stock because of popularity, or you go
into a different dye lot orcutting lot.
It goes out of stock because ofpopularity, or you go into a
different dye lot or cutting lot.
So some of these that are notdone, particularly in large
batches, because they are morethe artisans, they might make
enough to fill up, let's say,2,200 orders and then after that
it's going to look a littledifferent.
Speaker 1 (20:39):
So what's your, what's your recommendation?
So you said 20 percent extra.
Your reasoning for that isbecause you want to make sure
you have enough Some is bound tobreak and chip, or for future
needs as well and then alsobecause if something does happen
and you don't end up withenough, you may really never be
(21:00):
able to get that again, thatsame batch, even if it's the
same line.
You may not get the same batch,it could come in different.
Yes, gotcha, okay.
Speaker 3 (21:09):
I had a gal I follow her on Instagram and she had one
of her client's floors and itwas just a simple hex Sure, an
off-white hex Sure, and she didnot arrive at the job site in
time to catch it.
But they started laying thefloor and they ended up taking
and switching to a different boxthat was ordered at a later
date.
Speaker 1 (21:26):
Yep, about two shades darker, and we've seen that.
We have seen that it happens.
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (21:31):
That's why you have to order everything all at the
same time and again, too, havinga designer who's going to make
sure they're ordering everythingfrom the same distribution
center.
Speaker 1 (21:38):
Thanks for joining us today.
As always, we are grateful forour listeners and your continued
support.
Please subscribe to our YouTubechannel.
Follow us on social media viaFacebook, instagram and TikTok.
Get more info at our website,wwwthehomebuildingshowcom.
And, as always, remember who weare the Home Building and
(22:03):
Remodeling show.
The Home Building and Remodeling Show.
Let's go.
Welcome everybody to the HomeBuilding and Remodeling Show.
My name is Chris Kirby and I'llbe your host.
(00:21):
I am the owner of threeconstruction companies on the
Alabama Gulf Coast.
The show is about residentialconstruction.
We're going to cover topics ofhome building and remodeling.
Are you thinking of doing aremodel or building a home?
Are you a contractor looking toimprove your knowledge base or
grow your business?
Have you ever done a remodelproject or built a home?
(00:42):
There were so many things youwish you knew or that you could
have done differently during theprocess.
Then this show is for you.
We break down the process ofbuilding and remodeling and how
to have the best results duringyour project.
Whether you're a DIYer lookingfor tips, someone looking to
hire a contractor to do aproject, or a contractor looking
(01:04):
to expand your knowledge baseor your business, welcome aboard
.
Glad to have you.
Stay tuned.
We kick off the show with mythoughts on home building and
remodeling.
I'll share best practices andtalk about some of our
experiences in business and outin the field.
These shared thoughts andlessons learned are meant to
help you on your very ownjourney.
(01:25):
Let's go so make friends withother developers, builders,
contractors.
They can be your go-to.
And then that's so.
Number four home improvementstores.
So, knowing people, theflooring department at Home
Depot those people are going torefer business to you or
(01:47):
recommend business to you, orthat's another.
They have an affiliate programwhere you can become an
installer for a big box storesLowe's, home Depot's.
Apply for those, try it.
You may not get hired if youdon't have all your ducks in a
row, but you should always tryif you're looking for work or
just starting out or that'ssomething that you're
comfortable with.
(02:08):
Go to the big box, go to Lowe's, go to Home Depot and apply to
be one of their installers.
They sell the product and theyhave installers.
A lot of the big box stores noware all in one where they're
going to set you up with theproduct.
They're going to sell you theproduct and then they're going
to set up an installer.
But the installers are usuallysubcontractors that they hire.
(02:31):
They're going to screen you.
You put in an application.
That's a great way to getsteady work.
If that's something that youwant to do and you know, just
having a relationship otherwisewith the different departments
in the home improvement stores,even your local A's.
It's beneficial to know thosesales reps, to talk with the
(02:54):
customer service people, becausethey have clients coming in all
the time to buy product andrecommending installers Some of
your local home goods stores aswell and recommending installers
Some of your local home goodsstores as well.
They may even let you put yourbusiness cards in there, and
it's a great way to gain sometraction, especially if you're
buying product and you alreadyhave an established relationship
(03:15):
with them.
It's huge to know who's who inthe home improvement stores.
Okay, and obviously the lastperson is your client.
So doing a good job for them,being trustworthy, showing up on
time all of the basic things ittakes to make your client happy
and have a satisfied client.
(03:37):
Word of mouth referrals arehuge.
So maintaining thoserelationships with your past
clients, calling and checking onthem to see how things were
Make it more than just atransaction where you go in, you
do the work and you get out ofthere and get paid for the job,
but follow up, have genuineconversations and get to know
(03:59):
the people that you're going towork for.
Those are the five keyrelationships that you need to
have as a tile installer.
So let's kind of repeat here.
Number one is the supplier andmanufacturers, because you want
to have the access to product,the best prices for product, so
you can give the best prices toyour clients.
(04:19):
Number two is interiordesigners, because you do not
want to be an interior designer,trust me.
You may not want to help outwith the vision piece, you may
just want to install the stuff.
Leave it up to the experts.
Have that relationship withinterior designers.
They are going to bring youplenty of clients for install
work.
Other contractors, homebuilders, anybody that you can
(04:43):
get in front of.
That's in our industry.
They are not the competition,they are absolutely your friend
and you are going to get otherreferrals from contractors for
installation works.
And it's important.
Number four home improvementstores.
Hey, talking to the sales repsup there, talking to the front
(05:04):
desk, talking to those peoplemaking friends with them, let
them know what you do so theycan recommend clients to you
when the clients are coming inbuying products from them.
And then number five, thebiggest one, is having satisfied
clients.
They are going to be thebiggest relationship that you
can have.
It doesn't matter if the firstfour, if you have relationships
(05:27):
with the first four people butyour clients are never satisfied
or the work is subpar, it'sonly gonna last.
The other four relationshipsare only gonna last so long
before they figure out that youdon't know what you're doing.
And now we move into Shop Talk.
It's the portion of the showwhere I bring in a co-host and
we cover trending topics in homebuilding and remodeling.
Hope you enjoy.
(05:48):
Let's go.
Speaker 2 (05:51):
Right, so I try to make that.
You know, get that info out ofthe customer.
But you run into a lot ofcustomers where they want one
thing, but by the time you getto the job they've been on
Pinterest so long.
They're like, hey, I want itdone like this, yeah.
Speaker 1 (06:09):
And that changes it up.
So always get extra, always getat least 20% is what we've been
talking about, if not moreextra.
A lot of times you can returnlike if you've got a full box,
let you're.
You lay all the tile andthere's a box and a half left.
Keep, keep that half box.
Speaker 2 (06:27):
But sometimes you can return full boxes yeah, most
everybody we deal deal with likemsi, they'll return yeah delta
will return unless it's a realspecialty item.
Yep, yep, but uh, we got a goodrelationship with them, so so
they usually I'll take it even.
You know what I mean.
Speaker 1 (06:46):
So it's always better to have more, right?
Yeah, so, okay.
So multiple reasons to havemore tile, all right, when
you're estimating tile as well,do you?
Does the cost of the job dependon the style of tile?
Does that matter, or do you?
You know, for us we kind of gotaway from a price per square
foot or anything like that.
(07:07):
We really do what works for ourcompany, which is our labor and
things, and we've got a, we'vegot a formula that we use that
works for us.
But like does it matter?
Speaker 2 (07:17):
type or style Right.
So when you get into like hairand bone Chevron it does, it
takes longer to do.
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (07:25):
So you got to be a little more sensitive too.
Speaker 2 (07:27):
Right, take your time so there is a cost difference
on the install.
Yeah, portion of that yeah,yeah, okay.
Speaker 1 (07:34):
And then, when it comes to, let's see, we've
talked about some of the thetools, basic tools, right, no
one basic math.
I, in that one video we did,you pointed out that you would
need a sharpie, not just apencil.
Speaker 2 (07:46):
Right.
Why is that?
Because not a lot of tile youcan mark with a pencil on,
especially if it's got apolished machine Right.
Speaker 1 (07:53):
You won't see it.
Speaker 2 (07:54):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (07:55):
Or you'll rub it right off.
It won't mark, won't do it.
No, okay, so have a sharpie onyou so you can mark your
measurements.
Is there any measuring ruleswhen it comes to tile?
That would be different thancarpentry or anything like that.
Speaker 2 (08:07):
Really.
I mean, you just got to be ableto do math, you got to take in
effect for grout lines and youknow blade sizes and all that
stuff.
Speaker 1 (08:16):
So when you're doing your layout for tile, you know
and independent on the size ofthe grout line that the client
wants and a lot of people arewanting these super thin grout
lines.
How do you factor?
Speaker 2 (08:29):
So you take your spacer because you're going to
use a spacer.
Yep, you know I mean a lot oftiles.
They'll have a pre-beveled edgeso it creates its arms with its
own 16th inch, but you want tolay it out on the floor really.
Speaker 1 (08:46):
Yeah, because you can always assume.
Let's just say, like on a tubhop-up, it's five foot wide.
Why do you need to lay it out?
It's five foot Right.
Like on a tub hop up, it's fivefoot wide.
Why do you need to lay it out?
It's five foot right.
But depending on thicker, thingrout lines, depending on a
multitude of factors where theniche is going to lay out, you
you want to lay out now, do youlay out the kind of the whole
thing or do you try to do thebest you can?
(09:07):
How do you do that part fromtop to bottom, the way?
Speaker 2 (09:09):
I like to do it from is where my first line is going
to be, like the bottom of theniche or the bottom of a window.
Speaker 1 (09:18):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (09:18):
And I like to have my grout line break right there.
That way you don't have a funnynotch right at your eye level.
Speaker 1 (09:27):
I see what you're saying Yep, Yep, and that's I
mean.
Yeah, anything at eye level isimmediately noticeable.
Okay, what about backsplashes?
So you've got flooring, you'vegot a lot of showers that we do.
What about backsplash?
So let's talk about howimportant it is.
So, on backsplash you are.
How do you calculate yourbacksplash versus how do you
(09:51):
calculate what you need for ashower?
Speaker 2 (09:53):
It's about the same.
Your typical tile run is goingto be about 18 inches, okay, but
that's.
You know what I mean.
That's just standard.
Yeah, some people have smaller,some there might be variation,
right, but assume 18.
Speaker 1 (10:08):
Okay, and let's just say they've got a let's keep it
simple.
They've got a, let's keep itsimple.
They've got a 10, 10 foot backwall, and you know you're
usually you might have a windowor something, right, how do you
talk to the client about?
Or you may have a hood vent orsomething like that, right?
How do you establish thoseboundaries?
When it comes to tile, as faras here's, what I recommend is
(10:32):
you know, do they want it tojust be 18 inches all the way
around, right?
Speaker 2 (10:37):
Do they want to go up If they have a window or, like
you said, a hood vent?
Speaker 1 (10:43):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (10:44):
Just kind of talk it over with them and, you know,
give them your perspective onwhat would look the cleanest.
Speaker 1 (10:50):
Yeah, yeah, and that's really what it's about
too is because sometimes whenthey go, some people want to go
all the way up the back wall,now where that hood vent is, and
some people just want to kindof stop it at the bottom of the
hood vent.
If there's a window, you got tokind of pick and choose where
to stop it on each side of thewindow to make it look right.
(11:12):
What other things are youtalking about on a backsplash,
kind of how you're going to trimit out, right Schluter?
Speaker 2 (11:19):
Or like a pencil trim .
It just depends on really yourfinishings in your kitchen yeah,
I mean your colors of yourhardware and stuff.
Or sometimes they don't lookgood with some of the tile
they'll pick out.
So in that case you'll run somekind of pencil trim that
matches the tile, got it, youkill it off into okay, all right
(11:43):
.
Speaker 1 (11:44):
What else for tile?
What else do we need to knowabout tile route?
Speaker 2 (11:48):
yeah, let's talk about that.
So it's not always best to letyour helper do all the grout
work.
Speaker 1 (11:54):
Ha, why not?
So sometimes that's the stuffI'll tell you.
If there's anything that someof our more senior installers
don't like to do, it's grout.
Speaker 2 (12:04):
But honestly, sometimes grout can make all the
difference, man All thedifference in the world,
somebody that doesn't know howto properly install, grout or
clean it yeah, let's say cleanit yeah you'll have your grout
lines be doing this the wholetime.
Yeah, you'll have fan packedbecause you're not cleaning it.
Speaker 1 (12:24):
That's another one where it bugs me, but I can look
at the straight lines.
Speaker 2 (12:29):
Yeah, so none of your lines are straight from that
point.
Well, it's a pain to after itsets up.
Yeah to get it.
Speaker 1 (12:36):
Well, that's another one that I can immediately start
looking at niches, corners, andman, they will pack out in that
corner.
Yes, now there's a differencein not cleaning it properly,
edging it up and all that, andthen some people use it to hide
their cracks and mistakes.
You know, and I've seen that,so you gotta be leery if you see
(12:56):
some some fat corners or somepacked out grout and corners.
You know, people use that tocompensate, they use that grout
to make it seem more level thanit is sometimes too.
But what you're saying is you,you can tell sorry, you'll have
level, actual level tile, butbecause of your grout you've
(13:18):
messed your whole job up.
Yeah, yeah.
And one thing I've seen too,just sticking on grout how
important it is is we had a hugeshower down at one of our
clients in Gulf Shores, mrKidwell.
I'll cut that piece, but youknow that shower was half of his
entire bathroom, it seemed like, and it kept hazing.
Speaker 2 (13:41):
Why was it hazing?
Remember that 18 feet by 7 or 8feet.
Speaker 1 (13:45):
Yeah, it was humongous shower, Seamless entry
, but it kept hazing up.
I can't remember what did wefigure out with that, because
that's happened before.
Speaker 2 (13:56):
Well, it'll just keep hazing I can't remember, but it
really.
I mean, it's the way you cleanit yeah sometimes it calls for
dry.
Yeah, I mean after you do firstcouple wipes.
Yeah, with the sponge, it helpsto take a dry, clean, clean
towel and wipe off the haze.
Speaker 1 (14:16):
And I've seen.
So one of the first big showerswe did actually the whole
bathroom.
They wanted subway and so wedid a half wall of subway all
the way around the bathroom,around the tub, and then the
whole shower floor to ceilingroom, around the tub and then
(14:36):
the whole shower floor toceiling or and the, the couple,
the.
The guy was an engineer and hewould come in there at night
with a laser and checkeverything.
And that was one, seriously,where that the crew was in there
with razors edging up theground.
I mean, yeah, you know what Imean, and it had to be perfect
to satisfy this client's needs.
But that was one of thetoughest clients, not that they
(15:00):
were wrong, but I mean he justwould set a laser level on there
every night to make sure it'sright.
But the grout lines man, hewanted them things perfect too,
I mean.
And so they were in there withthe razor.
I mean edging it up, getting it.
You know what I mean, gettingit exactly perfect.
Speaker 2 (15:18):
I mean the straighter and perfect your grout line is
the it really sets it off.
Speaker 1 (15:25):
What's your best tip then, when you're finished,
before they, you know,especially for your DIY people
watching this, for yourbeginners, what is your best
advice when it comes to thegrout process?
Talk us through what that lookslike To keep it clean, to keep
it kind of Read the bag, okay.
Speaker 2 (15:44):
So the bag of grout tells you, has instructions.
It's going to tell you exactlywhat it calls for because a lot
of different brands yeah.
Are different.
Yeah, I mean the way you mix it.
Mix it just like it says andnot just by.
So it'll tell you, it'll giveyou mixing instructions, okay,
because you can think oh yeah, Imixed that good.
Speaker 1 (16:12):
You spread it and then within three or four
minutes it's locking up on youand then you got issues when
you're trying to clean it up.
Well, so it so the you can doit too thick, too thin.
Now we're going to move intothe portion of the show where we
talk interior design.
We're going to bring in aninterior designer and we're
going to talk trending designand products.
Hope, hope, you enjoy, let's goyeah.
Speaker 3 (16:32):
And I, you know, I didn't know why.
But then, after finding thatout, I'm like oh, how cool, you
know, now I learned somethingnew, yeah, that I can implement,
moving forward Awesome.
Speaker 1 (16:40):
Education for sure.
Education, knowledge is power.
Knowledge is power Right,especially in our industry as
well, and that's what separatespeople who really care about
their craft from people that arejust, you know, doing it.
That's right.
Okay, what do you got next?
Speaker 3 (16:54):
Number three Terrazzo , and everybody loves that word.
Terrazzo yeah, it brings backso many memories.
I mean truly so.
Terrazzo is a mix of cement andmarble, chips and other
materials, so it tends to have aflecking to it A lot of people
think of.
You know, the oranges with themulticolored greens and blacks.
Well, terrazzo is coming backin.
(17:15):
And the cool thing about it?
It does touch on another trend,which is sustainability,
because you are using chips,material, recycled material.
Speaker 1 (17:23):
So terrazzo is more of a composite, it's a mix.
Okay, I didn't know that.
Speaker 3 (17:33):
It's a mix of cement and marble chips and other kind
of porcelain chips.
Okay, so it is making acomeback.
The cool thing about terrazzothat people tend to forget is
it's a multi-surface material.
It can be used on floors,countertops and walls.
Speaker 1 (17:41):
I'm glad you spoke on that.
So, most of so, you can'tassume that let's just say a
client walks in and they'repicking out tile.
You cannot assume that that canbe used on the floor or the
wall, or so the box, the back ofthe tile, the manufacturer is
going to specify what tile canbe used where.
Speaker 3 (18:01):
Yeah, got it.
There is a reason for that.
There is.
I know Christy touched on thisbefore.
Safety is number one of them.
Speaker 1 (18:07):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (18:08):
You have a slick tile .
Speaker 1 (18:08):
You do not want that on your floor.
Speaker 3 (18:10):
I mean, it's just, it's not something that anybody
would want.
But again, thickness.
Speaker 1 (18:14):
Got it.
Speaker 3 (18:14):
There are certain thicknesses that require it to
be wall tile only Gotcha.
Speaker 1 (18:17):
Okay, and so the terrazzo can be used where.
Speaker 3 (18:21):
Floors, walls.
Speaker 1 (18:23):
Walls.
It can be used in multiples.
It can be molded, gotcha it canactually be molded.
Speaker 3 (18:27):
Most of the time, they're going to sell it like
they sell a tile.
However, you can spread it even.
Speaker 1 (18:32):
Gotcha.
Speaker 3 (18:33):
I mean it's such a multifunctional material because
it is a cement base.
Speaker 1 (18:36):
Sure.
Speaker 3 (18:37):
So yes, terrazzo.
Speaker 1 (18:39):
Got it.
So number three is terrazzo.
Okay, what do you got on therefor four?
Speaker 3 (18:43):
So four was actually sustainability.
So, going back to recycledmaterials, one of the things too
is how they actually boxmaterials.
Now, you know, shipping tile,it takes a lot, a lot of
materials to ensure that thosedelicate pieces or sheets are
being delivered, you know,intact.
Speaker 1 (19:00):
Sure, like what you were talking, I can't imagine
the shipping on that thin glasstile.
I mean, we have a lot of timeswhere we'll open especially if
you're getting a heavy load alot of tile, where we'll open
multiple boxes that you knowsome coming at are broke.
And so I recommend tip, tip,tip, always overshoot with the
(19:22):
tile, always get more.
You don't want to get the rightamount because it's inevitable
that something, even if you getit in and it's not broke, you
may drop a piece.
So are you?
Yes, and we've.
We've started actually doingeven 20 percent more.
Speaker 3 (19:39):
Not just what I recommend yeah now here's the
kicker to that one, though, justbecause I've experienced it.
Before you tell a client you'regoing to need 20 percent.
Now, these are special ordertiles.
This is not Home Depot, this isnot Lowe's.
You order 20%.
Any excess or underage, that isyours, that's to keep.
You might end up with a wholebox.
Don't think of that as oh, Iwasted money on a box I'm not
going to use.
Speaker 1 (20:12):
Think of it as good to have that extra, especially
the special order, because someof this stuff, and quite
frequently it goes out of stock.
Speaker 3 (20:22):
It goes out of stock because of popularity, or you go
into a different dye lot orcutting lot.
It goes out of stock because ofpopularity, or you go into a
different dye lot or cutting lot.
So some of these that are notdone, particularly in large
batches, because they are morethe artisans, they might make
enough to fill up, let's say,2,200 orders and then after that
it's going to look a littledifferent.
Speaker 1 (20:39):
So what's your, what's your recommendation?
So you said 20 percent extra.
Your reasoning for that isbecause you want to make sure
you have enough Some is bound tobreak and chip, or for future
needs as well and then alsobecause if something does happen
and you don't end up withenough, you may really never be
(21:00):
able to get that again, thatsame batch, even if it's the
same line.
You may not get the same batch,it could come in different.
Yes, gotcha, okay.
Speaker 3 (21:09):
I had a gal I follow her on Instagram and she had one
of her client's floors and itwas just a simple hex Sure, an
off-white hex Sure, and she didnot arrive at the job site in
time to catch it.
But they started laying thefloor and they ended up taking
and switching to a different boxthat was ordered at a later
date.
Speaker 1 (21:26):
Yep, about two shades darker, and we've seen that.
We have seen that it happens.
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (21:31):
That's why you have to order everything all at the
same time and again, too, havinga designer who's going to make
sure they're ordering everythingfrom the same distribution
center.
Speaker 1 (21:38):
Thanks for joining us today.
As always, we are grateful forour listeners and your continued
support.
Please subscribe to our YouTubechannel.
Follow us on social media viaFacebook, instagram and TikTok.
Get more info at our website,wwwthehomebuildingshowcom.
And, as always, remember who weare the Home Building and
(22:03):
Remodeling show.
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