the Price of Floor Tile Installation

In October of 2007, I hired a local tile installation company to install 1200 square feet of tile in my home. I purchased the tile and grout separately and hired the installer. He was recommended by various people. He was to take approximately 2 weekends to do the entire job. Of this I was to pay him one third up front, another third when half complete and final payment upon completion. As I live way out of town, I also allowed him to stay in my cabin on the weekends he worked. The job was to consist of laying the tile, grouting, tiling the baseboards and cleaning up after the job was complete.

The first weekend went well and he worked steadily. The tile was laid well. He didn't work the entire weekend and left early as soon as I paid him. This should have been a clue. He said he would be back the next weekend to finish up. I didn't hear from him for a month even though I kept calling.He finally showed up on a Sunday ready to work, I let him do some work but he came to me and wanted to get his final pay before finishing, I said no and he left. In the meantime I was left with an incomplete job. I ended up calling the local hardware and got a reputable person to finish the job for me at an additional cost of $1000.

Never hire a contractor to lay your tile, unless you know them to be reputable and check with the proper places to see if they are licensed. Also make sure you only pay for work finished, never in advance.