Advice B&Q or Wickes - TilersForums.com

[micksom]

Hi there,

I am looking for some advice on which tiles to go for. I am right at the bottom end of the quality scale and am looking for something around the £10 sqm mark. The main DiY retailers seem to be the best places to suit this budget - the specialist tile outlets have very little at this price.

So far, I really like two sets of tiles, one from Wickes and one from B&Q.

The one from Wickes is called Marcello Marfil (310 x 450). It is priced at £10 sqm online reduced from £20. I was thinking of complimenting this with a sandstone porcelain floor tile also shown (2nd):







However, I was in B&Q earlier and seen this really nice kind of Travertine effect tile (500 x 300) which I thought would look great.




Please can you give advice on which tile would look best overall and is the better quality. Like I said, I know these won't be the best tiles in the world but I am on a tight budget.

If any one has any photos of these tiles in a completed bathroom, I love to see them.

Any help would be great.

Regards,

Michael

 

[Bubblecraft]

Hi & welcome to TF. Are you fitting these yourself or are you getting in a pro to fit the tiles?

 

[Alan.P]

Hi and welcome, never bought from either so couldn't comment, it's down to personal choice for looks, as for quality, as you say / know, you get what you pay for, out of interest, is this for walls or floors ? what would you be using adhesive wise and fixing to what ?

 

[Dan]

Tiles are often better suited to where they are going more so than what price they are. You want the best value for money rather than the cheapest option to make it look new.

If its for walls, and you're on a budget, choose a ceramic but ensure the adhesive is good quality and the preparation is well done. You'll save on tile cost and ensure they never fall off.

That's the cheapest way to go about walls in my opinion.

Then looks-wise, if you want a nicer look, increase the tile quality a bit to perhaps porcelain or stone. Keep the adhesive and preparation right though!

 

[micksom]

Thanks for the replies guys. The tiles are for the wall. I am getting a tiler to do the job so the grout and adhesive will be down to his recommendation and expertise.

What do you think of the tiles?

 

[Bubblecraft]

Personally, I wouldn't purchase tiles from B&Q or Wickes. The tiles can be warped, curling, different sizes & poorly glazed.
If you really like the finish, go back to these shops & take a few tiles out the box. Put them face to face to check for bowing in the tile. Check that the glaze slightly wraps around the edge so as the biscuit base cannot be seen after grouting. Check to see that the tiles are all the same size. 1mm out can cause problems during fitting.
Your tiler may wish to charge more on fitting if you suggest that they were bought from a DIY shop rather than a tile store which could work out more expensive than buying a quality tile & a standard rate of fitting.

 

[Diggy]

Had to fit some B&Q floor tiles 2 weeks ago , GHASTLY things!

IMHO of course.

Diggy

 

[Ambercat]

I'm with Diggy and Bubblecraft, both Wickes and B and Q sell cheapest nastiest tiles at inflated prices. Try a trade outlet but see if they are discontinuing any ranges, they might sell them off a bit cheaper and you'll get a better quality tile. Your tiler might be willing to use his/her discount to get the price down on something you like, I would if it were me just to avoid trying to make a decent result from crap tiles

 

[Diggy]

On a more constructive note , try your local tile shops or someone bigger like Porcelanosa , don't tell them your budget , just ask what the best price is on something you like. They all want to make a sale plus it's the run up to xmas , might make their books look good , a sale with a smaller margin is better than no sale at all.

If you don't ask you don't get :smilewinkgrin:

Merry Xmas - Diggy

 

[jlktiling]

You would be better off as others have said, going to a tile outlet, and seeing what they have end of lines in.
Im sure they would have what you need in better quailty for similar price.

the old saying goes, you get what you pay for..... (unless the price is halved because they are end of line!:smilewinkgrin