Calgary Home Renovation: Tiles

Tiles are practical, economical, beautiful and durable products that are found in most homes today and are widely used in Calgary home renovation. As much as they are commonly used, not all tiles are good for all surfaces. For this reason, when choosing tiles for the walls, floors or backsplashes in your home, you need to select those that are suitable for that specific surface, environment or room. Below are some of the things to consider when choosing your tiles.

1.Durability

Note that the durability of tiles is largely dependent on the materials and their finish. Ceramic tiles in particular are normally measured by their hardness. Ideally, the hardness of the tile is what determines the surface and the area where that tile will be used. The best thing is that the information about their hardness is normally indicated on the box. Note that hard tiles may be uncomfortable to stand on, particularly for longer periods of time, but are more resistant to chipping and cracking.

2.Porosity Level

The tiles’ porosity level usually indicates the type of environment that those tiles can best work in. For instance, an extremely porous or non-vitreous tile like terracotta may not be ideal for use in a shower stall. This is because this type usually absorbs a large amount of water, and this is likely to damage the drywall, joists as well as the subfloor. For this reason, you need to use impervious or vitreous materials within your shower stall, when doing Calgary home renovation.

3.The Installation and Labor Cost

The installation and labor costs for tile installation usually vary based on the materials used and the tile project itself. While the average wage per hour for tile setters ranges from 12.75 to 38.90 dollars per hour, different factors usually affect the price for a tile laying project. For instance:

a.Smaller tiles are likely to cost you more to install since they take more time to lay.

b.Some materials are quite difficult to work with, hence require more time and specialized expertise to handle.

c.Wall tilling projects tend to be costlier than floor tiling projects.

d.More complex styles including boarders, tile cutting, patterns and mosaics are costlier and

e.If some demolition is required before installation, you are likely to pay more.

4.The Grout

Grout is an extremely important part of a tiling project, unless you opt for the peel and stick tiles. Ideally, grout is what keeps the tiles together and also sealed to the surface. You can either use the cement grout which comprises of Portland grout with other fillers or Epoxy grout which is typically made of epoxy resin and fillers. Note that cement grout is not usually waterproof and tends to stain, though it is cheaper and easier to handle, while the epoxy grout is waterproof, does not stain and is a bit expensive.

By putting all these factors into consideration, you are guaranteed of the best tiling that matches your space, meets your needs and is properly installed. If you need help with the selecting and installation of the best tiles for your home or property, there are Calgary Home Renovation experts that can help you out.

Renovations Calgary: Stats 2018

Just like in the past few years, this year Canada’s home market has become a roller-coaster and this has had a significant effect on renovations Calgary. In fact, most homeowners have seen an increase in home prices in Metropolitan areas and the mortgage rules tightened. And most economists have concluded that the housing market, low supply and high demand is what has inspired most homeowners to significantly increase their overall spending on home renovations rather than purchases. Findings from the collected data have shown quite a number of things in relation to home renovations in Calgary.

1.Renovating To Stay or Sell?

Renovations Calgary, like bathroom remodeling projects have become some of the most popular home improvement projects. And this could be pointing to two things; homeowners are renovating their homes so as to improve their overall quality of living or they are simply investing in the homes with the intentions of reselling them in future. In fact, bathrooms are known to have high returns on investment of between 7- to 100 percent. On the other hand, bathroom renovations are known to be very costly home improvement projects with costs ranging from $150 to $250 per square feet.

2.The Contractor’s Ratings

Statistical findings have also shown that most homeowners are extremely keen on the star ratings of the contractors they would hire. Even though most of them are not necessarily looking for perfection, about 44 % of them say that they would only hire contractors with a rating of more than 3.5 stars, while 19 percent of them say that they can only hire contractors with a rating that is above 4 stars. And what this means is that contractors must step up their game as well as their online presence if they are to keep abreast with the rising demand for renovations, quality and consumer expectations.

3.The Renovation Reality Check

Although so many Canadians want to set very high budgets for their home renovations, it is only wise to set a realistic budget that will not drain you financially. From the findings, most homeowners usually underestimate the project cost in relation to the average industry standards. In fact, it is only just about 20% of the homeowners that usually set realistic budgets for their kitchen renovations; one of the most popular renovation projects in Canada. All-in-all if you are planning to do some home renovations Calgary and do not know how much it is likely to costly, you can involve a qualified renovation contractor to help you with the budget estimates.

From these statistics, you can learn quite a number of things that will enable you to plan for your home renovation project and ensure that it is well executed, timely and cost-effective. For instance, as a homeowner, you must know the amount you need to set aside so as to ensure that the project is completed as per your expectations. On the other hand, if you are the contractor, you will know what your clients expect of you and hence ensure that the highest standards of professionalism and reliability are established. Above all any renovation should only be done by a professional who has enough experience in the industry.