A Guide To Choosing A Professional Tile Installer Online
Selecting your own tile can be a challenging part of your tile project. There are literally hundreds of colors, dimensions, shapes, grades and styles to choose from, such as ceramic, cut glass, metal, stone, and marble. However an even more challenging task is finding the right tile installer to do the tile installation. There are many criteria to look for when selecting a professional tile installer. The mainstream advice out there for finding a tile contractor is that they tell you to shop around for 3 quotes and pick the best one. This is a sure way to get burned because it’s not just about the price of the quote; it’s about working with a professional who is going to give you a great tile installation experience instead of a nightmare that you can’t wake up from. The following are suggestions to ensure your brand-new expensive tile is installed in your home by a professional tile installer.
Do They Have A Website?
A website is a crucial aspect of any small business in the 21 century. . A website is where you can find detailed information about a company, what values they stand for, how many years in business, their testimonials, and most importantly, pictures of their previous work. An easy way to know if a tile installer is a professional or not is by simply asking for their website. A tile installer who doesn’t have a website is like a Baker who doesn’t have a bakery and bakes their cake at home and delivers it to their customers… it’s just not professional and you are likely to experience problem with them. When you get an estimate from a tile installer, the first thing you should ask is: “What is your website?” If the answer is that they don’t have one, RUN! Chances are, they don’t have a reliable track record or any standard for their business, and if they say that they do, you can’t rely on it.
Do They Have Google Reviews?
Reviews or testimonials on a website is worthless if it’s not on third party platforms. What I mean by third party platforms are reviews that people leave on platforms like Google Business, Yelp, or Home Stars. The most important third party platform today is Google Business Reviews. The reason these reviews are worth something is because the person leaving it is verifiable. So the next thing you should ask your tile contractor is to see their Google Business Reviews. If they don’t have it set up or don’t provide it to you. RUN! Any legitimate business will have this set up and will likely have some reviews left by previous customers.
Do They Sound Trustworthy Over The Phone?
You have to go with your gut on this one. If they pick up the phone and sound unprofessional, and you don’t get a sense of trust, chances are your brain is telling you something. RUN! Regardless of how many years experience they might have, a tile installer that has an unprofessional appeal over the phone is most likely going to be unprofessional when they start the job. There are many things that become important when working with a professional, and it has nothing to do with knowledge. Things such as how long they take, if they show up on time, if they work clean or messy, if they have a rotten attitude towards their customer, if they clean up after they leave, and so on.
Do They Provide You With A Written Invoice Or Agreement?
A written agreement or a quote is a promise between the tile contractor and the customer. This tells you that they are keeping their word by putting it on paper. If a tile contractor does the deal with you verbally, and you have nothing on paper, chances are that they don’t feel obligated to want to keep their word on anything they say. Chances are they don’t feel confidence to be held to the standards that they might say in person. Verbal agreements can be miscommunicated or forgotten. If a tile contractor doesn’t provide proper paperwork to send a written agreement to you, RUN!