Anyone had Homogeneous tiles for Living Room?

[tinkywinky]

Hi all,

Am thinking of using polished homogeneous tiles for my living rm? Anyone had any experience to share?

How does hm tiles compare to ceramic or marble? Do they have wide gaps in-between.

Pls share.

Thks

 

[d.l.]

Hi TinkyWinky,

hmm.. Currently my new flat is having ceramic, we did not choose hm tiles becos our contractor says the gaps mind be big and resulted dirts begin stuck in bet. and difficult to clean off. For young working couples is not advisable to get them because we will not have time to do cleaning up. Moreover according to him, the price of having hm tiles is almost comparable to ceramic.
So finally my hubby and I choose to have ceramic.not much of a complain, but during cold weather the flooring is a bit too cold for us, and it will be advisable to wear slipper at home....

 

[charlene]

Hi TinkyWinky,

yep, our contractor also said the same thing.
In addition, he said that for hm tiles, better not to choose big pieces because the sides of the tiles might warp over time. therefore this will result in more gaps, and more effort to clean.

so we also chose ceramic...

 

[jocelyn]

Hi gals,

I'm currently using big square polished hom tiles for my 4room resale flat. It's true abt the big gaps between & the price but i nv regret using it.

It looks just as nice as marble tiles, most of my friends who came tot it's marble instead of tiles. I only vacuum & mop the floor only once a wk. It has been 3 years & it still look as new.

It can be quite cold too, but i prefer the coolong feel rather than warm. That's y we chose the hm tiles.

 

[simm gal]

I thought ceramic tiles have the same gap problems as homogeneous tile?

If I remember what I've heard correctly, the gaps for ceramic tiles are supposed to be wider than those of homogeneous.

Please enlighten me. Thanks!

I'm considering compressed marble cos there won't be gap problem. Anyone has experience with marble?

 

[och]

hi simmgal,

the gaps for homogeneous r bigger than ceramic cos the sides of homogeneous tiles r slightly curved.

i hv marble at my place. it looks good but it's quite difficult to maintain. marble gets scratches n stains easily, so hv to be careful abt not spilling liquids onto marble n polishing it often.

 

[tinkywinky]

Hi all,

thks for all the comments.

our intention to use homogn tiles is to reduce the gaps, hehehehe looks like we are wrong

simm gal, we originally plan for marble but trying to reduce cost bec a bit afraid of going above budget so, sourcing for other materials.

am also thinking of whole hse laminate ... the seamless ones but read some unfavourable comments in the forum ...

sigh!!

och,

how much does it cost you for the marble? roughly, how big is your the area you lay the marble?

thks

 

[och]

hi tinkywinky,

i bought resale n the marble was done up by the previous owner.

but i did ask for quotes, cos i was initially thinking of changing the marble. low-end marble costs abt $8/psf; mid-range abt $12/psf. after u factor in labour cost, it's abt $12-14/psf for low end, $16-18/psf for medium grades.

polishing is expensive. my marbled floor of 600 sqft costs $500+ to do wet polishing n abt $1200 to do dry polishing. if additional protection layer is required to prevent the marble fr staining, it costs another $600.

 

[simm gal]

Thanks Och for the info.

Twinkywinky, we're in the same boat. I like the seamless look of marble, but was evaluating homgeneous cos of the cost. And also thinking of compressed marble instead of natural marble.

I'm still very undecided. I intend to have parquet for the bedrooms and marble for the living/dining. And ceramic/homogenous for kitchen.

Maybe should go for cement floor instead!

 

[och]

hi simmgal,

my 1 cent worth.... the previous owner of my apt had unpolished homogeneous in the kitchen. i think unpolished homogeneous tiles trap too much dirt. after we got our keys, we compared their spare tiles with the current state of the homogeneous tiles, my gosh... the spares were beige with streaks of clayish color, the laid tiles were clayish-grey! dun even know how to describe the state. polished homogeneous r too slippery for the kitchen, so we hacked off the kitchen floor n replaced with ceramic.

 

[jo]

Ceramic tile is the one with curve at the edge. Homo tiles is the one that is cut flat. Homo tiles should have closer gaps and ceramic tile wider gaps.

In general, Homo tiles cost more than ceramic tiles.

Please trust my statement, I come from a renovation family (family business) and have a brother in law that supply tiles.

 

[tinkywinky]

jo,

hehehe ... you've given me hope

will discuss with my contractor abt the gaps & see how lah! But I do like the polished ones with sand grains, looks shiny like marble ..

simmgal,

i hv this theory to console myself regarding the marble:

We hv to stay at our present flat for at least 5 years. For us, at least, we intent to start a family next year. So, for the minimum 5 yrs, we're gonna have a toddler or two in baby walker & running ard the hse. It will be painful for my heart to see my expensive marble flooring kena scratched. Not too mention the spills when they start to learn how to eat .....

hahahaha ... consoling myself

 

[jo]

By the way, DO NOT USE Homo tiles in kitchen. Homo is naturally more slippery. Do not use them in kitchen where oil spills is applicable.

 

[simm gal]

Hi Twinkywinky,

And not forgetting when your babies accidentally soil the floor before they're toilet trained! hehehe

And Jo, my mom uses hm tiles for her kitchen. But she uses the matt type so not slippery. And she's very particular about cleanliness---always wipe and scrub the floor so after so many years, the gap still very white! But I think I can't be so hardworking as her! So mine will sure turn grey in no time!

 

[jo]

There are industrial use floor scrubs that can remove grease in the traps.

However for those who bought resale and cannot tahan the greyish seams, can consider buy White cement and cover over the seams.

Homo tiles do look nicer than ceramic. But do be careful in kitchen if you do use homo tiles.

Also be careful the origins of the tiles. There are many grades of homo tiles and ceramic tiles. Make sure the contractor dun give inferior tiles which cannot tahan.

 

[simm gal]

TwinkyWinky,

By the way, where's your new place and how's your contractor? I'm evaluating quotes from various sources now and would like to compare notes on costs, etc.

 

[simm gal]

Hi Jo,

Our messages just crossed!

You may want to advise us on the grades, so that we know what to ask for with our contractors.

Thanks!

 

[jo]

OK,

Country of origin is important. The best tiles comes from Europe. There are also origins of China and Indonesia. These two is cheap and not so durable. You cannot see the difference of the difference when install, but after one or two years, the inferior one will change color to a dull color tone.

If cost saving is important, use ceramic for kitchen and homo for living room and other rooms. Buying straight from supplier also can ensure that you have the right quality at the right price. You can ask the contractor to work out the install portion (must negotiate with the contractor) only.

 

[tinkywinky]

Hi simm_gal,

i bought a resale in Bt Batok. What abt you? where's your love nest?

still have not got any quotations yet bec. my hubby is very bz right now ... but very excited can't wait, been reading & re-reading all my decor magazines.

how's the quoted you received? care to share

 

[simm gal]

Mine is at P21.

Got my keys already (came years earlier than we originally forecast!), but intend to renovate only in Sept cos after much calculation, we can only save enough by then. Dun wan to take reno loan.

I'm like you, very excited and now spending money on decor mags instead of Her World, Female etc

We've asked about 4 parties for quotes, so far three have reverted.

The wetworks cost is pretty much the same. The diffce is how much custom made furniture we want and feature wall, the materials etc.

There's one design company whom we like their custom made furniture (for walk in wardrobe & kitchen), but wetworks costs higher than rest, so we're meeting her again to review the contract.

Can email you the names of the companies if you like.

So, have you gone through your wedding ceremony and all? You intend to start a family next year, right?

My hubby not ready yet leh, while I'm undecided (but mostly wish to start soon).

 

[och]

hi jo,

i believe the curves u r referring to is the curving of the top surface? ceramic tiles r not flat @ the top, but where all exposed surface, curved or not, is coloured. if u take a close look at homogenous tiles, they r perfectly flat on top, but bcos their sides r curved slightly, thus the cement strips between them r much bigger. look at any renovated flat n u can tell the difference. i happen to hv polished homogeneous stove support n ceramic tiles side by side. the difference is v. obvious.

 

[mike888]

Hi all

If you want homogeneous tiles without too much of grouting (gaps) in between, look for those with chamfered sides. i saw some in Hafary in balestier, but quite X, abt $7-8 per sq ft.

Cheers

 

[tiles]

i've HM tiles for my living & dining area as well...like what the other gals have mentioned...the white gaps in btw the tiles trap dirt...quite unsightly 'cos the dirtied gaps are especially obvious 'cos my tiles are light beige in color. i think better to go for marble or granite if u think long term...the latter might be a better option 'cos granite does not require much maintenance as compared to marble (costant polishing etc.)

 

[jo]

Hi all,

I have seen work by my workers and have seem also enough competitors work to know that workmanship is very important. Also since my brother in law owns a tiles distribution rights, I have been taught how to differentiate the good and bad of ceramic and homo.

If the seam is filled up to the brink of the tiles edge, dirt trapping will be very minimal.

However, we pays what we get. Pay higher price will get higher quality. "Yi Fen Qian Yi Fen Huo"

No offence to all.

 

[test]

Hi Jo, I read that Europe tiles are from Italy/Spain, also heard Italy tiles are better. Will the "Made in Italy" be printed on the tile packagin? If not, then how to tell if the supplier is cheating us?

What's the normal price range for Italy ceramic tiles?

Now I'm getting quotes, got 1 renovator says he can use a "hi strength co-polymer" to lay over existing tiles, so no need to hack (mine is resale)... is this reliable?

Cheers.

 

[jo jocelyn]

Hi Test,

I do not know what is the Hi-strength co-polymer. Will check with the experts in the company.

Test, the way to get a reliable tile is to buy from reliable source.

 

[gem]

Hi Jo,
recently I've raised a topic on marble flooring. Do you know of any places that have a wide variety of compressed marble? More or less decided to use compressed marble rather than natural marble bcos compressed marble has more uniform pattern since they are man-made.

My designer was telling me that natural marble that comes in the size of 2 by 1 looks better than compressed marble (square one). Is it true?

thanks.

 

[jo jocelyn]

Gem,

A lot of suppliers in the market is supplying compressed marble. If you need to get from supplier directly, I can pass my BIL no to you. I personally feels that 2x1 marble looks nicer than square type. Cos it makes the room looks longer. I guess it is personal preferance.

 

[colorcloud]

Hi jo,

U got any idea about China granite flooring ?
What r the potential problems that would surface later ?

Thanks in advance

 

[blossom]

hi everyone,
i just renovated my hse and i used homogeneous tiles for my living and dining areas. while trying to wash the tiles, i noticed that some tiles are quite blur instead of polished. my contractor said the bluring stains will go off with frequent cleaning. is it true? can anyone recommend me a good detergent?

 

[james]

Hi there, me and my wife had just engaged an ID person from "Homesuccess" during one of the exhitbition@expo. We intend to do up our new 4-rm in good style but with budget constraint.
What impressed us is not the nice drawings or the out-of-the-world showflat. But rather the committed and genuine attitude(vs the unethical typical Ah-Beng sale contractor) of the ID person that make us part with our $500 'deposit' to 'secure' him as our designer.
Subsequently, when we compare prices with other firms and the price he quoted, we had a shocked! Cos his prices is much higher others. Besides the package price, there are a lot of hidden costs( like debris collection, permits, electric works, sink etc.) which adds up to THOUSANDS of hard CASH.
I hope any kind soul can offer me some advice.
1)Is it norm of any ID firm to quote "slaughtering" prices for their services.
2)can we ask for a discount for any quoted items without the fear that they will discount on their quality.
3)Is all the hidden costs justifiable (eg permit,debris cost) Is it the industry norm to have such hidden cost in reno package?

Hope anyone can enlighten me with your experience or advise. thanks!

 

[gwen]

Hi James,

I have been looking for a contractor myself. After looking at many ID companies' packages, I realise that the items are very basic. After adding in the additional costs, as you know, the total amount can be ridiculously high!

What I prefer is to look for the ID/contractor and get a quotation based on all the items that I require. It is then that you can know what is the total amt that you have to fork out.

The prices for ID firms tend to be higher. After all, you're paying for its designer services. Generally you can't really ask for discount off the items. Maybe you can try to communicate with the designer to get him to work within your given budget. See how it goes. Good luck!

 

[blossom]

hi james,
i share the same sentiments as gwen. i gave up going to exhibitions as i realise it is just a place for big ID firms to showoff their works and make ppl feel they are paying for value.

well, i signed up a kitchen package with an ID firm but i realise their quality and design is not as good as what i thought! i believe they have standard designs that they just use for all customers. the salesman whom we sign up with end up to be our designer. we are utterly shocked! so called design???

eventually, i signed up with a small ID firm as i feel the boss is more sincere in getting the deal. the prices are much more reasonable and no hidden costs at all!

the good thing is he never claim to be a designer but he has a designer attached to his firm.

my renovations have completed and many ppl say it is very nice. a lot of ppl who pass by also stop to look. but my only problem is the blur homogeneous tiles. the blurness reduced a bit after each wash but can anyone recommend a stronger detergent so that i need not clean so many times?

 

[banet]

we're getting abit off the topic...

[Blossom] I think the blur tiles should be a problem to be rectified by the renovator, not you yourself. Indeed u had tried.

I do approached some ID firms and local contractors. Problem is that they all think they u blur blur and try to cheat u, end up the quotes I got from those uncle contractors is comparable or even higher than the ID firms. Hiddens cost is the common trick that almost every contractors that I had dealt with.

Only advice: shop around until u're satisfied. Do no pay anything until u're satisfied. Important is that you feel comfortable with your contractor, that he's not lying to you.

banet

 

[val]

Hi James,

Maybe I can help you on some of your doubts.

Quotations from different ID firm will varies, but from what I know, some with steeper price will be able to promise good workmanship. That is because good carpenters come with a price too.(Beware of those that are too cheap to be true, they will compromise on the quality of the material so as to cut back on their own cost) There are also ID firm that charges a certain amount consultation fee on top of the total renovation cost.

As for the discount part, if you 'slash' their price too mush, the good contractors will explain to you that they might have to use alternative materials to substitue in order to match your price. Some will just give you the discount without telling you that they are actually 'discounting' on the quality as well. Unless, they have allow buffer on their side to accomodate your requested discount, if not, most often than not, they will compromise on the quality.

Some reno company just want to close the deal, that is why they will not quote the hidden charges in just to make their quote more compatitive. Until the time when you have sign on the dotted line and the renovation is progressing, they will start coming out with stuff that are not included in the quote, but are somehow related with the progress of the renovation works. End of the day, you have no choice but to top up the difference.

Hope the above advise could be of help to you.

 

[cowie]

Hi Blossom,
Try to insist that your contractor replace those tiles for you. I had such problems with some of the homogenous tiles in my living room also. But since mine was a premium flat, I reported this defect to HDB and they replaced those tiles for me.

 

[kk]

How do we really see whether the tiles are blur or not? I am curious to know so that i can check the tiles i have currently in my new flat undergoing renovation.

 

[blossom]

hi cowie,
how's ur reno? actually, my tiles are not defective. they are just very dirty from the dust everywhere. the dust is so stubborn that i must clean a few times before the tiles shine...

overall, the homogeneous tiles are very reflective. no one notices the blurness but i examine tile by tile... maybe i am too demanding.

 

[kk]

Actually i thought homo tiles shouldn't shine too much. It shines less than normal ceramics tiles. Of course, unless u have got urself gloss homo tiles, if not, guess the blurness or whatever won't easily show.

 

[cowie]

Hi Blossom,
Reno in the process

Should finish by end June

In your case, shouldn't your contractor undertake the cleaning of the tiles for you?

Hi kk,
What I did was stand against the light source (windows will be the best). Any "grazed" or "blur" tiles should show up very easily when you see from far

 

[blossom]

hi cowie,
that's good!

my contractor did acid cleaning for me but there are still minor stains behind. i think i can clean it myself, it's just that i have to spend some time and effort.

 

[maljac]

Anyone, considering to install homogenous tiles remember to choose square tiles that is 300 by 300 or 500 by 500. NEVER ever choose rectangle tiles because of of the flatness of the tile during manufacturing. And also homogenous tiles r porous therefore extra effort in maintaining them is important.

 

[kk]

Yup. Mine are square tiles

 

[:]

Hi,

Mine is granite flooring for whole house 90sq m.
And I think pricing wise is quite reasonable. In fact, we are quite pleased with our renovations works.

 

[dixie]

I am thinking of using 2ft X 2ft(60cm x 60cm) china homogeneous tiles (abt 4plus per sq ft). But after hearing advises from some contractors, I am hesitant abt it -- They told me that large tiles warp easily. Also, there might be a hollow sound if homogenous tiles are used. Any idea what it meant when they say the tiles 'warped'?

Anybody have done up with such big size homogenous tiles?

Any advise?

 

[colorcloud]

Hi Dixie,

I've also considered 2 by 2 ft Homo tiles b4, but finally used China granite instead. My contractor advised me against it, he says that the tiles look nice initially but will warp and give a uneven step at every gap between tiles. If u die die must use 2 by 2 ft homo tiles then must at least use those from Spain.

Regards,
colorcloud

 

[dixie]

Hi colorcloud,
Any difference between spain and italy tiles? My Wife still prefers homogenous tiles after considering other tiles like ceramic, marble(too ex and diff to maintain), granite(doesn't like it.. too messy).

 

[genehan]

hi dixie

the new china homo 2x2 is actually quite good. new technology by the chinese maker.

the edge is almost 90 deg to give a closer gap between tiles. all homo tiles will warp but is only abt 2-3 pct overall. warp means uneven between the top and bottom of tiles.

there is not much diff between italy and spain homo. now more spain homo becos cheaper than italian. both tiles will hv bigger gap in between becos of the 45 deg cut.


if u need more info email me at [email protected]

 

[kk]

dixie,

i am having italian homo tiles in my new house now. Very good and won't leave any stains even after cooking.

 

[celwong]

Hi all, I am now using those 2ft by 2ft type of homogenous tiles from china.

Reno still in the way, however not so happy with the end results cause big pieces easy to warp.

Therefore i request my contractor to grind the 4 edges the make it smoother, will go n check it out tomorrow.