Advice B&Q or Wickes

[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

 

[demi34]

Never bye tiles from b&q and wickes the quality very poor.

 

[Martino]

It's places like wickes and BBQ that are making the smaller family run businesses struggle. I honestly do not no of any trades person who would recommend anything reform these places....they are aimed at the novice DIY er. 99% of the time you can get a better product for cheaper at your family run/smaller businesses.

again this is my own opinion but I guarantee a lot of other tradesmen will agree with me.

if you have a tiler in mind ask where he recommends....he might be able to sort you out a overall supply and fit price at a decent price

 

[DHTiling]

Budget of 10 quid a mtr for tiles.. god help the tiler when he puts a price in .. :lol:

 

[Peter]

Most tile shops will have discontinued/end of line for £10-15 per metre so worth asking. No point supporting B&Q when tile shops are going to the wall all over the country.

 

[Andy Allen]

talk to a tiler first, he will be able to advice you, and maybe get you some discount on better quality tiles..

 

[John Benton]

As all the above have said, my local supplier have discontinued lines and over-ordering left over from bigger jobs. They generally want to get rid as they are taking up space. They generally start about £10-12 for ceramics. Make sure you get a few more metres than you need as well, for cuts and waste, and also keep a box back cos chances are if you go to buy some if you damage one then they'll be gone.

I got my brother 7m of full bodied Italian polished porcelain for his kitchen. They were £75 per m and I got them for £27 per m. They were just left over from a big job at a hotel.

 

[Two-Trowels]

My most recent customer got 13x10 white ceramics from Wickes and they were spot on, nice edges, good sizing and flat as a pancake and only £8 per meter, but got to add to this they looked at some others there and asked for my opinion and I had to tell them to leave them as they never passed the face to face test - middles together and 5mm gaps at top and bottom.

 

[Dougs Third Go]

I recently did a 20m2 bathroom with 600 x 300 tiles from Wickes, and I must say that I was pleasantly surprised at the quality, no size variation or bowing. As for B and Q, I'd run a mile if someone asked me to fit their tiles.

 

[Ian]

Of all the sheds, Wickes tiles are the better quality. I've fitted a fair amount of their tiles and have to say, I don't mind them. My one piece of advice is, steer clear of homebase, shocking quality at over inflated prices.

 

[macten]

I agree - I expect the worst when fitting tiles from Wickes but like Doug and Bri, always been pleasantly surprised.
B+Q has always been a lottery, sometimes they are fine and sometimes absolutely awful.

Just remember a good tiler can make a bathroom look a million dollars with cheap and nasty tiles and a bad tiler can ruin a bathroom using the best tiles in the world.
Something to bare in mind when choosing your tiler.