Cancelling on tiler- offering to pay?

[Friedbanana]

Feel like an absolute ridiculous person writing this!! but we had a quote for our hallway being tiled, tiler came out in the morning to measure up and provide quote. He then offered to sort our tiles so paid for samples for me to see and bought them to the house- stayed for 20 or so mins at 8 in morning discussing the floor/pattern, very professional and patient, then we changed our mind about the tiles/pattern and again he was very patient. He drew out a to scale drawing in order for the tile manufacturer to work out quantities for us. The original date was never set in stone as he gets jobs with a builder at short notice sometimes, but we’ve now said around mid September. However with the new pattern the border isn’t prelaid sheets so he’s said he will have to charge £500 more as it’s more work. The job including the tiles is now £4000 and although we’ve got the savings and have wanted to do it for a while, I’ve just ripped up the carpets and seen the lovely original floorboards underneath! I have had a peak in the past but DP said I couldn’t rip them up entirely. Anyway, they are in better condition than I expected and I’ve just had this realisation that it’s perhaps ridiculous to spend £4K on tiles when we could sand and stain the original floorboards for a fraction of that.. I’m terrible at making decisions and am so very frugal as a person, 99% of our furniture is second hand, as a result we do have lots of savings so can afford to splash out on the tiles but I’m just really really having second thoughts about them as it just seems so extravagant!! Apart from the house these tiles will be the single most expensive thing I’ve ever bought 😂😂 Anyway, if I was to cancel, I’d obviously want to offer to pay him for the time he’s already put in, drawing the to scale drawing and going back and forth with tile company, what would it be reasonable to offer, or shall I just ask him what he will charge? And how much should I expect him to charge? I suppose it’s still 2 months notice but I’m so conscious that I’ve been an absolute pain in the arse changing my mind about the pattern/tile manufacturer and our WhatsApp chat looks like we’re in a relationship the amount of messages I’ve sent 😂😫 ps. Still not sure whether I’m cancelling, lol what’s wrong with me!! Sorry for the lack of punctuation and sense in this post!

I'd pay him for the samples, a decent hourly rate for the prep he's put in so far (including ordering the samples, travel to your house etc - be realistic) and a reasonable call out fee.

You've given him good notice.

And go with the floorboards!

I think he returned the samples so will have got the money back, thanks for this, what would you say hourly rate should be? Thanks!

Depends if he's an artisanal craftsman / designer or a standard tiler.

How guilty do you feel? I'd give the latter more than the former

Are you thinking of a couple of hundred? Less?

When it comes to labour, the price will depend on the experience of the tiler, the size of the company and your location, with prices in London tending to be higher. Ultimately, rates per square metre can vary between £20 and £40 per square metre. However, tilers can also charge by the day rate if they’ll be there for more than six hours or so, which can come to between £150 and £200 per day.

Google suggests this OP, maybe average out at £30/hr and go from there?

I think I would offer him his day rate and ask if he thinks that’s fair

Thank you all, £30 hour sounds reasonable, I was thinking around £100! But now I’m actually thinking of going with the tiles 😂 spent yet more time I should be sleeping trawling the Internet trying to find the correct answer 😂 the floorboards are pretty nice but not amazing, some have been cut into and replaced, couple of large chips etc.. and we have a dog with scratchy claws.. and the whole house feels a little shabby with the original boards in the reception rooms so I do think the tiles will smarten things up.. it’s just my inner frugalness i can’t shake!!

He’s charging £2000 for 5 days so day rate £400 :o I don’t think it would be normally, think just because the border is small tiles so it’s quite intricate work.. he’s not a specialist Victorian tiler but I have seen pictures of one hallway he’s done before which looked really good!

I would ring him apologise for changing your mind and explain about wooden floor underneath carpet. Offer to reimburse him for the spent. He will tell you we hat he wants.

Ok so this is the floor, what do you think? It’s not all that great is it.. maybe I’ll start a new thread asking people if they’d tile over it? The tiles we are going for are very in keeping with the period of the house!

Go for tiles!

They don't look like amazing boards unfortunately, sorry. As you say there are a few that are cut & chipped so I can't picture the finished product looking great.

Go with the tiles - those floor boards are not great. I understand the hesitation - it’s a lot of money. Think of it as a long term investment - in both the house and your happiness.

I don't think the floorboard look in very good condition. I'd go with the tiles.

We had a very similar situation and I was feeling weird about spending money on the hallway as it’s not even a room! We went for tiles and I LOVE them. It’s not an exaggeration to say they make me happy every day. Worth every penny.

I have an inner frugalness problem too. I have to remind myself that I've worked really hard and this is what I want to spend my money on, and all that's stopping me is me! It's a forever feature that you know you want and like. It's not wasting it, it's an investment in the house and you will make a return on it in money as well as enjoyment.

It's not like you'll be taking it up again and putting something else down instead, THAT would be a waste on money!

Honestly I wouldn't keep those floorboards. Not sure what is underneath but consider draughts also. I would go for the tiles as planned.

Tiles! I think you are having a wobble due to the amount of money. Those floorboards aren't great. The tiles will be a lovely welcome to the house and make you happy.

If you do go for tiles make sure you keep spares in case a plumber needs to get under to sort out leaks with the radiator.

Carry on with the tiling

Go for the tiles. Failing that I think offering him his day rate for however long he’s already spent. £400 may well be his day rate.

We had our Victorian hall wooden floor refinished and I wish we’d gone with tiles. 5 people in the house & 2 dogs.

I would replace the boards but make sure you can lay lengthways, will look better. I had solid oak boards fitted, cost £6000 for 80 sqm

Deep breath, big girl pants, if you can afford it go with the tiles!

The tiles will look beautiful and be much harder wearing than the wooden floor.

I have sanded floors myself but the boards are better than yours. I have to have rugs everywhere though and they still need redone as the pine scratches easily. I'll probably go for tiles in future.

You can afford the tiles and they are something that you will see everyday so get them