Terracotta Floor Tiles - Fired Earth - Paying for name ?

[Wheelybug]

We are in the process of redoing our kitchen and are going to have terracotta on the floor. Previously we have bought stone/tiles from Fired Earth but I seem to have been hit by the sensible stick and am beginning to wonder if we are, in fact, just paying for the name.

Does anyone have any opinions on this or know of somewhere they'd recommend for terracotta ?

Happy to pay Fired Earth's prices if the quality is much better but just wondered if it actually was (we have had issues with their grout before for example !).

thanks

I don't know about Fired Earth, I'm afraid, but we just bought all our tiles for kitchen and bathroom from this place, near Oxford: www.minoli.co.uk/index.html They're Italian and the price was fairly reasonable, I think. I don't know if you're based anywhere near there though. The showroom is excellent.

We have just had a very similar dilemma, and after getting three samples from wallsandfloors.uk.com (or something). We've decided that the quality is nothing like that of the Fired Earth ones, and I have rung up and ordered Fired Earth this morning! I think you do pay slightly for the name, but they did seem to be much thicker and stronger looking than any of the other tiles. Mind you, ours are for our hearth so cost is not so much as for a whole floor.

Thanks vacaloca - we aren't near Oxford unforetunately - we're in south west london.

Bramshott - that's really useful thanks. That was one of the sites I had looked at actually. hmm..... We can stretch to F.E. and we are going to be in our house for a while so want it to last.

Just remembered too the ones we wanted from FE were product of the month so were 15% off.....

i think yolu get what you pay for - in a lot of areas. I'd go with the fired earth ones

We once had FE carpet and then when we needed new ones shirked away from FE because of price - and the quality of the carpet and the fitting was way below FE. I think you pay a premium but it is worth it.

How exciting!

OK - you've convinced me (now to explain to DH I have been convinced by MN - he will sigh).