# Warranty ??



## primetimeon (Mar 16, 2009)

Hey guys I am just wondering what kind of warranty you are all offering on tile floors? I offer one year but thinking about jumping up to five. Am I asking for trouble?


----------



## angus242 (Oct 20, 2007)

primetimeon said:


> Hey guys I am just wondering what kind of warranty you are all offering on tile floors? I offer one year but thinking about jumping up to five. Am I asking for trouble?



Depends what methods/products you use. I offer 10 years.


----------



## kevjob (Aug 14, 2006)

10 years with the orange stuff, with regualr maintence.


----------



## srwcontracting (Dec 11, 2009)

I don't offer unless asked, but when I do its usually 5yrs


----------



## Kyras (Jan 2, 2010)

Years ago, I asked an atty to make me a guarantee statement. He told me I was nuts. I got him to do it anyway, but he said I was a fool to put anything like that in writing.

It's lying around someplace, fact is, no one ever really asked for it. The few times anyone asks, I reply, "If something goes wrong, call me. If it's my fault, I will fix it." I don't really have a time limit. If it's my fault, it's my fault.

HOWEVER. If you have used your bathroom for 5 years, you will not have used it for free and are not entitled to a brand new shiny bathroom for free. Like a tire company with a road hazard, I will pro-rate the cost of the job. That is fair for everyone. I recall I did this once. That's the only job I can think of that went wrong after a length of time. Usually, if a tile job goes bad, it will be within the first two years or less, anyway.

The other part of that guarantee is a disclaimer. Shade does not match, tile out of production, you had one tile crack. I am not replacing your whole floor for free. Chances are, I left you spares anyway, but discontinued tile ain't my responsibility. Some for grout colors. I don't run the factory.

The thing is, it has to be MY fault. Not the framer, not the plumber, ME. Often that will be an unknown until demolition is done. But if it's me I will step up. I've been in the same town, setting tile, for 30 years. I'm not going anywhere, and I don't screen my calls.


----------



## boman47k (Oct 13, 2006)

What constitute fault? Tiles just coming up?


----------



## Kyras (Jan 2, 2010)

My fault? Oh there's lots I could screw up. Even if the job looks primo. Based on things I've torn out, done by others, poor workmanship/ lack of understanding of waterproofing is number one. Not laminating underlayments. Using drywall nails. Too small of a notch on the trowel. Allowing thinset to kick over before tile is set. Using too much water in grouting (soft grout). Not backbuttering tiles when appropriate.

Just today we were staring at a kitchen floor. The builder, who is a good guy, had his guys set the floor. Now, 6 months later, they have fixed it three times in various places. Yeah, the joints catstep (run out of joint) due to sizey tiles, yes there is some lippage, those are visible complaints. But what keeps happening is the grout is popping out. Ruh roh!

First thing I do is tap the floor for loose tiles. You know the tiles are loose. Nope. The underlayment laminated? Yup. The subfloor beefy enough? Yup. The problem is the electric wheelchair that weighs 500 pounds. That's known as "live load", much different than foot traffic. The 2x8 joists under the floor are flexing.

The point is, the tile work must also be built to suit its purpose. As the expert, the burden is on me to ensure that. Yeah, there are lots of things I can do wrong that don't show up for a while. And if it's my fault, I need to fix it. Free.

Back when I ran a big crew, we had a commercial kitchen floor. The guy wanted it done right. We did it right. Except for one thing. It did not drain. Water puddled. I don't know why my foreman screwed the pooch, but the reason why doesn't even enter into it. It's not right. There are two ways you can go then, either bit and piece it and patch the waterproofer as you rip and raise sections and hope it drains (while you hold up the entire job and the opening of the restaurant farting around) or tear it up.

We tore it up. All $10,000 dollars worth. We were slingin' sledges the very next morning. When it was over, that floor drained. Like a skateboard park. I could have drug my feet. I could have made him take me to court, after he paid another company to redo it. But you have to see it from the customer's viewpoint. Right is right and wrong ain't right and you can't defend it no matter how much you want to.

I've seen guys get mad, really mad and yell and scream and stomp off when things went south. That's the moment of truth. You gotta step up and take the pain.


----------



## boman47k (Oct 13, 2006)

Good answer. I appreciate the line of reasoning in that reply.


----------



## Bill_Vincent (Apr 6, 2005)

How's this for a warranty statement:

"When we install tile or stone on your project with Laticrete premium mortars & grouts your tile & stone work will be covered by a lifetime warranty."

And Laticrete WILL back that up.



> That's known as "live load", much different than foot traffic.


Although it IS a live load, so is foot traffic. More importantly in this case, it's also called point load (all the weight being concentrated in a very small area).


----------

