Tile and Stone Floor Manufacturers

Guide to Tile and Stone Floor Manufacturers

Find manufacturers of tile and stone floors for wholesale or personal use
By Niki Hampton

Partner with the right manufacturers of tile and stone flooring, and you'll be able to increase the rental and sale prices of properties you manage or own. Use these manufacturers for your own home, too, to increase its value. Tile and stone flooring is not only a key element in creating a beautiful room, but it can be both an elegant and low-maintenance touch for your decor.

With so many manufacturers of tile and stone floors from which to choose, there are many factors you need to consider when choosing the one with which you want to work. Take the time to learn about your flooring options and decide on the tile and stone flooring manufacturer that's right for your company based on price, quality and reputation. To choose a manufacturer of tile and stone floors, you need to:

1. Compare costs and quality of tile and stone floor manufacturers.

2. Know the carpet alternatives including granite, marble, limestone, tile flooring or a vinyl surface.

3. Cover your assets when investing in granite, marble, limestone and tile flooring by signing contracts that cover all aspects of your partnership with the manufacturer.

Action Steps

The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Compare products from top tile and stone flooring manufacturers Take a look at the jobs you have done in the past and notice the tile and flooring trends based on what your clients currently have on their floors and what they've ordered to replace it. This could include granite flooring, marble flooring, limestone flooring, tile flooring, ceramic or coral stone flooring. Decide which of these you wish to offer to your clients, then find a manufacturer who carries the types you've chosen to offer.

I recommend:  A leader in tile and stone flooring manufacing, Dal-Tile Corporation offers flooring dealers two of the top brand names for flooring options -- daltile and American Olean. Browse the online catalog of ceramic tile options at Monterey Ceramic Tile & Marble, Inc.

Buy both directly from the stone and tile manufacturers or from buying clubs You can supply your clients with stone and tile flooring from either the manufacturer or from buying clubs that offer a wide variety of flooring manufacturer products through one supplier.

I recommend:  StoneLocator.com serves builders and flooring companies with fine quality stone products for floors as well as other products for other areas of the house. They also ship from a large number of distribution centers and specialize in full pallet orders. DirectBuy offers a free visitor pass to allow clients to preview membership options for buying a wide range of tile floors from a variety of manufacturers at wholesale prices.

Consider offering your clients options for faux tile and stone flooring Some clients may not be able to afford authentic tile or stone flooring, but still want the rich look of these products. Offering clients vinyl floors is a great compromise.

I recommend:  Gerbert Limited offers Polyflor Expona Stone, a vinyl collection with the sophisticated look of stone, wood and tile. Order samples from long-established flooring manufacturer Armstrong to show your clients the quality of their vinyl product that looks like stone flooring. Consider the ease-of-use of Freestyle Flooring, offering commercial contracts for easy interlocking flooring with a stone look.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• Keeping all your business with one manufacturer will save you time and money, but it may not be possible if your chosen supplier doesn't offer all your choices of tile and stone flooring.
• Be kind to the environment by buying flooring from flooring manufacturers offering 'green' flooring options in the form of recycled floor covering product.