TITHOF TILE & MARBLE INC

Disappointing.

Very pleased with entire process from start to finish. I would highly recommend

unknown

It was a great experience!  As an interior designer, it's important to me that I have good working relationships with my vendors.  Tithof (and especially Cheryl Jost) is informative, helpful in the selections process AND very responsive to questions and concerns.  The tile was beautiful and delivered on time.  Cheryl has even gone out of her way in the past to assist me with client questions on a granite that my client purchased elsewhere.  I have always found Tithof to have great products and excellent service.  I highly recommend them!

unknown

Think very carefully before engaging this tile company, no matter what your friends’ experiences may be. Whenever construction goes smoothly, everyone’s happy. The way a company handles problems is indicative of their decency, honesty, and customer service.
PLEASE READ TO THE END FOR UPDATE TO PROVIDER'S RESPONSE.
Tithof does not stand behind the samples it provides as being representative of its product. I bought both slate for a mudroom floor and Oceanside glass tile for a backsplash. The representative, Brook [Last name removed], showed me a sample of slate in the show room. I specifically asked about the white splotches I noticed on the slate tile. Brook assured me that this was superficial only and would not appear after sealing. She wiped with a wet rag to show me the deep black color and no splotches. 
Total incompetence. After installed, many tiles had white spots. Even if wiped first, the white splotches re-appeared after drying AND after sealing. Brook blamed the installer for not ordering enough tile so that we wouldn’t use the ones with white splotches — at least 1/3 of the tiles I’d ordered, which were not-returnable after delivery. So I was expected to order at least 30% -50% more tile than needed, which cost I would have to "eat,"  to avoid white splotches,  We had enough tile, but so many had white splotches, it was hard to know where to put them. 
The installer actually saved the day by carefully grinding/sanding out the imperfections to remove the white splotches, which were integral to the tile (Full disclosure: I had used only the term "elbow grease" in first iteration of this review; Grinding certainly takes elbow grease) He also reapplied the sealer--all at no charge. He was honorable despite Brook's efforts to excoriate him.

The backsplash  was a disaster. We chose a glass tile to match existing granite counter. Tile arrived; I laid out an entire box of tile and several pieces from multiple boxes to be sure it was the right color. The tile I ordered was thicker than sample (they never provided a sample of the exact tile. “Sorry, we don’t have your particular choice sample in stock. This sample will be accurate.” The delivered tile looked correct when held up to light and to wall and next to samples.
After installation, the tile color was RADICALLY DIFFERENT FROM SAMPLE (See photo of samples propped against the actual installed tile).  The sample was peach, matching peach in counter; the installed tile was a muddy brown, reminiscent of the outcome of a very bad illness). John Tithof, owner, came out. Arrogant; defensive. He said we shouldn't have installed — even though looked ok before installation. He chastised us, saying we should have primed the tiles. When we said the tiles HAD been primed, he reversed himself. "Oh, no. Oceanside won't back it up if primed." Hmmm. Dissembler? 
I asked what "equitable solution could be found" for us having to rip out the muddy brown tile,  buy new tile, install it; delay of 6 weeks as our installer was on a different job. If they had offered us $100 as a sign of goodwill (The backsplash tile cost was 24 times that), Tithof would have gone a long way toward customer satisfaction. Instead they charged my credit card for the balance without my permission (contract notes they can do this. Too bad I didn’t notice that detail): If you are foolish enough to use Tithof, CANCEL YOUR CREDIT CARD AFTER MAKING DEPOSIT. Then you have some negotiating power with these arrogant charlatans––they claim to have knowledge they don’t possess and don’t stand behind their representation of the product they sell. That to me is the definition of a charlatan.

UPDATE TO PROVIDER'S RESPONSE:

Although John Tithof claims his intent is not to offer a "rebuttal," and just "educate" us all about tile, it's clear from his content that he's taking issue specifically with my review, with remarks referencing it thoughout his Tile 101 presentation. Therefore, I feel it's necessary to respond to his "not-so-subtle rebuttal."

TITHOF: "We are not happy if our clients are not happy."
If this is true, did John Tithof and his sales representative, Brook, single me out to make a mockery of this "promise?" It was clear from my interactions with both of them that they were not the least bit concerned about my "happiness." They responded in emails to my distress, and John came out to the house, but ultimately their goal was to tell us the entire color problem was our fault.  I have no doubt Tithof goes out of its way to keep their "designers and contractors" happy because they expect repeat business from them. I was just a one time client, so why bother if I'm happy?
"We pride ourselves on our service and resolution of the rare conflict."
Not so in my case. Neither tile product I ordered from Tithof was as represented: the slate had permanent, embedded white splotches and  the sample they provided for the backsplash was IN NO WAY SIMILAR to the INSTALLED PRODUCT. I emphasize INSTALLED because John repeats, "If you're not happy with the tile, don't install.'

So I'll repeat: the tile looked fine UNTIL IT WAS INSTALLED. I'm not sure why he's not getting this. I didn't expect him to reimburse me for the installed tile. (It's stamped all over the boxes: NO REFUND ONCE INSTALLED, so I knew I was simply screwed).  I merely expected some sort recognition that, for whatever reason (certainly not in my control) that the sample was PEACH ( as was the uninstalled tile) but MUDDY BROWN AFTER INSTALLATION. With a reputation to uphold one would think Tithof might have made a small  gesture of goodwill or apology and offered a TOKEN CREDIT. I never asked for reimbursement; I simply wrote the following, taken directly from my email to Brook on 5/8/13: "How can Tithof help us reach an equitable solution for receiving a tile that, once installed, bears no resemblance in color to what we ordered based on the sample provided by Tithof?" 

Just look at the photo. THE TILE COLOR CHANGED RADICALLY AFTER INSTALLATION! I never would have installed this tile if it had appeared muddy brown out of the box!  Even a coffee shop offers a token gesture of a free coffee if it makes a tiny mistake on your order. Could John have offered $100--anything? on a $4,000 order––just to say, "Hey, sorry for your trouble," especially when BOTH tiles I bought from Tithof were not as represented? Just clueless. I wouldn't be writing this negative review if he had shown any concern for my "happiness." All they offered was a large helping of blame directed to me and my installer.

(As an aside, I would be wary of using Oceanside tile. It's beautiful, but as you can see, many opportunities for messing up and the home owner has no real recourse with these radical color differences.)


2. THE SLATE: John states the obvious: "Natural stone has variances." I love the variances in natural slate -- the operative word is "variances"--the uneven texture, the lovely differences tile to tile - - not GIANT WHITE BLOTCHES AS IF FROM A BIRD VISITATION.

Here's a direct quote from my email to Brook, trying to figure out what to do about these blotches :
"Re: the slate:  If you'll notice on the sample, there were all sorts of white and grey spots showing, and as said,  I was informed that the whole tile would become black once sealed."

John is right: those white bl

Otis was extremely professional and knowledgeable plus even came by a 2nd time to ensure he had the correct measurements.  He is a straight shooter and did not try and upsell at all, unlike another company I received a quote from. 
And, the best part was the work was absolutely perfect.  Everyone I dealt with at the company was top notch and would highly recommend for all your tile needs as I plan in using them in the future.

Everything went well - they worked with our deadline.
Slightly pricier than others, but a really nice job.

I worked with Cheryl who is experienced and knowledgeable about her product and design.  She helped me find a green tile which was not an easy task.  She did a beautiful layout drawing and was efficient and helpful.  I reccommend them highly for service and professionalism.

It was hard to match the marble and the match was worse than we were led to believe from the sample. The repair work was done meticulously; a very difficult job.

WEVE USED THEM BEFORE, AND THEY STAND BEHIND THEIR PRODUCT

WEVE USED THEM BEFORE, AND THEY STAND BEHIND THEIR PRODUCT

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