STL Tile Specialist LLC

Jim and Tony did a great job. Showed up on time and completed work in timely fashion. Cleaned up after all work was done. These two former veterans were great to work with and would highly recommend to anyone and will call Jim again if any other tile work is needed.

Jim did a great job! We look forward to him working on several additional projects for us.

No problems at all

Jim Kelly and his assistant were perfect! He was prompt, professional, friendly, tolerant of my 3 terriers (actually loves dogs!), and did a great job. They were a pleasure to work with, I've already recommended to 2 friends that need tile work. I am also a tiler (for my own projects) but I had surgery and haven't installed a heat mat before. So I am particular and know what it's worth $. My new floor is beautiful and warm! I wish all my contractors were this easy to hire and this competent. Plus he's a super nice guy!

Beautifully. I had purchased some handmade accent tiles in Guatemala and knew because of their irregularity that I would need a tiler who had patience and a good eye for composition in order to incorporate them into a backsplash. I had already experienced reluctance on the part of other installers, but when I saw STL Tile Specialists' information, I had a feeling I had found the one and I was right. There was no hesitation on his part. The job was done expertly, cleanly and in a timely fashion. I am looking around the house for an excuse to use them again.

Jim did an EXCELLENT job in removing and replacing tile in an old bathroom. Our bathroom tile looks beautiful! He was meticulous in his work to make sure that the job was done right. He gave us a recap daily of what work he had accomplished and what he planned doing the next day. He found superior grout to the grout we had purchased. He was willing to do extra jobs for us, such as building a box to elevate the bathroom vanity. He was willing to talk to other workers we needed bids from when we were not available. He is the ONLY person I would let touch tile in our home.

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We had previously received 4 other bids to remodel the shower in our master bathroom....all were much higher and most were all inclusive. Jim's bid was lower and simple......labor and detailed supplies. We were able to purchase and install high end fixtures. We selected and purchased the tile. Jim (owner) picked up the tile along with needed supplies. My husband and I demolished our old shower and adjacent closet down to studs with the goal of extending the wall on each side and making the entire area a large walk in shower. Jim and his assistant Tony, framed and installed drywall, installed custom built shower pan, new tile in the entire shower, and custom built niche and seat. They removed and installed part of the master bath floor tile to accommodate the new dimensions. They also installed new tile in a few other areas of the floor. Overall, it turned out well. Several areas of tile in the shower are not aligned as well as we would prefer it to be. They chipped one of our custom made mirrors but were quick to contribute funds to help pay to replace it. Jim was very accommodating with the design and layout for the project. They cleaned up at the end of each day. At completion, they swept and cleared out our garage used to store the products and supplies during the install. Very professional and personable. I REALLY loved the fact that they did not smoke..at least on our property. We are nonsmokers. As far as using them again, we are on the fence. There are a few areas of the shower that should look more professional than they do. The custom built seat looks great. Not crazy that water puddles on it, however. They did not do a horrible job but I also cannot say it was excellent either. During the build, I pointed out to Jim an area of misaligned tile on the wall. He stated he was doing the best he could. That did not sit very well with me. We will probably try someone else next time.

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So how did it go!? Well.. I kinda think I already explained above :-) It looks GREAT!!! but I do wanna tell more about him...
Jim did EVERYTHING we asked of him. When it came to a point where we weren't totally happy about how the window frame was put bk around/over the tile.. we got a little nervous that he would balk.. but he didn't at all!!! He completely agreed w/ us and redid it perfectly!!! He asked us a lot of questions to make sure that he understood our expectations..and when we had questions he never made us feel like we were getting into his business. He was more than eager to please which really put us at ease. How often does one get their entire bath redone?! Not often! At least not us!  When we redid our hardwood floors, the guy did a nice job but IF we asked questions he took it as a personal attack on his business & his personal character.. when all we did was wanna enjoy the process and learn from it.. So we very much appreciated Jim's time and patience w/ us.
Jim came regularly and always let us know when he was coming & going. As we were at work, he had to let himself in.. which was no issue at all and he cleaned up everyday. He also came ahead to bring his stuff to make sure the he was ready to go on day one! I also have to say... we were on his schedule/calendar for several weeks.. which was fine.. b/c after having 5 different bids..  we really wanted HIM to do the work... Well.. sadly.. the week he was to come, his home was flooded in that big/historic Dec storm. :-( Our hearts when out to him!! This did delay the work by a day or two..but who cares! I can't imagine! And yet he STILL came to do our bath?! After his home flooded out!? Despite the issues he had to deal with, he was still so positive, friendly and helpful!! And still very responsive as to when he would come/go. I don't know if I could have been so together.  Lastly, I have to say our fav thing that Jim did was leave us little 'notes' regarding what he was going to do or w/ questions that he had, sample colors, etc.. We loved that! He did it w/ such care :-) 
Anyway...  I'm prob leaving something out.. but I hope you have a good sense of his work ethic and quality..
SEE FOTOS & PLZ NOTE that we are not finished.. We are stripping wood, painting, adding lighting,etc.. so fotos aren't finished... he wasn't hired to do that work... what you see is the work we did hire him for :-) 

Jim Kelly was a prince to work with.  Very accommodating, brought good design ideas and he worked cleanly..  Very professional and punctual.  We did a total gut rehab on our house and the work he did is what made the project really pop.  The prep he did to the shower he built ensured that it will never leak.  Use this man with confidence.  His commitment to excellence is evident in the quality of work produced.  I've rehabbed over 50 houses and I wish I had known Jim when I was doing this work full time.  He would have had all my tile business.

So how did it go!? Well.. I kinda think I already explained above :-) It looks GREAT!!!?but I do wanna tell more about him... Jim did EVERYTHING we asked of him. When it came to a point where we weren't totally happy about how the window frame was put bk around/over the tile.. we got a little nervous that he would balk.. but he didn't at all!!! He completely agreed w/ us and redid it perfectly!!! He asked us a lot of questions to make sure that he understood our expectations..and when we had questions he never made us feel like we were getting into his business. He was more than eager to please which really put us at ease. How often does one get their entire bath redone?! Not often! At least not us! ?When we redid our hardwood floors, the guy did a nice job but IF we asked questions he took it as a personal attack on his business & his personal character.. when all we did was wanna enjoy the process and learn from it.. So we very much appreciated Jim's time and patience w/ us. Jim came regularly and always let us know when he was coming & going. As we were at work, he had to let himself in.. which was no issue at all and he cleaned up everyday. He also came ahead to bring his stuff to make sure the he was ready to go on day one! I also have to say... we were on his schedule/calendar for several weeks.. which was fine.. b/c after having 5 different bids..??we really wanted HIM to do the work... Well.. sadly.. the week he was to come,?his home was flooded in that big/historic Dec storm. :-( Our hearts when out to him!! This did delay the work by a day or two..but who cares! I can't imagine! And yet he STILL came to do our bath?! After his home flooded out!? Despite the issues he had to deal with, he was still so positive, friendly and helpful!! And still very responsive as to when he would come/go. I don't know if I could have been so together.??Lastly, I have to say our fav thing that Jim did was leave us little 'notes' regarding what he was going to do or w/ questions that he had, sample colors, etc.. We loved that! He did it w/ such care :-)? Anyway...??I'm prob leaving something out.. but?I hope you have a good sense of his?work ethic and quality.. SEE FOTOS & PLZ NOTE that we are not finished.. We are stripping wood, painting, adding lighting,etc.. so fotos aren't finished... he wasn't hired to do that work... what you see is the work we did hire him for :-)?

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Jim and Tony were punctual and very concerned about the dust, cabinets and existing fixtures.   They sealed off the kitchen and dust in other parts of the house was minimal.  They removed and saved tiles from 90% of the floor and fortunately I had extra from the original install.  No new tiles needed to be ordered.  They replaced the poorly installed durock (included in his bid), re-laid the tile in a better manner making the grout seams more manageable.  They cleaned up each day and did a very nice job of clean up at the end of the job in both the kitchen and the garage.  Jim and Tony provided four days of labor and saved me thousands over either having to buy new tile or having an entire floor done from scratch.

We originally had three bids from general contractors, but decided to work directly with the companies that would do the work. This saved money, allowed us to use the fixtures that we wanted, and let us select who would be in our home doing the work. Jim met with us to put together the bid and talk about what we wanted. (Jim is the owner of STL Tile Specialist and did all the work himself with Tony.) Jim was clearly a guy who was an expert at his craft and was going to do a great job. This bathroom is a heavy use area of our home, and we wanted it to not only look great but also to hold up well over the years. Jim gave us some ideas that we had not considered and recommended a great tile store (The Tile Shop in Ellisville). It was a no pressure bid process.

The work began a few weeks later and went perfectly. Jim and Tony arrived each day as we were leaving for work and finished up as we came home. They made sure our wood hallway floors were not damaged, cleaned up every day, and were patient with our questions. The entire job took two weeks, as promised, and came in right on budget. We chose to have 24x12 inch tiles installed on the floors and walls with small pebbles around the freestanding tub, in the shower pan, and in the shower niche back. The tile looks amazing. We knew it had to be right or it would bother us every day. The install is perfect and the grout lines of the walls, corners, and floor meet up nicely. This job had a lot of corner work and a large window that was framed in tile above the tub - so many opportunities for a less than awesome tile job. We are so glad we hired STL Tile Specialist to do this work.

Beyond the tile installation, Jim and Tony also handled the demolition of the existing bathroom (jetted tub, corner shower, built in vanities, tile floor), patching the drywall afterward, installing new baseboards, centering light fixtures, installing new vanities, and installing the free standing tub. Jim handled coordinating with the plumber, which saved us that work, and recommended a custom shower glass company. 

After hearing awful stories from others about bad contractors, I was thrilled to be able to work with such professional, trustworthy, and responsible people. In addition to doing an outstanding job, Jim and Tony were always nice, friendly, polite, and easy to have around. STL Tile Specialist was exactly what you hope for when you hire a contractor, and we will definitely have them back to do more work in our home and recommend them highly to others.

Jim was very easy to work with and communicative throughout the whole process.  During the installation he noticed that the tiles (purchased at Lowes) were actually from two different SKUs, and this was after he had already installed several of the tiles.  He removed them, and after I went and got them replaced at Lowes, he installed the correct tiles and got the job done in one day.  I appreciated his attention to detail.  It looks great.

I cannot say enough about how amazing these guys are.  They got the entire job done in one day.  My kitchen looks brand new. They went above and beyond from having to unexpectedly replace drywall because of a previous poor job to even scrubbing down my sink that I thought was helpless to looking completely new.  They also were wonderful with my energetic dog who usually doesn't get along with strangers.  I'm ready to book them again for another project.

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He was friendly and very easy to work with. The job looks great! We are very pleased with the results!

They were exceptional.

Jim was easy to contact and showed up to all appointments on time. He was helpful in providing suggestions and ideas for some aspects we were unsure of. He answered all questions via email and phone call. He was easy to work with and was very friendly the entire process. And he has no problem explaining what he's doing to make you comfortable about the work. They worked fast and kept everything clean as reasonably possible. Highly recommend and would hire again.

Jim and Tony did an outstanding job installing our backsplash.  I discussed the project over the phone and sent him pictures of the area to be tiled.  He quickly provided a very reasonable bid, which we accepted.  He showed up on-time and completed the entire project in less than two days.  We are extremely happy with the outcome, and will definitely recommend them to others.

Jim and his assistant did a beautiful job on this small tile installation job.  He called me within 24-48 hours with a bid.  I checked with a few other installers who gave me higher bids and were not able to service us for 1-2 months.  Jim truly is a tile specialist and not doing other home repair jobs.   We were very happy with his workmanship and would recommend him to others.