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Tile Work
updated: Feb 03, 2013, 10:10 PM

I need to update tiles throughout my house - floors, kitchen counter, and fireplace. Does anyone know a tile person who has good design sense, and can help me choose the right tiles for each job?

Places People Are Talking About:

Adan Arellaga	California Custom Tile	Cayetano Lopez
Filemon Hernandez

What People Are Saying:

SBSAND	2013-02-03 10:12 PM
Touchstone Builders are great with tile! Call Bob Eckert at 331-3867
COMMENT 370584P	2013-02-04 05:44 AM
If you want a true professional who knows both tile and design, contact Nola at NS Ceramic on Ortega st. 962-1422. We have used her for over 12 remodels now and have always been pleased.
COMMENT 370585	2013-02-04 06:04 AM
Take some photos of your home to Tileco. Have the gals there assist with selecting a replacement. They have seen it all and have good taste. Then double check the selection with a tile installer (can't give you a name as my installer moonlights after hours from one of the big boys). The installer will tell you how much tile, grout, and thinset to order. Manage the order yourself to save the contractor markup.
COMMENT 370591	2013-02-04 06:59 AM
Another nod to Nola at NS Ceramic, it is certainly the place to start any tile job and when you get to installation a big vote for Milo Vorhees from Santa Ynez , Just plain gifted and works well with designers. We've had him for 5+ jobs all excellent and a good eye for grout choices.
COMMENT 370592P	2013-02-04 07:09 AM
I second Tileco. We have used them for every tile project in our house over the past 18 years. The folks who work there are great about giving their design ideas and advice. And the selection there is overwhelming. It will save you a lot of money to place your own order, as the previous commenter suggested.
COMMENT 370596P	2013-02-04 07:30 AM
Having just done fireplace and kitchen re-tiling, I suggest NS, too. Robin is great there, as well as Nola. TileCo is OK, but I don't think they have the same degree of design skill, and they definitely don't have the same breadth of selection, especially for artistic tile. It's fine for more mainstream tile, and Mexican tile. NS may cost more, I am not sure, but you get every penny's worth you pay for. Who you choose depends on whether you are starting from scratch inspiration and knowledge-wise, or if you have an idea of what you want.
SANDYINSB	2013-02-04 07:43 AM
I have done 5 remodels in Santa Barbara, I love both tile companies mentioned, but if you have to purchase a lot of (mostly marble) tile, go to Emser Tile (818) 718-2933. That's where the tile companies buy their tile. The best tile design/installation person that I know of is Javier Jaramillo, Jaramillo Tile (805) 886-9919. Call him and he'll take care of it all, such as finding replacements, design work. He has designed bathrooms, showers, fountains, entries, and does amazing work. Honest, dependable, I can't say enough good things about him. Everyone who uses him just loves him and his crew. They're the best.
COMMENT 370609	2013-02-04 07:53 AM
At least start at Tileco. Great showroom and staff, you can get lots of ideas and take samples home to see what works. we have also used them several times over the years, always happy.
COMMENT 370619	2013-02-04 08:49 AM
Another for Tileco. Tiled our whole house with them.
BEACHBIKER	2013-02-04 09:16 AM
Noe Bailey. She's excellent! Did my kitchen floor and hearth, then the neighbor's new bathroom. She directed me to Margaret at Tileco for excellent advice on type of tile and Noe did the design and labor. Call 805 570 3399.
COMMENT 370628	2013-02-04 09:23 AM
Cayetano Lopez 845-6257 Probably not the cheapest, but does great custom work. He and his crew "get it". He has a very intuitive design sense.
COMMENT 370632	2013-02-04 09:31 AM
Tileco! I just did two baths and a kitchen. It's family owned and run.
COMMENT 370633	2013-02-04 09:38 AM
Another vote for Cayetano Lopez. We just remodeled our entire house and are extremely happy with his work! Very good attention to detail and very easy to work with.
COMMENT 370634	2013-02-04 09:40 AM
Yep, Tileco has a great selection and speak with Margaret. She helped us immensely after the Tea Fire.
COMMENT 370640P	2013-02-04 10:14 AM
Nola at NS Ceramic has excellent design sense--you won't find better.
COMMENT 370653	2013-02-04 10:45 AM
Cayetano Lopez completely designed and tiled our new bathroom. His design suggestions were excellent and his crew worked meticulously. And Cayetano was a pleasure to work with.
COMMENT 370663	2013-02-04 11:08 AM
cheryl fontana is fantastic, knows tile and does great designs. she did my bathroom and kitchen; referred her to friends who are thrilled with her knowledge, design sense, and her positive supportive character. contact at /cherylfontanadesign dot com or 805-563-1214
COMMENT 370667	2013-02-04 11:27 AM
We did a remodel a few years back and Tileco was - hands down - the worst company and offered the worst customer service throughout the entire process. They are hardly the only company in town that loses interest in you once they have your money in their hands (although they were the most blatantly obvious about it) but they virtually got everything wrong that they possibly could. Ordered the wrong materials, over-charged us, much of the tile ended up being broken, and deliveries were late or didn't show up at all. And since we had already paid up-front the response or assistance when we needed help was "disinterested" at best. The receipts and invoices they provided used store codes instead of line-item descriptions so it was exceedingly difficult to figure things out. I could go on but my blood boils just thinking about it, even years later. Maybe they treat contractors or subcontractors better than Joe and Jane Q. Public like us, but caveat emptor with Tileco!
COMMENT 370681	2013-02-04 12:18 PM
Adan Arellaga is our tiler/ carpenter 252-5428. We've worked with him on remodels for 8 years. Working in the industry all the time, he knows the codes. He advised us to change our marble fireplace design, because he said, "In Montecito they do it this way". He remodeled a kitchen for us in 21 days in his spare time. He advised me how much weight the countertops could hold. He made sure the dish washer could get in and out. He spent 2 hours with me laying out the kitchen countertop and splash stone grain flow and marking where each piece was going to go 1st. NS Ceramic,Tileco, Tile Encounters, Jack's Kitchens are good to talk to about design and what is new on the market. Take measurements and try to define your design style before you start. For larger tile purchases I buy in LA - StoneMart, or any of the tile warehouses along the Anaheim train tracks called "tile mile".
COMMENT 370683	2013-02-04 12:36 PM
Another vote for Nola at NS Ceramic. She has the most extensive showroom in town - if she doesn't have it, she can get it. And her customer service is outstanding. She has a wonderful design sense and works very closely with most local installers who do quality work. She comes highly recommended.
COMMENT 370694	2013-02-04 01:30 PM
What do you know, we already have a tile referral on the Edhat referral page! I'll say it again, Jason Dave with California Custom Tile 805-565-8453, 805-701-8453. I guess Edhat is OK with resurrecting this topic frequently. Always the same info given. Broken record... Tile Co outright lied to me about the tile I bought for the job Jason and his crew did in my house. I specifically was shopping for a tile with color throughout it, in case it got chipped I wanted it to not look so obvious. They assured me the tile I chose had color throughout. Nope. I won't bring them my business again.
AUNTIE S.	2013-02-04 02:43 PM
I guess it's getting old by now, but I'll cast my vote for Tileco too. I bought the tile for two projects and they recommended a very good but little known tile setter.
COMMENT 370806	2013-02-04 07:30 PM
Filemon Hernandez. 331-3411. Attention to detail. Does the best job I've seen on the prep: floating walls and waterproofing. Things line up.
COMMENT 370830P	2013-02-04 09:17 PM
Jason Dave at California Custom Tile is great to work with, his tile work is pure art and I love his design sense. He is a competent general contractor as well. 805-701-8453.