What to Bring to a Tile Store in Bellingham

Showing up at a tile store in Bellingham with nothing but a saved board of inspiration photos usually ends in a pleasant conversation and no decision. Showing up with a handful of measurements, a few photos of the room and some basic facts about what is under the floor ends with a shortlist you can actually order from. The difference is about twenty minutes of homework.

This is the list we wish every customer brought. None of it is complicated, and most of it you can gather on a weekday evening with a tape measure and your phone.

Measurements that are actually useful

Total square footage is the number everyone brings, and on its own it is the least useful one. Bring the dimensions of each surface separately:

• Floors: length and width of each rectangle in the room, including closets, the toe-kick area and anywhere under a freestanding tub.
• Walls: height and width of each wall you plan to tile, with windows, doors and outlets marked.
• Showers: each wall, the curb length, the niche size and whether the ceiling is being tiled.
• Backsplashes: each run from end to end, the height from countertop to upper cabinets, and where the range hood and window sit.

A rough sketch on graph paper with those numbers is worth more than one total, because layout decides how much tile you lose to cuts. A herringbone floor or a diagonal lay wastes more than a straight lay, and a room full of short walls and corners wastes more than one long, uninterrupted run.

Photos of the room in its real light

Take photos at the time of day you use the room most, with the lights you actually have on. Bellingham's winter light is flat and grey for months, and a warm white that looks creamy in a bright product photo can go dingy in a north-facing bathroom in the Lettered Streets. Your photos help us steer you toward tones that hold up.

Photograph what is staying, too: the countertop, the vanity, the floor in the next room, the cabinet finish, the trim color. Tile has to get along with its neighbors, and it is much easier to judge a match against a photo than against a memory.

What is underneath

Tile is only as good as the surface it sits on. Find out what you can before you come in:

• Floors: is it a concrete slab or wood framing over a crawlspace? If it is framed, does the floor bounce or creak when you walk across it?
• Walls: bare studs, drywall, cement board, old tile, or a waterproofing membrane? Wet areas need a properly waterproofed substrate, and that is a conversation for your installer.
• Heat: is there radiant heat in the floor, or are you planning to add it?

You do not need to be an expert. "It's an older house on a crawlspace and the bathroom floor feels a little soft" is enough to change what we would suggest. Natural stone and very large tiles are less forgiving of a floor that moves than smaller porcelain is.

How the room gets used

Tell us who uses the space and how hard. A kids' bathroom, a rental unit, a primary shower, an entry where a dog comes in from a wet walk around Lake Padden. The same good-looking tile can be a smart pick in one of those rooms and a headache in another:

• Polished stone on a shower floor is slippery. A matte porcelain with some texture is not.
• Marble near a coffee station or a fruit bowl will etch from acids.
• Handmade tile like zellige is full of character and also full of chips and edges that a fussy cleaner may dislike.

Your constraints, written down

Write down the things that are not negotiable before you start looking, so they filter the options for you:

• Timing: when your installer is booked. We do not promise lead times, so the earlier you settle the tile, the more options you keep.
• Your installer's preferences: some installers have strong views on formats, thickness or particular setting materials. Some love handmade tile; some would rather not set it.
• Must-haves and deal-breakers: "needs a matching bullnose," "no white grout," "nothing polished on the floor."
• A rough budget range: not to hold you to it, just so we are not showing you natural stone when you want a hard-wearing porcelain for a rental.

Browse our Bellingham tile store online first

You can narrow things down from home. Our tile category covers porcelain, ceramic, natural stone, mosaics, zellige and cement tile, with most of the range coming from Bedrosians and Daltile, plus Florida Tile, Arizona Tile and MSI. Shortlist three or four products you like, even loosely, and bring the names. It gives the conversation a starting point.

When you are ready, email your sketch and photos to [email protected] or call (360) 255-8377. You can also find us at 1201 Cornwall Ave STE 109 in Bellingham, WA, Monday through Friday, 8am to 5pm. If you only decide one thing first, decide which surface matters most, whether that is the floor, the shower or the backsplash, because the rest of the room gets chosen around it.