I was literally blown off my seat with the quotes for flooring. On average they were coming in at about $15/sq foot for everything, which would run us $3,000 for the tile, materials, and installation. We knew we had to do better than this. We had a remarkable experience at Giant Flooring and picked up some really nice Italian porcelain for 99 cents a sq foot (saving $3/sq foot, $600 total savings). I hauled it back to project hillside to avoid delivery charges. Next, we went to the local Lowes and once again the staff were willing to give me tips and tricks. I picked up all the backboard I would need (10 sheets, $10/sheet, 5x3 hardiboard), the thin-set, as well as the hardiboard screws. Total cost of supplies was about $150. Next, I embarked on a job I thought would take a few hours, turning into about an 8 hour job. I laid all the hardiboard myself, with a total of about 600 screws. My process was:
1. Level floor where required
2. Thin set applied with 1/4 trough
3. Place cement backer board on floor
4. Ensure level
5. Screw (about 50 screws per board)
6. Ensure level
7. Move on
I would say it was about 30 minutes per 5x3 section and I had 10 sections, with cuts. So, 5 hours of that, plus other time doing additional prep-work, etc. The end result was a floor with backerboard installed and ready for tile. I hired someone to install the tile for $400. I did not want to do it myself because I wasn't confident with my cuts and I honestly didn't have the time.
Grand total for the floor: $750
Total savings: $2,250
The porcelain
Installing backer board
Making progress on backer board
Back area complet