Whether you recently bought a house and lived there for a long time, the tiles of your bathroom and kitchen will get worn over time. As such, your place would not look so welcoming not only for your visitors but for you as well.
It may also become a problem since worn grout could cause tiles to fall and break, leading you to fall or slip the floor and have an injury. That is why grouting tiles matters, but DIY grouting can be a headache and cost you more than hiring a grout contractor in Singapore.
Yet, what does a grout contractor can do anyway? They are experts that have been grouting tiles for years, and their grout services have been proven by many. Therefore, relying on them is better than grouting the tiles of your home on your own.
Once you have decided to hire a grout contractor in Singapore, you may use the following as your guide. It will help you find the right one.
What Should You Do When Choosing the Right Grout Contractor?
As you already know, DIY grouting in Singapore is not as easy as the reality show, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. There are a lot of things to do besides mixing and spreading grout products. And you can’t do all of that while you have work, chores, and children to take care of all the time. No wonders why homeowners chose to hire a grout contractor since it eases their dilemmas.
If you think the same way, too, then you better keep the factors in mind. Following those would help you choose and hire the right grout contractor.
Do Your Research
When searching for the right grout contractor, you have to do a background check. By doing this, you would have an idea of what you are getting yourself into and if you could trust them grouting the tiles of your home.
Besides using Google to search for “recommended grout services in Singapore”, you can also count on the following means when doing your research.
-
Get Referrals from Family or Friends
Asking your peers saves you from reading online reviews and contacting previous clients of thegrout contractor. Since either your family or friends were their clients in the past, that saves you time and effort. You could ping them on WhatsApp and ask them about the grout services they had experienced. Or visit their home and see what their tiles look like after months or years of grouting.
-
Checkout Facebook Group
If none of your family and friends knows any grout contractor, that is okay. You could still seek referrals from others. These others are people from Facebook that share a common interest and problem. You might be able to find what you are looking for if you search it on Facebook and post them on the group you are a member of.
Start Reaching Out
Once you have found candidates as your grout contractor, it is time to reach out to them. You could either go to their website or Facebook page and leave them an inquiry. You could also get in touch with them through their phone number and email address.
Prepare for Interviews
However, before contacting any grout contractor in Singapore, be ready. Expect there will be a Q&A session and when it is your turn to ask, prepare your list of questions and consider recording your conversation. By doing this, you could hear again what they told you about their grout services, and that would help you later on when making decisions.
Find Out Who’s Performing the Work
Knowing who will do the tile job gives you peace of mind. It eases your anxiety that the grout contractor will go well by grouting the tiles of your floor. Therefore, before getting any grout services, ask the company who would be the person performing the job itself. If they told who it is, let them know if you could speak with that person.
Look for Work Samples
Once you are a bit convinced about the grout contractor, it is time to see how skilled they are with their job. You could do that by requesting their portfolio or ask them for work samples they have in their showroom.
Gather Your Thoughts
After you have interviewed your candidates, gather your thoughts before making any decisions. To make the right choice, consider discussing this matter with your spouse and other family members since they will also be the ones using the grouted tiles.
You can do more than these things when hiring a grout contractor in Singapore, but the above are the main ones. Remember to do them before you hire anyone. It will save you from hiring the wrong person for the job.
Common Mistakes You Might Commit When Hiring a Grout Contractor
Indeed, no one is perfect, and it is natural to make mistakes when hiring a grout contractor in Singapore for the first time. However, mistakes could cost you both of your time and money, even if you could learn from them afterwards.
That is why it is a good idea if you know what you should avoid doing before you hire a grout contractor. It gives you a head-up so you would not commit them.
Below are some of the costly mistakes that you better not commit.
Failure to Get Agreement into Writing
Letting this happen will only cause you problems. The grout contractor might change a bit about their grouting services in the last time or even charge you more. And since you cannot remember what you both talked about, you might carelessly let yourself get overcharge.
Therefore, do not let any grout services start without getting your agreement into writing. Read the contract thoroughly to ensure that there are no misunderstandings nor hidden charges written.
Paying Upfront
The problem with this is that the grout contractor may not do their job well since they already got paid. To not let that happen, make it a habit to pay 50:50. Paying in half upfront would motivate them to do their best since they might get some tip later on if they did a flawless tile job.
Settling Grouting Services in Cash
When you pay things in cash, there is no evidence you made a payment. As such, the grout contractor might insist you have not paid anything yet. That is why it is better to pay through a credit card or debit card since there are records that will act as proof of your purchase.
Neglect to Check the Work Injury Compensation Insurance
Any experts that will do manual work at your home is your responsibility not unless they have work injury compensation insurance that could cover any accident that may happen on-site.
Therefore, it matters you should ask the company if their grout contractor has this before letting them do the grouting services in Singapore.
Not Giving Out Guidelines for Working Around Your Home
If you don’t tell them anything they need to watch out for around your home, they might make mistakes. As such, you would get angry and insist the expert pay for the thing they did not intentionally do. That is why let the grouting contractor in Singapore know about what they need to look out for in your home.
Hopefully, this list of costly mistakes may remind you not to commit them when hiring a grout contractor that would be grouting the tiles of your home.
What Are the Questions You Should Ask Your Potential Grout Contractor?
Once you have a candidate in mind and consider reaching out to them, make sure you are ready. Ask the right questions so you would be able to get to grasp your potential grout contractor better. As such, you would know if they are capable of doing flawless grouting services in Singapore.
Here are the questions you might want to ask them.
How long does the grouting last?
Asking this question would give you an idea of how long it takes before the grout sealer they applied gets worn. Knowing the time will also let you know if grouting services are indeed worth availing for.
In case they cannot answer this question, that grout contractor may be hiding something from you. Therefore, consider looking for another expert if that happens.
On the other hand, the answer you should hear from them about this is around 15 to 20 years. However, that would still depend on how good the tile job is and what grouting product they use.
Do you offer a warranty in case the grouting did not go well?
Even though they are expert in grouting floors, you can never be sure what will happen. That is why it is a good idea to have a warranty for the grouting services you will be getting so you know they will take liability for any inconvenience they cause you.
If you don’t ask this, you will never know if they will compensate you when something happens with your tiles. As such, you might need to ask them to grout your floors and pay them again.
That is why if they said yes, ask them if you could have proof about the warranty for the grouting services they will perform. Having this would give you more peace of mind.
Can you provide a list of references I could contact?
There is a difference between reading reviews and contacting the previous clients themselves. That would be the authenticity if they indeed experience the grouting services from this grout contractor.
Therefore, if they provided you with a list of references, be sure to reach out to those names listed. Ask them if you could see them in person or send a picture of the grouted tiles they acquired ages ago.
Once you got the information you need, you now know what you can expect when you hire that grout contractor in Singapore. The experience their previous clients had might reflect on what experience you would encounter later on.
When will you be available to grout my tiles?
Some grout contractors handle one client at a time, while others manage more than one. To ensure they are available on the date you want your tiles grouted, ask them about their schedule. See if they have an appointment the day before your selected date.
If they do, ask them again, will they have the energy to do yours the day after. If yes, that would be great since you know they will still perform a flawless tile job.
How much is your fee?
Before signing any contract, ask the grout contractor for their grout services. The grout contractor’s fee in Singapore may differ depending on how big the bathroom and kitchen area is. There are grouting services in Singapore that offer packages, while some grout contractors charge per hour.
Knowing this would help you get your budget prepared and ready before they begin their work, grouting your floors in Singapore.
Don’t let yourself hire the wrong person. Ask these questions to your potential grout contractor in Singapore. It will help you weigh if they are the right person you are looking for! Bookmark this article so you would not forget what you should ask them later.
Conclusion
Hiring a grout contractor indeed takes away the burden of grouting the tiles of your home in Singapore. Without them, you might have to spend days trying to grout your bathroom and kitchen and redo them again when it becomes uneven. Aside from the wasted time and effort, DIY grouting could cost you more than getting grouting services in Singapore. Therefore, do yourself a favour by hiring a grout contractor. They will grout the tiles of your home on your behalf.
Use this article as your guide for you to find the right grouting contractor in Singapore. You could start now by going to Grout Pro Tech. Check out if they have the qualification to do a flawless tile job! Send them a message on their website when you decide to reach out to them today.