Porcelain Equivalent Of Black Quartz Stardust

[berilac]

Hi all,

A newbie here and looking to buy the black quartz starlight or stardust,
Stardust Black 60x60 | Topps Tiles

Is this porcelain ? If not I was wondering if there was a porcelain equivalent of that I could purchase online or in a shop,

My tiler has recommended porcelain and prefers that over Granite,

Thanks
ST

 

[gamma38]

My advise, change your tiler.......... Unless he has given you a sensible reason as to why you shouldn't have Quartz then don't use him.

 

[Old Mod]

Hi ST,
Welcome to the Forum,

Stardust is a Quartz & Resin Tile, not Granite!

 

[gamma38]

There are a few reasons not to use it, main being if it's going on under floor heating, but Topps Quartz from memory is fine with under floor heating.

 

[berilac]

I dont have underfloor heating, would you recommend

1. I buy the topps stardust or can I buy the same product online for a better price,
2. are there any other options you can recommend (other than a Qtz/resin tile)
3. a good tiler! I am based in North west london (kitchen/bathroom approx 5 m2)

Thanks
ST

 

[Old Mod]

If you would like to advertise for a tiler then click here;

Tiling Jobs | Find a Tiler


.

 

[berilac]

thanks I have done that,

Would you or others have any idea on the below

I dont have underfloor heating, would you recommend
1. I buy the topps stardust or can I buy the same product online for a better price,
2. are there any other options you can recommend (other than a Qtz/resin tile)

 

[White Room]

Could go for a sparkly granite, the tiles you mentioned are the gulf quartz and your tiler would have no problem with them other than the adhesive would be a 2 part.

 

[gamma38]

I wouldn't buy an online equivalent for cheaper. There have been a few threads on here regarding problems people have had with them. The stardust from Topps you would be fine with or as Whitebeam says a galaxy granite.

 

[Lee@emctiles]

I wouldn't buy an online equivalent for cheaper. There have been a few threads on here regarding problems people have had with them. The stardust from Topps you would be fine with or as Whitebeam says a galaxy granite.

mmmm, not sure i totally agree with that statement, yes there are some online stores selling real bad cheap quartz, but there are some selling gulfstone, which is the same tile as stardust.

 

[gamma38]

Sorry Lee. You are right My bad It was a sweeping statement. On the whole though most online are crappy. But as you say some are good.

 

[berilac]

I wouldn't buy an online equivalent for cheaper. There have been a few threads on here regarding problems people have had with them. The stardust from Topps you would be fine with or as Whitebeam says a galaxy granite.

mmmm, not sure i totally agree with that statement, yes there are some online stores selling real bad cheap quartz, but there are some selling gulfstone, which is the same tile as stardust.

Thanks, Thats good to know, which ones would you guys recommend?

Also on granite galaxy do you know how much heavier it would be compared to stardust? They seem to be at a good price as well approx £20m2,

 

[Old Mod]

As long as it's genuine Gulf Stone, that's the phrase you're looking for.

You would have to check with supplier on weight of the Galaxy, it will depend on the thickness.

 

[berilac]

As long as it's genuine Gulf Stone, that's the phrase you're looking for.

You would have to check with supplier on weight of the Galaxy, it will depend on the thickness.

fyi - the tiler I am corresponding with has mentioned that Granite is generally thicker, i.e. it will add more height to the floor.

 

[gamma38]

Not really, it's not the difference between 10 and 20 mm it might be a couple of mm between them. I don't mean to be the doom and gloom of online suppliers but i had some granite from an online and it was a long way out of tolerance, i.e. should have been 300 x 300 but some pieces were 295 and some 305 etc. Before you buy from someone without being able to view the stock just ask them to give you the tolerances in writing.

 

[berilac]

I was looking online and found these guys do a competitive price
Black Star Galaxy Granite Tiles | Galaxy Granite Floor Tiles - Stone Superstore

Has anyone used them before?

 

[Dan]

Broken Link Removed

They seem to have good reviews. And are a member of The Tile Association so perhaps grab some samples, get their size tolerances, ask about grades etc

I was looking online and found these guys do a competitive price
Black Star Galaxy Granite Tiles | Galaxy Granite Floor Tiles - Stone Superstore

Has anyone used them before?

 

[Dave]

Just to add , quartz galaxy has a silver mirror fleck and the granite version only comes with a bronze fleck..

 

[berilac]

thanks I went for the stardust tile in the end , its a bit more expensive but luckily topps are having a autumn sale on it as well if anyone else is interested.

My tilers has suggested the following
Plywood
Bal Adhesive 20Kg
Bal Grout 2.5 kg
Tile spacer of 4mm

Can anyone confirm if this is standard for stardust tiles?

Thanks again,

 

[Dave]

Which Bal adhesive ?

 

[berilac]

rapid flex or max flex I think

 

[J Sid]

Plywood.....really?

 

[Dave]

rapid flex or max flex I think

You better get him to check suitability for resin quartz tiles... And as above , as a personal preference , i'd not use ply .

 

[berilac]

you mean which adhesive is suitable?

Also if not ply what would you recommend?

 

[J Sid]

What is the substrate your tile wants to fix the ply to?

 

[berilac]

It's an Edwardian house , bathroom is on the first floor , no idea what substrate but unlikely that it's been changed

 

[J Sid]

Hardie board / no more ply, glued and screwed. But not ply

 

[berilac]

Ok thanks will work with that , are the remaining items pretty much standard

 

[J Sid]

Spacers bigger the I would use, but that's your choice.
And as @Dave say's, check the adhesive

 

[gamma38]

I thought 4mm was a bit big also, ply maybe if he is getting rid of the floorboards to give a better substrate but i would then over board the ply with hardie or similar.

 

[berilac]

thanks guys , this forum is great and your advise is much appreciated, I got the hardie board from tops tiles as well and that was a great tip,

Though it seems I still have problems, today my tiler mentioned he would have to add the hardboard on top of the vinyl tiles I already have , there is a problem where the vinyl is stuck on the floor below and is breaking that up, in this case the height of the kitchen and bathroom will go up by 12-14mm. What would you suggest.
I have two options,
- add another layer of Vinyl on top of it
- or add the hardboard and stardust tiles over them

Regards
ST