Citi Hardware

[intrepid]

On 2/19/2024 at 5:13 PM, Mike J said:

I used to have problems like that.  Now what I do is find an image on my smart phone.  Show them the picture and say; 'do you have this'.   Works well, saves time and frustration for me and the store staff.  Especially effective when the item here may be called something other than what you are familiar.

I learned this early on also.  And l ways download a photo before going to the store because many times I cannot receive a signal at the store.  Also I have learned that not only an item may be called something other than what I know it by, but even when one of my workers told me what it was called, the store employees had a different name for it.  I think thats when I learned the photo trick!  Never fails.

[Gator]

9 hours ago, OnMyWay said:

they recommend getting 7% extra for breakage, cuts, etc.  I have no idea if that is reasonable???  Thoughts?

I'm looking at about 85 SQM and a SQM is 5 tiles (20 X 100 each).  Add 7% makes it about 91 SQM, so an extra 30 tiles @ 106 each = 3180

Actually Don that’s a bit on the conservative side, I used to add about 10% for breakage and cuts. But in the USA it wasn’t a problem to return unused full boxes of tiles. I’d ask the store manager what their return policy is for full cartons of tiles and make my decision in part on his reply. 

You can also talk to your installer and get his opinion. As a side note, be sure he has a wet saw with a diamond tipped blade for cutting the tiles. You can’t use a standard tile cutter on porcelain tiles (even for straight cuts it’s better to use a wet saw). I rented one, a “chop saw” type, when I redid the living room, bedrooms and kitchen floors in one of my houses; it was around 115sqm with a lot of cuts. For some of the smaller jobs, like the bathroom floors, I just used a cordless saw I had with a diamond blade and a bottle of cutting fluid (basically soapy water). 

[Mike J]

22 minutes ago, Gator said:

Actually Don that’s a bit on the conservative side, I used to add about 10% for breakage and cuts.

Ten percent is also what I used.  It is also a good idea to save and put away a few leftover tiles in case of future breakage/cracking.  Five years down road and you drop something heavy on a tile and it breaks there is often no way to match it.

[Tommy T.]

12 hours ago, Lee said:

Sounds like BS to me.

I have found if one store is out of a particular item then they all are. Also, if you find something that you like or need then don't put off buying it because when you come back it will be gone.

That sounds more like BS to me than my comments for the first part of your compliment. You have apparently not spent much time in the tropical island communities here. I cannot count the number of times I have gone from one store to another and then another and then actually finding what I was seeking. I believe you are dead wrong with your comment that if one store is out of stock, they all are. Where did you learn this BS?

The second part I agree totally - if you see it, buy it!

With all due respect.

Edited February 22 by Tommy T.

[Lee]

3 hours ago, Tommy T. said:

I believe you are dead wrong with your comment that if one store is out of stock, they all are.

Fair enough.

How many major hardware stores does Davao City have-----------Tacloban City has 4.

T town is the major hub in the Eastern Visayas where people travel 3-4 hours just to shop. Contractors from Samar, etc buy huge lots of hardware because there is nothing to be had where they are from. 

Based on my own personal experience with local hardware availability, I will stand behind my comments.

Edited February 23 by Lee

[Tommy T.]

43 minutes ago, Lee said:

Based on my own personal experience I will stick to my comments.

Well, your personal experience sounds quite limited. Talk to me about BS?

I have lived in Suva, Fiji, Brisbane, Australia, New Zealand, Tonga, Majuro, Marshall Islands (where I actually helped run a hardware store), Easter Island, Mexico (many cities/towns), Pohnpei, Palau, Wallis Island, Kiribati (no hardware stores there though).... It was the same story in my personal experience that finding parts and supplies was usually a hassle in every locale - visit store to store to find what I was seeking. Oh.... I forgot Noumea, Port Vila and even Samal Island. Here, in Davao, it is the same story - go to one of the four major hardware stores and maybe I find what I need or not, then proceed on to the next and the next, as needed. Some of the time I just resort to Lazada or Shopee...

Based on my own personal experiences, I will stick to my comments.

In many instances I used Mike J's suggestion and brought a photo or sample, if available. That helped immensely, but didn't necessarily alter the equation of whether a store had something I needed or not.

Edited February 23 by Tommy T.

[Lee]

17 minutes ago, Tommy T. said:

go to one of the four major hardware stores and maybe I find what I need or not, then proceed on to the next and the next, as needed.

Sounds like you are picking a nit here.

You posted that you have had the same problem finding hardware as I. You described the process of finding hardware as

Quote

Sounds almost like a kid's game, right???

I described the hardware finding process as BS. I wasn't speaking of your comments being BS but simply the process of finding even the most basic of hardware at times as BS. Got it?

[Tommy T.]

1 minute ago, Lee said:

I described the hardware finding process as BS. I wasn't speaking of your comments being BS but simply the process of finding even the most basic of hardware at times as BS. Got it?

That's fine, thank you. You did not make that clear before so it was easy to misinterpret your comment. In that case, I apologize.

[hk blues]

18 hours ago, Gator said:

Great idea, but I’m not sure I agree. Just because they have sufficient stock today doesn’t mean they will any from the same batch tomorrow. This is the Philippines after all. IMHO it’s good to get some extra in case of breakage during transport and/or installation as well as to store a few extra tiles in case repairs are needed at some point in the future. 

I take your point but I guess I'm talking from my practice where I buy the tiles literally as the tiling is being done and most tiling jobs are 1 or 2 days so the probability is the store will still have the tile BUT they key point is ensuring they have sufficient stock at the outset  i.e. not just a few boxes.  If that wasn't the case then I'd do as you suggest - buy that 10% extra just in case.  

I'm really not trying to defeat your point but having excess tiles for future damage from the same batch is kinda pointless as the original tiles will fade anyway so the "new" tile won't match anyway.  

ETA - From my experience, having 2 or 3 extra tiles for future damage is enough as storing them can be a PITA.

Edited February 23 by hk blues

[OnMyWay]

15 hours ago, Gator said:

Actually Don that’s a bit on the conservative side, I used to add about 10% for breakage and cuts. But in the USA it wasn’t a problem to return unused full boxes of tiles. I’d ask the store manager what their return policy is for full cartons of tiles and make my decision in part on his reply. 

I had measured a few days ago and had a figure, then my foreman measured, and I thought he was high.  He said he added extra.  So today we measured together, him with his tape and me with my laser measurer.  Then I calculated mine with 10% added.  Perfect match!  322 20X100 tiles.  So I guess he added 10% too.

Now the problem is, the shop only has around 250!

15 hours ago, Gator said:

As a side note, be sure he has a wet saw with a diamond tipped blade for cutting the tiles. You can’t use a standard tile cutter on porcelain tiles (even for straight cuts it’s better to use a wet saw).

Actually this was one of my questions when I was interviewing foremen.  They all say they use an angle grinder. 

This is a guy I have been watching for the last month or two.  I find him easy to follow and informative.