Shopping for Floor Tile

This year, we noticed a few loose pieces of ceramic tile on the floor of our condo.  One, in particular, was actually rocking and crunching in our bedroom.  We sought a professional opinion from a tile-setter who confirmed that we had a problem.

He hoped that we might have a few extra tiles in storage since removing the loose one could result in chipping or breaking.  We had none.  So, we spent an afternoon looking for a match.

This took us first to "tile street," in the heart of commercial Giza.  Businesses here tend to gather by type and a full couple of blocks of tile vendors can be found across the street from plumbing fixture shops.  With very limited display space, the street is utilized as a showroom.  

The line of toilets, sinks and bathtubs lying on the street is a bit jarring - so much so that I completely missed a great photo opportunity: a young woman covered head to toe in a niqab departing the area carrying a stainless steel kitchen sink under her right arm,

 

Doesn't everyone buy their new toilet on the street? These fixtures seem to be smiling.

 

Linda checked out the displays in several of the small tile shops.

 

 

It turns out that our biggest problem was not matching the color or pattern. We had a size issue.  When our apartment was constructed fifteen years ago, square tiles, 30 cm (about 12 inches) on a side was the norm.  Today, as back in the U.S., tile is larger - 30x60, 30x90, 60x60 are all the modern style.  30x30 tiles were not to be found on "tile street."

Clued in by one of the shop owners, we headed down to the high-rent district along the banks of the Nile.  The stores here were of an entirely different character - as upscale as any design studio you might encounter in Edina or Woodbury back home.  We visited two of them.

 

 

Sliding panels of tiles lined a long hallway near massive displays of shower heads and faucets.  

 

Mahgoub (since 1948) has anything you could imagine in tile and fixtures.  They also had a small army of salesmen in suit and tie to show us around.  We soon located a selection of "old-fashioned" 30x30 tiles and were able to order a minimum package of ten tiles that looked to be a good match to our floor.

 

Here is the new tile placed on the left side of this photo. It's a perfect match with the old tile on the right.

 

It was an interesting afternoon exploring the resources available to the various strata of society.  Of course, tea is offered to the customer, no matter which store you visit.