Who is responsible if the tile I bought is defective?
The seller and manufacturer answer for the product; the contractor answers for installation. If you buy tile yourself and the boxes turn out to be faulty, the shop refunds the material, but the cost of laying it and of stripping it out is usually not part of that refund. The client pays that difference, and it often exceeds the price of the tile.
That is why "I will buy it myself" does not always save money. Below, in order: what divides liability, how to receive a delivery and when the purchase is better left to the contractor.
How is liability divided when the client supplies the materials?
Liability splits into three zones: product quality, correct installation and the consequences of a defect. The first belongs to the seller and manufacturer, the second to the contractor, and the third is contested, so it needs to be written into the contract.
When the contractor buys, article 17 of the LOE makes them directly liable for damage caused by deficient construction products they acquired or accepted, and they recover from the supplier. When you bring the material, the contractor answers for how it was fitted. They cannot be held to account for tile that leaves the factory uneven or shifts in shade between batches, unless they let an obvious defect through.
One nuance is the word "accepted" in that same article. A contractor who takes delivery on site without written objections takes on risk. That is why an experienced contractor notes objections immediately, not after laying. A good contract says the contractor inspects material on receipt and reports obvious problems in writing within two or three working days.
How do I receive tile, stone and fixtures on site?
Receive with packaging open: count boxes, compare shade and calibre and photograph the pallet. The check takes an hour, and a mistake costs weeks.
For porcelain and tile, check the batch number (lote) and shade on every box: tiles from different batches can differ in colour and size. Pull several tiles from different boxes and lay them side by side in daylight. For stone, match slabs to the reserved numbers and look for chipped corners and cracks. For sanitaryware and taps, open the box and check parts and finish.
If a carrier brings the goods, write "con reservas" on the delivery note with a description: that keeps your right to claim. Signing "received" without looking closes that route. If you are not in Spain, name someone to sign for you and give them a checklist.
How much spare material should I buy?
Allow for cuts and future repairs: in practice 5 to 10 per cent for straight laying, 12 to 15 per cent for diagonal or herringbone, and more for large formats and book-matched stone. Buy everything at once, from one batch.
Straight-laid 60×60 tile wastes the least. Diagonal, herringbone, mosaic and book-matched patterns cut away more. For marble with a continuous vein the allowance is counted in slabs rather than percentages: sometimes an extra slab is needed to get the pattern to run on. That depends on the cutting layout, which the stone workshop calculates from the drawing.
Keep one or two boxes for the future as well. In three years the batch may be discontinued, and replacing a single broken tile gets harder. Store them dry and sealed, labelled with where they were laid.
Will a contractor accept someone else's material without a warranty?
Mostly yes, but they warrant installation only, and some materials they take with caution. That is a normal position, not nit-picking.
In practice contractors are wary of large-format stone and porcelain that the client brings, and of glass, mosaic and complex sanitaryware when the maker's instructions are missing. The reason is simple: installation depends on the properties of the material, and the contractor neither chose it nor knows the batch. In such cases the contract says the contractor answers for work done to instructions, while the manufacturer and seller answer for the product.
Ask before signing: which items you take on, which the contractor will accept and what warranty they give on installation. Get the answer in writing. If a contractor will not accept a material, better to learn it before ordering than after delivery.
How do I match delivery dates to the works programme?
Material lead time is part of the programme, and a delay moves everything after it. Ordering stone or Italian ceramics takes anywhere from a few weeks to a few months in practice, and made-to-order furniture and fixtures often take longer.
So write into the contract the date by which the material must be on site and what happens if it is late. Usually the contractor may shift the stage and recalculate the crew's standing time. If you need the material after waterproofing and screed, count backwards: what must be on site a week before laying starts.
The more deliveries you hold yourself, the more points where something can slip. For an owner who lives in another country this is the weakest part of the arrangement: receiving, storage, cargo insurance and a new conversation with logistics each time.
When is it better to hand purchasing to the contractor?
Hand it over when there are many materials, they are large or fragile, the programme is tight or you do not live in Spain. One party responsible for supply and installation removes the question of who is to blame.
Stone slabs, glass, integrated appliances, taps whose dimensions must be checked against the worktop, tile for a large area: a size error or defect is costly here. When the contractor buys, they answer for the material as a whole and you do not have to work out whose fault it is.
Keep for yourself what is chosen by eye and taste and does not affect installation: showroom lighting, art, antiques, handles, textiles. It is the owner's call, and the contractor only needs dimensions and a date. As a rule of thumb: if an error in the material stops the crew, buy it together with the contractor.
How does BCN YARD handle client-supplied materials?
If you want to buy part of the materials yourself, we go through the list before the contract is signed and decide what you buy and what we buy. One person is responsible for the site, payments follow stages under the contract and the terms for client-supplied materials go into a separate clause. Write to us in Spanish or Russian and we reply within an hour.
Frequently asked questions
Who is responsible if the tile I bought is defective?
The seller and manufacturer answer for the product, so you claim through the shop. The contractor answers for correct laying and for an obvious defect they let through. The cost of relaying is usually not covered by a refund, so inspect the batch before work starts and record the check.
Do I need spare material, and how much?
Yes. In practice 5 to 10 per cent for straight laying and 12 to 15 per cent for diagonal or herringbone. For book-matched stone the allowance is counted in slabs from the cutting layout. Buy everything from one batch and keep one or two boxes for future repairs.
Will a contractor accept my material without a warranty?
Usually yes, but they warrant installation only. Some take large-format tile, stone, glass and complex fixtures with caution. Ask before signing which items they accept and get the answer in writing. That avoids arguments about where each party's responsibility ends.
How do I agree delivery dates?
Put in the contract the date the material must be on site and the consequences of delay. Count back from the laying stage and add a buffer for supplier delays. For stone and Italian ceramics, order lead times run in practice to weeks and months.