Back Order Hell

When did we start this master bathroom reno? February-March-April? It should have been done by now. The tile guy was willing and able. Within two weeks, I'd selected and purchased all the fittings--light fixtures, shower enclosure, mirrors, faucets, towel bars, heated towel rack, shower seat, etc.

The Quartz vanity top was ordered--a bit of a delivery and installation hassle, but delivered with sinks and faucets installed by early May.

Then everything came to an abrupt halt. The greige (Camo) subway tile was back-ordered, not to be produced until mid-June. Ugh! I considered finding another tile, but being in no real hurry decided to wait it out. There are boxes stacked along one wall in the master bedroom and also in the garage.

Actually, this is the entry before we moved everything to the master bedroom.

One 3-week European vacation later, the tile has been back-ordered again--until September! Yes, grey subway tile is a scarcity. The salesman talked several times to the rep and even checked with another tile manufacturer. Their back-order date is out even further than the company we've ordered from. (I tried several times to get that preposition away from the end of the sentence, but finally gave up.)

So, listen up! Horde any grey subway tile you find. According to the law of supply and demand, prices are sure to rise. Or, maybe this scarcity now just means that in 20 years there will be tons of DIYers scraping grey tiles off bathroom and kitchen walls; filling up landfills. Right on top of all those granite counter tops and stainless steel appliances that are so, so in demand right now.