Sometimes, the best salespeople are those who actually use a particular product. That's what happened to Carmen and Jaime Casillas after they had a ceramic tile floor installed in their home.

The Casillas were so pleased with their tile, they opened a full service tile store, La Quinta.

Tile has become very popular. Everyone wants to have tile. In 10 years, you have to change the carpet. It's a lot cheaper and more durable than carpet. And cleaning tile is easier, you just use water. With carpet, you have to do more work and use more chemicals. Tile is also environmentally friendly, as tile can be kept free of dust and dirt with a light mopping, compared to carpet which traps dirt and dust under the padding, and can't be vacuumed. If parents can afford to install tile instead of carpet, it helps with asthma and allergies.

In comparing the price between laying carpet and tile, tile is $200 to $300 more expensive than carpet, but it will wear longer than carpet. Tile can run from 99 cents a square-foot to $5.50 a square-foot. However, granite and marble runs anywhere from $5.50 to $35 a square-foot.

In today's market, people are using tile, granite, slate and porcelain in different areas of their home. In new homes, bathroom countertops and fireplace chimneys are getting a new look from granite.

And with the energy crunch, tile floors are 10 percent cooler than carpet during the summer, and during the winter, there is only a two percent difference between carpet since the tile retains heat. When you have tile in your house, it raises the value of your home more than carpet.

And for those who already have tile, but need to replace a broken piece, La Quinta can help you find the tile and order it for you.

We check with the warehouse to find the tile you need, because most tiles are discontinued and we can let you know if it's still available. While it usually only takes a day to find a piece of tile, it generally only takes three to seven days to order new tile for customers who are anxious to begin a project. Unless it's out of stock, it will take up to five days to get it to the store.

The Casillas also pride themselves on having the lowest prices in Merced County, and they have a different selection compared to larger tile stores.

We have affordable prices, different colors and textures and we can install tile both inside and outside of the home.

We also have prefabricated countertops for the kitchen and bath.

Aside from being open to the public, contractors and tile installers are also welcome.