Working regularly alongside Tier One contractors on prestigious projects nationwide, Allstar Tiling continues to set the standards as Ireland’s premier commercial tiling contractor. Building Ireland renewed acquaintances with commercial manager Seanie Fogarty to get an update on this industry-leading family business.
From their headquarters in Thurles, County Tipperary, Allstar Tiling have been delivering professional tiling services nationwide since 2003. Now firmly established as one of Ireland’s foremost specialist commercial tiling contractors – renowned near and far for their skills, experience and expertise – Allstar Tiling have built their reputation on invariably providing solutions that are fast, efficient and designed to exceed client expectations.
The supply-and-fit tiling contractor of choice of building industry professionals – including architects, designers and contractors alike – Allstar Tiling use quality-assured products and workmanship on every tiling and flooring project undertaken, resulting in the highest level of client satisfaction across a broad range of sectors including hotels, bars, restaurants, airports, leisure centres, hospitals, nursing homes, guest houses, government buildings, shopping centres, schools and private dwellings.
From Sisk to BAM, John Paul Construction to PJ Hegarty & Son, Collen Construction to Clancy and JJ Rhatigan to Structure Tone, Allstar Tiling has accumulated a wealth of experience working with leading building contractors on major projects, both nationally and further afield.
“We’ve continued to grow steadily over the last couple of years and we’d be working with most of the Tier One contactors on big projects at this stage,” commercial manager Seanie Fogarty confirms. “Although we’ve won our fair share of big projects and are always busy on these, we look after the smaller ones as well.”
Allstar Tiling is fronted by David and Ryan Fogarty, who established the business 17 years ago. Without doubt one of the marquee projects completed thus far was Centerparcs in Longford for John Sisk & Son, where some 9,000 square metres of tiles were supplied and fitted on floors, walls and pools, including the Aqua Sana, 30 apartments, the village centre and restaurant – essentially everything bar the lodges.
“It was a major project and it went extremely well and looks fantastic,” says Seanie. “Centerparcs has of course won numerous awards and we were also delighted to be nominated as one of Sisk’s Suppliers of the Year at their annual awards in 2019. It’s not every day a project like that comes along and it was great to get it.”
As usual, Allstar Tiling delivered a level of supreme workmanship which underlines exactly why so many celebrated contractors and architects continue to do business with them. With a particularly strong order book in front of them (they have a very strong pipeline for the next six months and beyond!), the company currently generates direct employment for more than 50 highly-skilled personnel, including two recently-recruited Contracts Managers…
“We’ve taken on two full-time Contracts Managers who are extensively involved in all of our commercial projects and oversee our crews on site,” reveals Seanie. “While a Project Director would oversee each project, the Contract Manager is there on-site on a day-to-day basis making sure everything runs smoothly.”
Down through the years, excellent project management skills and an innate ability to deliver superior solutions at competitive rates have seen Allstar Tiling successfully complete large- and small-scale specialist tiling projects from fit-outs to intricate designed layouts, their in-depth knowledge of their chosen area of expertise allowing them to work closely with leading suppliers and manufacturers to source the highest quality tiling products.
At the time of writing, they were either working on a handful of high-profile projects for a who’s who of main contractors.
“We’re currently at the fit out stage of Penrose Quay in Cork city – a development of two office blocks for Hegartys and John Cleary Developments,” Seanie points out. “Literally across the road from that, we’re on the Horgan’s Quay office development, which was our first big one for BAM. In Dublin, we’re doing the Salesforce Tower comprising four office blocks and a hotel at Spencer Place – again with Hegarty as main contractor.”
Other current projects include an office block at Hainault House on St Stephen’s Green for Sisk, while John Paul are starting a new development on Townsend Street comprising residential blocks a Travelodge Hotel and a Staycity Hotel.
“The majority of our work at present is in Dublin and Cork, but we provide a nationwide service and, to this end, will soon be starting a Lidl refurbishment in Castletroy in Limerick. It’s our first project with Lidl and we’re hoping it will lead to more with them.”
Allstar are proven specialists in all modern tiling styles and techniques, and every project is completed to the highest standards to the tightest of deadlines. Top-class finishing is a prerequisite, meaning that all tiles fitted – be they porcelain, ceramic, marble, mosaic or limestone – will perform and last for as long as possible, while remaining easy to maintain.
“The business continues to grow and we can’t complain,” Seanie continues. “We’ve built up a strong reputation with the bigger contractors and once we provide a good service they bring us along for subsequent projects.”
As for changes in the commercial tiling landscape, Seanie notes: “More architects today are looking for large-format wall tiling. For example, we used 3.2m x 1.6m tiles on the aforementioned project at Hainault House, 3×1 metre at Penrose Quay and 3.1 x 1.6 at Horgan’s Quay. So you really need to have that large-format expertise from both a pricing and tiling point of view. Architects are looking for bigger things all the time and you have to upskill accordingly.”
Despite the all-too-obvious challenges posed by the novel coronavirus pandemic, business is brisk and many bookings are already in place going well into next year: “We are very busy going into the near term and we’re always pricing up potential new jobs as well,” Seanie confirms. “We’re on very solid footing for the next six months plus and, while it’s difficult to predict beyond that, we are cautiously optimistic that we’ll remain busy.”
The hospitality sector is one of Allstar’s niche markets but it has taken a bit of a hammering due to the consequences of the restrictions… “We actually have four new-build hotels in the pipeline but, again, it’s hard to see any further in the short term,” the affable commercial manager concludes. “Having said that, these things tend to move in cycles and I’d anticipate that there will also be a cycle of refurbs in hotels in the not-too-distant future.”
An uncertain future lies ahead for all of us but, with a proven track record of delivering outstanding solutions for the crème de la crème of the Irish construction industry and a strong resolve to continue setting the standards, one gets the distinct impression that Allstar Tiling will retain, nay strengthen its status as one of Ireland’s most in-demand commercial tiling contractors.
Allstar Tiling,
Cabragh Business Park,
Thurles,
County Tipperary,
E41 XW81.
Tel: 0504 33701
Fax: 0504 33701
Mobile: 087 9061621
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.allstartiling.ie
This article was published in Building Ireland Magazine, April, Vol 7 No 4
