BARGAINS : CERAMIC TILE FAIR AND SQUARE.

Byline: Trisha King & Deborah Newmark

If you've been using the high prices at specialty stores or the limited selection at chain warehouse stores as an excuse for not redoing your floors, stop reading now. With Valley Tile Warehouse now in Woodland Hills, you can procrastinate no longer.

For example, Congoleum ceramic floor tile in white, gray or black in a matte finish that normally retails for $2 or more per square foot is 87 cents at Valley Tile Warehouse. Commercial-grade anti-slip tile in eight colors is also 87 cents a square foot ($2.50 and up retail).

Valley Tile Warehouse is a real factory outlet with discounted prices on regular inventory and even deeper discounts on closeouts. To give you an idea of how good the prices are, we met a man from Palmdale who arrived in a truck that he'd rented for the sole purpose of buying tile here.

In addition to all kinds of flooring, including Pergo at an everyday price of $3.49 a square foot, you'll also find ceramic tile sheets. Our favorite was an octagon pattern in white accented with small cobalt blue squares for $1.99 a square foot ($3 and up retail).

To go along with the tile sheets, you can get 25 pounds of grout for $9.75. This is a pretty good deal when you consider a large home-improvement chain sells the same brand at a discounted price of $13.63. Plus, unlike the chain stores, the helpful employees here load your car for you.

When you visit Valley Tile Warehouse, you'll notice the store's actual name is Ceramic Surfaces. This is their showroom. To get to the warehouse, you can walk through the showroom (it opens at 9 a.m.) or if you're an early bird, instead of parking in front, drive to the warehouse entrance on the south side of the building.

All tile is first-quality (seconds are sold only at the San Gabriel store). At the current parking lot sale, tile prices start at 50 cents a square foot (as much as $3 retail).

Valley Tile Warehouse is located at 6033 DeSoto Ave., Woodland Hills; [phone]. Hours are 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, closed Sunday. A second location is at 1618 S. San Gabriel Blvd., San Gabriel; [phone]. Store hours are 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. MasterCard and Visa are accepted.

Inside info

Fashion-minded women golfers and tennis players will want to stop at Marcia's. You'll find upscale golf and tennis apparel (usually sold in country clubs) with prices starting at $16 for a t-shirt (normally $50) and going up to $34 for a skirt (normally $60). Merchandise is generally 50 percent off retail and is last year's styles. Marcia's is at 20740 Plummer St., Chatsworth; [phone]. Hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesdays only.

If your bathroom shower door is not sliding properly, rather than buying a new shower door, call the Shower Door Doctor to repair it. Estimates are free, and repairs run $62 plus parts. The Shower Door Doctor is located at 5716 Lankershim Blvd., North Hollywood; [phone]. Hours are 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday.

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Photo: Gines Linjuco sells tile at discount prices at Valley Tile Warehouse in Woodland Hills, which calls itself ``a real factory outlet.''

Gus Ruelas/Daily News