Martha and Alberto Santoni: Santoni International Builders

A husband and wife team of entrepreneurs have built their general contracting firm literally from the floor up.

Since 2006 Martha and Alberto Santoni have been building commercial buildings and homes throughout the Orlando, Florida, area, but kitchen and bathroom renovations have helped them learn the ropes of the business. And that means one thing: lots of tiling.

“Tiling is our bread and butter right now,” says Alberto. “As an emerging firm,” Martha adds, “we find that performing some subcontracting work helps with cash flow and income.”

From Habitat to Humanity projects to luxurious homes, and even a county jail, the Santonis have tiled it all. “Having an engineering background, everything I do, I look at it from a precision standpoint,” says Alberto. “But I like putting my personal signature on everything I do.”

Alberto filled us in on his must-have tools.

Ridgid WTS 2000L 10-Inch Wet Tile/Stone Saw. “This tool is very portable, yet has a large table with ball-bearing guides that make for a very smooth, wobble-free cut. We’ve had several other tile installers trying to sell us their used units so they can purchase this one.”

VersaBond Fortified Thin-Set Mortar (White), by Custom Building Products. “The VersaBond white is what we use in 90 percent of our installations. It forms a solid bond with almost any floor condition.”

QEP 24-Inch Big Clinker Manual Tile Cutter, Professional Grade. “Ours still has the original blade after 7 years of use. I definitively recommend it due to its extremely low cost of ownership.”

QEP Extra Large Grouting Sponge. “This is my favorite tool. You can do so much stuff with it we started calling it ‘the dreamer.’ It has become an inside joke now. ‘Hand me the dreamer, please.’”

Brutus Universal Mixing Paddle. “We probably have a half dozen of these. These are more like kitchen appliances. They just work day in and day out.”

QEP 8-Inch Adjustable Razor Floor Stripper with Replaceable Blade. “We use both, the 8-inch for medium-sized strip jobs and the 4-inch Heavy Duty Stripper with replaceable blade for those stubborn corners that require attention.”

Bosch Blue Granite Hammer Drill Bits. “I had burned through three regular masonry bits before buying these Bosch drill bits with diamond-ground carbide tips on a friend’s recommendation. These bits rock. They are very reasonably priced and very durable.”