- Tub surround tile work: $2,000 flat.
- Kitchen backsplash tile work: $1,000 flat, labor.
- Tile floors: $3 per square foot labor, or $2 per square foot labor on jobs of 2,000 square feet or more.
Pulling the old fiberglass or tile surround and inspecting the walls in Nolanville
In Nolanville houses often have a builder fiberglass tub surround that has started to crack or look tired. We come from Killeen, look at the room, and measure the three walls and the tub itself. Pulling the old unit means scoring the caulk, prying the panels free, and getting every last bit of adhesive off the studs. Sometimes the fiberglass is so well glued that it takes time and care not to damage the tub. After it is gone we check the flange. If that flange is crushed or sitting too low, tile will not sit right against it.
We also look at the studs themselves. If they are sound we can go forward with backer board or a bonded waterproof membrane. If they have been wet for a long time the wood may be soft. That is something we find only after the old surround is off. We stop and discuss it with the homeowner. The tub surround tile work is $2,000 flat. We do not start setting tile over bad wood. The same people who come to look at the room are the ones who will do the work. Genaro Merlan owns the company and is based in Killeen, a short drive away.
Waterproofing the walls and keeping tile courses level around a Nolanville tub
Once the walls are open and the flange checks out, we put up cement backer board or we apply a bonded waterproof membrane over the substrate. Either way the goal is to keep water from reaching the wood. We tape the seams and waterproof the corners. Then we dry lay the field tile to see how the courses will run. On a tub surround the three walls have to line up so a course that starts on the back wall stays the same height when it turns the corner onto the side walls. That takes planning the cuts and the layout before any thinset goes on. We snap lines and check with a level across the whole run.
- Cement backer board or bonded membrane over sound studs
- Layout lines wrapping all three walls so courses stay even
- Planned cuts at the flange, faucet, and ceiling line
- First course set to the actual tub, not assumed level
Corners, brass or satin trim, niches, grout, and the sealant joint at the Nolanville tub deck
Inside corners get a gap because houses move. We fill that later with flexible material instead of forcing grout into a place that will crack. Exposed edges and outside corners take a metal profile in brass or satin, whichever you chose with the tile. If a niche is in the plan we waterproof the box, tile the interior, and slope the shelf an eighth of an inch per foot toward the tub so water runs off. Porcelain, ceramic, marble, zellige, terrazzo and mosaic all work on these walls. The tile you pick is the tile that gets set.
After the thinset firms we grout the joints, wipe the haze, and clean the face of every piece. The joint where tile meets the tub deck is the one that fails first if it is done wrong. Grout does not belong there. We run a wet area sealant, tool it concave, and wipe the tub clean. That flexible line lets the tub and the walls shift a little without opening a leak path. On a job like this it tends to run several days of work once we begin, typical timing only.
Picking tile at the Temple supply house for a tub surround in Nolanville
Tile comes out of the Temple supply house. You can go with us or on your own and choose from porcelain, ceramic, marble, zellige, terrazzo or mosaic, plus the brass or satin edge profiles that finish the run. Bring your own tile if you already bought it, provided it belongs on a wet wall. We look at whatever you have when we measure the space. What you select is what we install. No substitutions on site.
Nolanville sits on US 190 between Harker Heights and Belton and the drive from Killeen is short. We look at the bathroom first, take real measurements, then you pick the material. Call (512) 297-7493 or email info@merlanstile.com to set that visit. The people who quote the job are the people who set the tile, grout it, seal the deck joint, and clean up behind themselves.
The written one year limited labor warranty and finishing a Nolanville tub surround job
Every installation carries a written one-year limited labor warranty from the date of completion. It covers issues arising from the original installation. It does not cover materials, those fall under the manufacturer's own warranty, and it does not cover modifications made after the installation is complete. If a tile we set loosens because of our work, we come back and look at it.
We leave the bathroom swept, the tub wiped, and the scraps hauled out. You can use the room once the grout and sealant have had their usual cure time. Things can still go wrong if hidden damage shows up after the old surround comes off, and we tell you what we see before we cover it. Layout has to look even from the doorway. Cuts around valves have to be tight. The deck seal is the detail we spend extra minutes on because that is where leaks start.