- 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.
Tile jobs that come up in Round Rock houses built in the 1990s and 2000s
Most of the houses we see further south on Interstate 35 were put up in the 1990s and 2000s. Original builder tile in the bathrooms has started to pop loose. Fiberglass tub surrounds have yellowed, cracked at the corners, or begun to leak at the seams. People want those torn out and tile set instead. Kitchen floors from the same era now have worn grout and rocking tiles. We also redo showers that were never waterproofed the first time. Call (512) 297-7493 for a straight quote on this kind of work. Tub surround tile work is $2,000 flat.
We set zellige, marble, porcelain, ceramic, terrazzo and mosaic with brass and satin edge profiles. Tile is bought out of the Temple supply house, so what you pick is what gets set. You can bring your own. Walls in these subdivisions are often out of square, so layout starts from a level line or grout joints wander. Cuts around the shower valve and along the tub have to fit close. Old builder grout joints were wide and trapped soap scum. We keep joints even. Then we grout, seal and clean up behind us. The same people who quote the job are the people who do the job.
Typical substrates under original builder tile in Round Rock 1990s and 2000s subdivisions
When we tear off the old work the substrate is usually drywall or greenboard that has seen water. In the 1990s a lot of builders used greenboard in wet areas and it swells and crumbles once moisture gets behind the tile or the fiberglass. Sometimes there is a layer of mastic that never bonded well to begin with. Floor substrates are plywood, often with the original thinset still stuck in patches. If the plywood has swollen we have to deal with that before new tile goes down. Nothing gets covered up. We look at it when we measure so the quote matches what is actually there.
- Greenboard that has swollen from leaks at the tub spout
- Mastic residue that has to be scraped before new thinset will hold
- Plywood with old thinset ridges that would telegraph through new tile
- Drywall that was never meant for a wet area
Scheduling the measure and quote when we travel from Killeen to Round Rock
You phone (512) 297-7493 or send a note to info@merlanstile.com. We drive further south on Interstate 35 from Killeen into Williamson County to see the actual bathroom or kitchen. Measuring the space ourselves is the only way to know how much tile, how many cuts, and what the substrate will demand. The people who show up to look are the people who will later set the tile. We do not send a salesman. Once we have numbers we give you the quote on the phone or in person that day.
After the quote you decide on the tile. You can bring what you already bought or we can meet at the Temple supply house so you see the full range of porcelain, ceramic, marble and the rest. Scheduling the actual setting is done by phone once the material is ready. We do not hold a calendar slot before then. Round Rock sits in the area we cover from Killeen, the same as Georgetown and the others listed. Traffic on Interstate 35 is what it is, so we plan the drive accordingly. Cleanup happens before we leave so you are not sweeping grout dust for days.
How we lay out, cut and grout tile on these Round Rock jobs
Once the tile is on site we snap lines and dry lay the field so you can see how the pattern falls before anything is stuck. In these houses the walls are rarely plumb and the floors are rarely level, so shimming or grinding happens as needed. Large porcelain tiles show every dip in the floor. Mosaic has to stay in line or the joints run crooked. We back butter heavier pieces. The thinset has to be right for the material. Marble needs different handling than ceramic or porcelain. Cuts at the edges use a wet saw so they stay clean.
Grout goes in after the thinset has set up, which on a job like this it tends to be the next day. We pack it, wipe it, and come back to haze it off. Sealer goes on if the tile or grout needs it. Thresholds, reducers and stair nose get installed where the new floor meets something else, because flooring work includes those transitions. A shower curb has to slope the right way, a fraction of an inch per foot toward the drain, or water sits. We check it with a level. If something is off we fix it before we leave. You get the room back clean.
The written one year limited labor warranty on tile finished in Round Rock
Every installation carries a written one year limited labor warranty from the date of completion. It covers issues arising from the original installation. If grout we packed cracks because the joints were not tooled right, or a floor tile hollows because coverage was light, we return and make it good. It does not cover the materials. Those fall under the manufacturer's own warranty. It does not cover modifications made after the installation is complete, such as a new vanity that chips the edge. You get the written page when we are done.
We are the same crew from start to finish so there is no finger pointing later. If a problem shows inside the year and it traces to how the tile was set, grouted or bonded, we handle it. House movement, poor caulk maintenance or a leak from a pipe we never touched are not installation defects. We explain the difference when we hand you the warranty. Call the Killeen number and we will come look. That is the deal on every Round Rock job we complete.