- 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.
Substrates and framing conditions in older and newer Temple neighborhoods
Temple has a broad mix of housing, from the older residential blocks near the downtown rail district to the newer subdivisions spreading across the west side. In older houses near the center of town, framing has had decades to move. Walls are rarely plumb, corners are rarely square, and the original subfloors often flex under foot traffic. Setting tile over an unstable floor will cause grout lines to crack and tiles to loosen over time. We inspect the subfloor, sister weak joists when needed, and install a rigid cement backer board or an uncoupling membrane to isolate the tile from framing movement.
In newer homes out west, the substrate is almost always a concrete slab. Slabs in Bell County can develop hairline settlement cracks as the local clay soil shrinks and swells. If you set porcelain or ceramic directly over a cracked slab without protection, that crack will telegraph right up through the tile. We clean the concrete, fill slab defects, and apply crack isolation membranes where movement is likely. On bathroom walls, we replace bare drywall in wet zones with solid backer boards and apply continuous waterproof coatings before the first tile touches the mortar.
Tile materials and edge profiles sourced locally in town
Temple is where the tile supply house we buy from is located, which makes sourcing materials direct and simple. You can pick your material ahead of time or meet us at the supply house to look at full cartons and dye lots together. What you pick at the counter is what gets loaded onto the truck and set in your house. Different materials require different thinset mortars, trowel notch sizes, and cutting techniques to prevent chipping along the edges.
- Dense porcelain and ceramic tiles set with modified polymer thinset for kitchen floors, laundry rooms, and high-traffic hallways.
- Natural marble and zellige wall tiles that require careful hand sorting, deliberate layout spacing, and non-staining white mortars.
- Terrazzo and glass or stone mosaic sheets fitted to shower pans and accent bands with full mortar coverage underneath.
- Clean metal edge profiles in satin and brass finishes to protect exposed tile edges without using bulky bullnose trim.
- Waterproof sealers applied over porous stone surfaces and cement grouts to protect against household spills and soap residue.
Showers, moisture barriers, and tub surround tile installations
Water in a shower must go down the drain and nowhere else. When we build a custom walk-in shower, we build the pan with a dedicated pre-slope of one quarter inch per foot toward the drain assembly. We install a continuous waterproofing system on the pan and take the moisture protection up the walls past the shower head height. We flood test the pan before setting any tile to confirm the basin holds water without leaking into the framing below. Every corner and change of plane gets sealed with color-matched silicone caulking rather than rigid grout, because framing expansion will snap hard grout in inside corners.
For standard bathroom layouts where a bathtub is already in place, we handle the wall installation from the tub deck up to the ceiling. Tub surround tile work is $2,000 flat. We strip away any failing drywall, mount solid backer board flush with the tub flange, seal the joints, and set your choice of ceramic, porcelain, or stone tile. For any custom shower build or non-standard configuration outside of a straightforward tub surround, call us directly so we can inspect the space and give you a straight quote.
Floor installations, vinyl plank, and room transitions
Flooring jobs in Temple cover tile as well as rigid luxury vinyl plank. Preparing the floor is where most of the labor happens. Tile requires a completely flat plane so large format pieces do not leave high edges, known as lippage, between adjacent tiles. We grind down concrete humps, patch low spots, and use mechanical leveling clips during the setting process to keep the entire surface level from wall to wall. On vinyl plank jobs, the subfloor must be swept clean of debris and leveled so the locking joints do not separate when walked on.
A floor installation is only as clean as its transitions. When moving between a new tile floor and an adjoining carpet or vinyl room, we install dedicated transition pieces that sit flush and prevent tripping. We measure and fit reducers for height drops, stair nose profiles on step-downs, and durable metal or wood thresholds in doorways. These transitions protect the exposed cut edges of the flooring from chipping under daily foot traffic and give the room a complete appearance. Call us to walk your rooms and get a straight quote on floor work.
How we schedule and run tile jobs out of Bell County
Merlan's Tile is based in Killeen, and our service area extends through Harker Heights, Copperas Cove, Nolanville, Belton, Temple, Salado, Georgetown, Round Rock, Waco, and Austin. Genaro Merlan owns and runs the business. The same people who visit your home, measure the space, and write the estimate are the exact tradesmen who mix the thinset, make the cuts, and set your tile. We do not pass your job off to an unfamiliar crew.
When you contact us by calling (512) 297-7493 or emailing info@merlanstile.com, we arrange a time to look at the room in person. We take exact measurements, check the water lines and substrate conditions, and discuss the tile layout you want. Once the tile is selected, we schedule the installation date. We lay drop cloths through the work path, cut tiles outdoors or in controlled areas to limit dust, grout the joints, apply necessary sealers, and leave the workspace clean. Every installation carries a written one-year limited labor warranty from the date of completion covering issues arising from the original installation.