- 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.
Looking at a Waco kitchen on pier and beam before we set
We come up from Killeen and look at the actual room. Older housing stock around the Baylor area means a lot of renovation on early and mid century homes. Those kitchens often sit on pier and beam floors, so I check whether the counter is level and whether the wall has moved. I measure the run, mark the outlets and switch boxes, and see how the range wall lines up with the hood. Kitchen backsplash tile work is $1,000 flat, labor. You choose the material at the Temple house or haul it in yourself, and that is the tile that goes on the wall.
What can go wrong starts with the wall. Plaster over lath in those mid century houses can be wavy. If the counter was replaced and the old backsplash pulled, the drywall or plaster behind it may be torn or out of plane. I do not pretend a 4 by 12 subway will hide a belly in the wall. We plane what we can, use a thicker thinset where it is honest, and still tell you if a full height run will telegraph every dip. Outlets that sit proud or recessed need extension rings or the tile will not sit flat around the plate.
Layout off the counter, outlets, and windows on Waco kitchens
Layout starts at the counter, not at the ceiling. On a Waco kitchen I snap a line off the high point of the top so the first course stays even if the granite or laminate is not. If the counter has a slight crown, we shim the bottom row rather than let grout joints grow as we go up. Switch boxes and outlets get cut as we set, not guessed from a paper template that never matches the actual box. A porcelain subway is different from a handmade zellige. Zellige will have shade variation and the edges are not square, so the layout has to absorb that. Marble needs sealing before grout or it will stain. Mosaic sheets need to be flattened so the mesh does not print through. We work around a window by centering the field or by running a full tile to the jamb, depending on what looks honest with the size you picked.
- Snap the first line off the high point of the counter
- Cut outlets and switch boxes as the tile is set
- Shim a crowned top so joints stay even going up
- Center on a window or run a full tile to the jamb
The range wall, the hood, and how an edge finishes
The range wall is where most people look first. Heat, grease, and a hood that may not sit centered over the cooktop all show in the finished work. If the hood hangs short of the wall we either stop the tile under it or run the field up and cut around the duct cover. Running it up looks cleaner most of the time. The cut has to be tight or you see a gap from the stove. Full height stone behind the range is a different job than a standard field that stops under the upper cabinets. Large format porcelain or a stone look needs a flatter wall and a different thinset bed. A standard field of ceramic, mosaic, or zellige can follow a wall that is a little off plane. Ending an edge means a brass or satin profile, a factory bullnose if the tile has one, or a return into a cabinet side. Plastic trim is not what we set. You see the profile when we pick tile at the Temple supply house.
Working around a window on an early or mid century Waco house often means the sill is not level and the jambs are not plumb. We cut the tile to the opening that is actually there. Use caulk, not grout, at the window and at the countertop. Grout will crack in those joints. Behind the cooktop the grout color matters more than people think. A darker grout hides splatters better than a light sanded joint that takes oil the first time someone cooks. Unsanded grout belongs in a tight zellige or mosaic joint. Sanded grout belongs in a wider porcelain or ceramic joint. We seal marble and some natural looks before grout so pigment does not stain the face. After the grout cures we clean the haze and pick up. 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. It does not cover modifications made after the installation is complete.
Full height stone versus a standard field, and grout at the cooktop
A standard field usually runs from the counter up to the underside of the upper cabinets. That is the common Waco backsplash. Full height means the tile goes to the ceiling, or at least well above the hood, and it changes the layout. You have more cuts at the top, more chance the wall is out of plumb over that extra height, and a different look at the range. Some people want a different tile on the range wall, a mosaic inset, or a full height stone look in porcelain. I will tell you if the wall will take it. If the plaster has a bow, a large tile will lip. Smaller mosaic or a subway with a running bond hides more. Terrazzo look porcelain is heavy and wants a well bonded substrate. We do not hang it on failing plaster.
Grout behind a cooktop takes abuse. Steam, oil, and cleaners all hit that wall. Epoxy grout is an option some owners ask about. I set what the tile and the joint width call for. A very tight zellige joint does not want a coarse sanded grout. A 3/16 joint in ceramic does. Color is your call. I will say if a white grout on a busy cooktop will look dirty fast. Sealer on grout helps, and it is not a magic shield. You still wipe the wall. On pier and beam houses the whole kitchen can move a little with the seasons. That is why we use caulk at changes of plane, at the counter, and at the cabinets. A hard grout joint there will open. That is not a failure of the set. That is the house moving.
Measuring in Waco, tile from Temple, and who does the work
The drive north up I-35 into McLennan County is a regular run for us. We look at the room and measure the actual space. You pick the tile, either bringing your own or coming to the Temple supply house with us. What you pick is what gets set. Then we set, grout, seal, and clean up behind us. A kitchen backsplash on an older Waco house is usually a one room job. Most of the time the set and grout on a job like this tends to run a couple of days, then we come back after cure if haze needs another pass. That is typical, not a promise. Walls that need patching, a full height run, or a lot of box cuts add time. We do not start until the tile is on site and the counters are finished, because the layout has to come off the top.
Merlan's Tile is based in Killeen. Genaro Merlan owns the business. The same people who quote the job are the people who do the job. Tile work covers showers, tub surrounds, backsplashes and floors. We set zellige, marble, porcelain, ceramic, terrazzo and mosaic, with brass and satin edge profiles. Flooring covers tile, vinyl plank, and the transitions that finish it, reducers, stair nose, thresholds. Roofing is on the list as well. You already have the labor figure for a kitchen backsplash. For showers, floors, or a roof, call for a straight quote after we look at the room. Phone (512) 297-7493. Email info@merlanstile.com. Scheduling is arranged on the phone. Service area runs out from Killeen to Harker Heights, Copperas Cove, Nolanville, Belton, Temple, Salado, Georgetown, Round Rock, Waco and Austin.