- 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.
What comes out of a Waco tub surround before the new tile goes up
Most of the tub work we do in Waco is in older housing stock around the Baylor area. Early and mid century houses, many of them on pier and beam. The existing surround is often a one piece fiberglass unit cracked at the corners or tile set on greenboard with no membrane. We cover the tub, tape the room, and take the old finish down to the studs. Leftover mastic and fasteners come off so the wood is visible. Sometimes the previous layer was glued to plaster and peels in sheets. Demolition is part of the job. We haul the debris and leave the walls open.
Once the walls are open we look at the studs and the tub flange. In a pier and beam house the floor can have moved, so the tub may not sit level and the flange may have a gap. We shim the flange so it bears on the framing. Wet bottom plates get cut out and replaced. New wood is sistered where screws will not hold. Cement backer or a bonded waterproof membrane goes up next. We do not set tile on rotten wood. The open wall is when those repairs happen. Tub surround tile work is $2,000 flat.
Keeping field tile courses level on a Waco tub surround
After the backer or membrane is on, we measure the actual walls. The customer has already picked tile at the Temple supply house or brought their own. What they picked is what gets set. Layout starts on the long wall. Cuts belong in the corners, not as slivers in the field. We snap a true level line for the first course. In older Waco houses on pier and beam the tub rim is often out of level from one end to the other. Following that rim would make every grout joint climb or drop. The sealant joint at the deck absorbs the difference. Corners get cut so the joint turns clean. If a niche is in the plan we frame it, waterproof it, and set the shelf so it does not slope. Brass and satin edge profiles finish the exposed edge where tile meets the painted wall. Thinset has to cover the whole back of each tile. A hollow spot will telegraph later.
- First course to a level line, not the tub rim
- Cuts balanced into the corners
- Niche shelf set dead level when there is one
- Full thinset, no hollow tiles you can tap
Grout joints and the flexible sealant at the tub deck in Waco
Grout goes in after the thinset has set. On a job like this it tends to run the next day. We pack the joints, tool them, and clean the haze off the face of the tile before it hardens. Joint width stays consistent. Mosaic and zellige need more attention because the pieces vary. Marble and porcelain are more regular. The joint at the tub deck is not grout. Grout is rigid. A pier and beam house in Waco will move a little with the seasons. If you grout that line it will crack and then water sits in the crack. We run a flexible sealant joint there instead. That joint can take the movement without opening up.
After grout and sealant we wipe the tile, pull the protection off the tub, and sweep up. The same people who looked at the room are the people who set the tile. We do not leave a mess for the homeowner to deal with. If there is a trim edge or a return into an adjacent wall, that gets finished too. Most of the time the room is ready to use once the grout has its initial set, but we tell you to go easy on the sealant joint for a bit. Scheduling is arranged on the phone. Call (512) 297-7493 or email info@merlanstile.com and we come look at the actual space.
Driving up from Killeen to measure a Waco tub surround
Merlan's Tile is based in Killeen. Service runs north to Waco and the rest of McLennan County, and through the towns in between. We look at the room and measure what is really there, not a sketch. The surround itself is $2,000 flat. Customer picks the tile. Bring your own boxes or come with us to the Temple supply house. Then we set, grout, seal, and clean up behind us. The same crew that measured is the crew that sets. Genaro Merlan owns it. For work that is not a tub surround, call for a straight quote after we see the space.
We do not invent a start date on a website. You call, we look at the calendar together, and we set a day that works. Typical duration on a surround like this is a few days of work once we start, but that depends on how much wood we have to replace and how many cuts the tile needs. On a job like this it tends to run longer if the old unit was glued to plaster that wants to stay on the studs. Honest talk about what we find behind the wall happens before we cover it. Email info@merlanstile.com if that is easier than the phone.
Tile from the Temple house, edge profiles, and the labor warranty on a Waco surround
Tile is bought out of the Temple supply house. Zellige, marble, porcelain, ceramic, terrazzo, mosaic. Brass and satin edge profiles. If you already have boxes in the garage, we set those. If not, you can ride over with us and pick. What you pick is what goes on the wall. We do not swap a different lot because it was easier to get. Layout and cuts are done with the actual material in hand. Small baths around the Baylor area show every cut, so we dry lay the first rows when the pattern is busy.
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. If a grout joint fails because someone later cut a hole for a new fixture, that is not on us. If the tile we set comes loose from the way we set it, that is on us. Keep the paper. Trades are tile, flooring, and roofing. Flooring and roofing get quoted after we look. Call the number.