- 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.
Large format tile and short walls in a small Killeen bathroom
A 5 or 6 foot wall leaves little room to hide a bad layout. Large porcelain tile cuts the number of grout lines, and some people like the cleaner field. Every piece that meets a wall, jamb, or flange still needs a cut. A short run may take only two or three full tiles. A sliver cut looks unfinished and the joint is hard to keep even. We measure the real space on site because drywall is rarely square. The people who quote the job also set the tile, so the layout is dry fitted before thinset is mixed.
Substrate has to be flat for large format or lippage shows along every edge. Old vinyl or high spots near the tub are common in these rooms. We look at the floor and walls, then grind or patch before any tile goes down. What you pick at the Temple supply house, or the boxes you bring, is exactly what gets set. After setting we grout, apply sealer when the tile needs it, and leave the room clean. A written one year limited labor warranty starts on the completion date and covers problems from the original installation. Materials stay under the manufacturer warranty. Modifications after we finish are not covered.
Running floor tile up the wall in a tight bathroom
Some homeowners want the same porcelain on the floor and continuing a few feet up the wall as a wainscot. It can look continuous if the layout lines up. Floor tile is usually thicker than wall tile, so the wall plane has to be built out or the profile will step. We use brass or satin edge profiles at the top of that run to finish the cut edge. The wall still needs a proper substrate, cement board or equivalent, even if it is not a wet wall. In a small room that extra plane change is noticeable, so we check it when we measure.
- Floor and wall tile from the same Temple boxes so color matches
- Edge profile in brass or satin to cap the top course
- Extra thinset or backer to bring the wall plane out to the floor thickness
- Layout lines carried up so grout joints align at the floor to wall change
Continuing the same floor tile into the shower
Continuing floor tile into the shower makes the whole wet room read as one surface. There is no separate threshold strip to trip on or to grout against. The shower pan still needs slope, a quarter inch per foot toward the drain, or water ponds. We form that slope in the mud bed or with a foam tray before the membrane goes down. A bonded waterproofing membrane covers the floor and turns up the walls. Drain location in a small stall forces even cuts around it. We dry lay the field so you can see the cuts around the drain before any thinset.
Grout joints that run from the bathroom floor into the shower line up when the layout starts from a common point, usually a long wall or the curb. Mosaic or small ceramic on the shower floor can add traction, but then the large floor tile stops at the curb and you have a joint there. Porcelain from the Temple house works for both if the coefficient of friction is right for wet feet. After the tile is set we grout the whole floor in one go, seal if the grout or stone needs it, and clean the haze. Scheduling is arranged when you call.
Grout contrast and a niche instead of a protruding shelf
Grout color does more work in a small bathroom than in a big one because you see every line. Matching grout to the tile recedes and the field looks larger. Contrasting grout, white on dark porcelain or dark on light zellige, draws a grid. On short walls that grid can feel busy. We show samples against the actual tile at the supply house or in the room so you see it in the light you have. Sealer on the grout keeps it from staining in a wet room. The process is look, pick, set, grout, seal, clean.
A recessed niche replaces a protruding glass shelf and keeps the small room from feeling cluttered. The niche needs solid blocking between studs, a waterproofed box, and tile on the back, sides, and sill with a slight slope so soap does not sit. Cuts around the niche opening have to land on full or half tiles or the border looks patched. We measure the studs when we look at the room so the niche sits on a layout line, not in the middle of a tile. Brass or satin profiles can finish the niche edge with a metal line. Call for a straight quote because niche size and location change the labor.
Where leftover cuts land when every wall is short
Every wall in a small bathroom is short, so the leftover cut on each run is a large part of what you see. Starting the layout from the most visible wall, usually the one you face when you open the door, keeps the sliver off that surface. The opposite wall takes the remainder. Doorways, the toilet, and the vanity all eat into the field and force extra cuts. We snap lines and dry set a few rows so the homeowner can walk in and look before we commit to thinset. Tile from Temple is what we have, no substitutions once you pick.
For a full small bathroom the work is quoted after we look at the room. Tub surround tile work is $2,000 flat. Floors, shower walls, niches, and the rest get a number once the measurements are in. We serve Killeen and the towns around it: Harker Heights, Copperas Cove, Nolanville, Belton, Temple, Salado, Georgetown, Round Rock, Waco and Austin. Email info@merlanstile.com or call (512) 297-7493. Genaro Merlan owns the business and the same hands that measure are the ones that set, grout, and clean. A written one year limited labor warranty covers the installation from the completion date. It does not cover the tile itself or any changes you make later.