- 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.
Slab cracks in central Texas houses and the isolation that keeps them out of the grout
A slab in a house around Killeen or Temple often has cracks from the soil moving or from the original pour. Those cracks do not always mean the house is falling apart. Some are hairline and have not moved in years. Others open and close with the seasons. Tile bonded straight to a moving crack will crack too, or the grout will open up. We walk the room, mark the cracks, and decide if a crack isolation membrane is the right next step. The membrane lets the slab move a little underneath while the tile stays put on top.
Isolation is not a structural repair. Heaving or a wide active crack means a different conversation and we tell you straight. For the usual hairline and moderate cracks we roll or trowel a membrane over them, or we use a sheet that uncouples the tile from the concrete. The same people who look at the crack are the ones who will set the tile later. Nothing gets hidden. After the membrane the surface still has to be flat, which is the next job. Call (512) 297-7493 once you have seen the floor so we can give you a straight quote on the prep.
Wood subfloors that give underfoot and the plywood thickness tile requires
Wood floors in older houses in Copperas Cove or Belton can feel solid under carpet and still be too springy for tile. Tile and grout are rigid. When the floor deflects, the grout lines open and tiles can pop loose. We measure the bounce by walking it and by looking at the joist size and spacing from below if we can get to the crawl space. A single layer of thin plywood over 16 inch joists is usually not enough. An extra layer of plywood, screwed and glued, stiffens it so the tile has a chance.
- An extra sheet of plywood screwed on a tight grid over the existing subfloor
- Particle board or thin underlayment panels do not stay under tile
- Heel bounce you can see in a water glass means the joists need a look
- Reducers, stair nose and thresholds have to sit on the same stiff assembly
Getting the floor flat enough for large porcelain or marble without lippage
High spots and low spots show up under a long straightedge. Tile larger than a few inches will rock or leave lippage on a waving floor. We grind the highs with a cup wheel and fill the lows. On a big area or a floor that is out more than about an eighth of an inch in ten feet, self leveling underlayment gets poured. It seeks its own level, dries, and leaves a surface the thinset can grab evenly. The pour has to be primed right or it will not bond. That work is part of the prep, not an extra surprise.
Most of the time the self leveler is mixed on site and poured the same day the primer dries. It is not a structural topping. It fills and flattens. On wood we still need the extra plywood first so the leveler has something stiff to sit on. After it cures we check again with the straightedge. Customers who pick large format porcelain or marble at the Temple house need this more than someone setting small mosaic. The same people who pour it set the tile, so the layout starts from a surface we already know.
Cement board, uncoupling sheets, and waterproof membranes under showers and floors
Cement board has been the usual underlayment on wood for a long time. It gives a cement surface the thinset can key into. On floors the board still sits on plywood that does not bounce. In a wet zone the board joints have to be treated or the whole surface covered because the board alone does not stop water. Sheet membranes and uncoupling mats go down in thinset and then receive the tile. They handle small movement and they keep water off the wood or the slab when they are detailed right.
Choice depends on the room we are standing in. A shower or a tub surround usually gets a full waterproof membrane so the water stays on the tile face and in the pan. Tub surround tile work is $2,000 flat. Floors over a sound slab often take just the isolation or uncoupling sheet. Open walls can take board for thickness and then a membrane over it. Cutting, fastening, sealing, and checking all of that is the prep. The people quoting it are the people installing it after you pick the tile at the Temple supply house or bring your own.
The prep work on the quote is the difference between tile that lasts and tile that fails
The prep line exists because the work exists. Ignoring a crack or a dip does not save anything. The tile will tell on it later. Grout splits, corners chip, a hollow sound shows up when you tap. We measure the real space, not a drawing. Whatever the slab or the wood needs gets listed so you know. That is why we ask you to call (512) 297-7493 for a straight quote after we have stood in the room. Photos miss the bounce and the hairline cracks.
Once the substrate is ready setting begins. You chose the tile yourself or with us at the Temple house. Layout, cuts, profiles, grout, sealer and cleanup follow. The written one-year limited labor warranty starts the day we finish and covers original installation issues only. Materials have the maker's warranty. Later modifications are not included. The people who quoted do the work. Jobs run from Killeen through Harker Heights, Copperas Cove, Nolanville, Belton, Temple, Salado, Georgetown, Round Rock, Waco and Austin. Email info@merlanstile.com to start.