- 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.
Pulling cracked or loose tile without lifting the neighbors
When a tile cracks from impact or framing movement, the grout around it is often still sound. We cut those joints with a grout saw so neighbors stay put. We score the cracked face and break it out in bits instead of prying, which lifts good edges. Old thinset gets ground down to a flat substrate. High spots make the new tile sit proud and catch a mop. Surrounding tiles get taped and we use a small blade. On a floor we check the backer or concrete for water damage before setting the replacement.
Matching color and size is next. Older tile is often discontinued. We take a broken piece to the Temple supply house and look for the closest thing on the rack. Even the same series can shade differently under bathroom light. Leftover boxes in the garage are the best match if you still have them. We set the replacement at the same bed thickness, grout with a close color, and seal if the rest of the job was sealed. Joint width has to line up or the patch stands out. After the grout dries and we clean the haze the new tile usually blends.
Grinding grout joints clean and packing them again
Grout that has started to powder or crack lets water and dirt into the joints. If the tiles are still well bonded we grind the old material out rather than smearing new grout over the top. An oscillating tool with a grout blade or a rotary grout saw follows each joint. We keep the blade centered so we do not chip the arris of a porcelain tile or round over a marble or zellige edge. Dust is constant so a vacuum sits right at the cut. Once the joint is empty down to the thinset we dampen it, pack fresh grout, and tool it to the same profile the original had, usually a slight concave. Sponging too soon pulls cement out of the joint. We wait, then clean the haze. Sealer goes on after the grout has had time to cure, which on a job like this tends to run a day or two depending on humidity in the room. This puts the surface back together when the failure is only the grout itself.
- Hollow tiles that have already lost their bond to the bed
- Soft or stained backer that shows water has gone past the joints
- Stair-step cracks running across several tiles, a sign of movement
- Grout that turns to powder the moment the blade touches it
Taking a sample to the Temple house to match older tile
We do not stock old lots in a warehouse. Repair tile comes out of the same Temple supply house where new work is bought, so what you pick is what gets set. You can bring a broken piece or we take one with us. The people at the counter know the current porcelain, ceramic, marble, mosaic, terrazzo and zellige lines and can sometimes find a remaining box or a close shade. Handmade zellige and certain mosaics already had variation when they were first installed, so a perfect clone is rare. We lay the options on the counter in the light you will actually live with and you choose. If nothing is close the straight answer is to open a larger field so the new tile can be laid out as its own area, or to live with a visible patch. We will not claim a match that is not there.
The same person who looks at the bathroom and writes the quote is the person who makes the cuts. We measure the real space, the existing joint widths, the actual tile size including any warpage, and the bed thickness so the new piece does not sit high or low. A repair cut has to hide. We follow the original factory edge as much as the wet saw will allow. If the original job used brass or satin edge profiles and those trims are still on the rack we use them on the repair so the termination matches. After the tile is set we grout, apply sealer when the original work was sealed, and clean the dust and haze before we leave the house.
Spotting a wet substrate that a new grout job cannot fix
Water that has leaked past failed grout for a long stretch often saturates the cement backer or the drywall behind a shower or tub wall. The face of the tile can still look fine while the board behind it is crumbling. Tapping the field tells the story. A tight bond rings. A hollow tile has already let go. Several hollow tiles, or grout cracks that run in a stair step, mean the substrate has moved or taken water. Grinding those joints and packing new grout over a rotten board is wasted labor. The tiles have to come off, the wet material has to come out, and new backer plus a bonded waterproofing membrane have to go in before anything is set again. That work is no longer a grout repair. It is a rebuild of the damaged section.
If the wet area is small we can often open just that part, sister in new board, and tile it to blend with the rest of the field. If the whole tub surround has given out, tub surround tile work is $2,000 flat. For a handful of cracked tiles, a floor patch, or a shower wall section you call for a straight quote after we look at the room. Photos help, but standing there with a tapping handle and a flashlight is how the scope gets decided. The service area runs out from Killeen through Harker Heights, Copperas Cove, Nolanville, Belton, Temple, Salado, Georgetown, Round Rock, Waco and Austin. Email info@merlanstile.com or call (512) 297-7493 and we will come measure the actual space.
Measuring the room, setting the repair, and the one year limited labor warranty
Work begins with a look at the actual room, not a guess from a description. We measure the damaged area, tap the surrounding tiles, and check for soft spots or staining that points to water under the surface. You bring leftover tile from the garage or we go with you to the Temple supply house so the piece you pick is the piece that gets set. On the day of the repair we protect adjacent floors, cut out the failed material, set the new tile, grout, seal when it is called for, and clean up behind us. Grinding grout makes the most dust, so we bag it and vacuum as we go. A small repair most of the time finishes in a single day, but that is typical, not a promise, because a hidden wet backer changes what has to be done.
Every installation, a repair included, carries a written one-year limited labor warranty from the date of completion. It covers issues arising from the original installation we performed. It does not cover the tile or grout materials themselves, those stay under the manufacturer's own warranty, and it does not cover modifications made after the installation is complete. If a later trade cuts into the wall or the floor, that part of the labor warranty no longer applies. The quote comes from the person who will be on the floor making the cuts and packing the grout, not from someone who never sees the substrate.