- 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 the old surround and checking studs and the tub flange
The old surround comes off first. Fiberglass units are fastened along the flange and at the top, then caulked, and some are glued to the studs. That adhesive slows the demo. Old tile on drywall comes off in pieces. We scrape leftover thinset so the new board sits flat. Behind it the studs get a look. They need to be solid and close to plumb. A twisted stud will show in the finished tile. The tub flange must sit proud of the finished plane so water runs into the tub. If the flange is recessed or the tub has settled, we stop and talk before closing anything up.
We do not cover over a bad substrate. If the bottom plates are soft we tell you. Same for missing blocking where a grab bar or a niche will land. The point of opening the wall is to see it, not to hide it. Once the framing is acceptable we move to the wet area prep. This is the stage where a rushed job starts leaking later on. We take the time here because the tile you see is only as good as what it sits on. Genaro Merlan looks at the room himself. The same person who measured it is the one who will set the tile.
Backer board or bonded membrane and setting the field tile level
After the wall is open and sound we put up cement backer board or apply a bonded waterproof membrane. Both keep water out of the framing. The membrane bonds to the substrate and the tile bonds to the membrane. Fasteners hit the studs. Seams are taped. Layout starts with snapped lines so field courses stay level across the whole run. A climbing or dropping course shows once the wall is done. We plan the cuts at the tub deck and the ceiling so there are no thin slivers at the edges.
- Cement backer screwed to the studs or a bonded membrane on a sound wall
- Taped seams and a waterproofing coat where the system needs it
- Snapped level lines so field courses do not climb or drop
- Planned cuts so the course at the tub and at the ceiling are full size pieces
Corners, niches, trim profiles, grout and the flexible tub deck joint
Inside corners take a movement joint because walls move. We do not grout them tight. Outside corners and the finishing edge get a metal profile in brass or satin, or a bullnose if the tile has it. The profile is set in the thinset with the last course so it is straight and the edge is protected. A niche, when there is one, is framed between studs, waterproofed on all sides, and tiled so the horizontal lines match the field. The bottom of the niche slopes a fraction of an inch per foot toward the tub. After the tile has cured we grout. Joints get packed full, tooled, and the film is washed off the face of the tile.
The joint at the tub deck is flexible sealant. Grout does not belong there. The tub and the wall do not move the same, so a rigid joint fails and water gets behind the tile. We apply the sealant after grout has cured, tool it concave, and wipe the excess. When everything is set we wash the tile faces, bag the old surround and the cutoffs, and leave the floor swept. On a job like this the work tends to run with a wait between setting the tile and grouting so the thinset can take. That is typical, not a calendar promise.
Tile from the Temple supply house and the written one-year limited labor warranty
Tile is bought out of the Temple supply house so the material you pick is the material that goes on the wall. You can bring boxes from somewhere else or we can walk the aisles with you. Zellige, marble, porcelain, ceramic, terrazzo and mosaic are all tiles we set on surrounds. Brass and satin edge profiles sit in the same place. We measure the surround first, then you choose. Extra pieces for cuts and a couple of attic stock are part of a normal order.
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, and does not cover modifications made after the installation is complete. If a tile loosens or a joint fails because of how it was set, we come back within that year and make it right. Keep the written copy that we leave with you.
The people who quote the job and the towns we cover from Killeen
The same people who quote the job are the people who do the job. Genaro Merlan looks at your tub surround, measures the actual space, and then sets the tile himself or with the same hands that quoted it. There is no separate sales visit and a different installer later. You talk to the person who will be in your bathroom. Call (512) 297-7493 or write info@merlanstile.com to start. We come look, you pick tile, we set grout seal and clean up behind us.
Tub surround tile work is $2,000 flat. For any other work we quote after we look at the actual room. Merlan's Tile is based in Killeen, Texas. We run out to Harker Heights, Copperas Cove, Nolanville, Belton, Temple, Salado, Georgetown, Round Rock, Waco and Austin. Phone the number or send the email. We measure, you pick the tile, we do the surround, grout, seal and clean up. No start dates are offered here. That gets arranged once we have seen the tub.