- 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.
How a one room job gets scheduled and measured
When you call Merlan's Tile about a single room we set a time to come see it. Genaro Merlan or one of his crew comes out to the house. They look at the actual space. They measure the floor or the walls. They check the substrate to see what kind of prep it needs. They look at the plumbing if it is a shower or tub surround. They look at the layout. They see where the cuts fall. Then they give you a straight quote for the work. No guesswork. No estimate over the phone based on square footage alone. They see the room and then they tell you what it costs.
The same people who quote the job are the people who do the job. So the person looking at your room is the person who will set your tile. That matters on a small job because they remember the details. They remember the out of plumb wall. They remember the uneven floor. They remember where you want the grout line to fall. You do not have to explain the job twice. You talk to one person and that person handles the work from start to finish.
Why a small room can take as long as a big one
A single bathroom or a small backsplash might seem like a quick job. But the setup and the prep take the same amount of time as a larger room. The tile setter has to bring in the tools. He has to set up the saw. He has to mix the thinset. He has to waterproof the walls if it is a shower. He has to make sure the substrate is flat. A small room has the same steps as a big one. The only difference is the amount of tile you set. The prep work stays the same.
- The saw has to be set up and broken down on site for every job no matter the size.
- Waterproofing a shower wall takes the same time whether the shower is big or small.
- Cuts around a toilet flange or a door jamb take care and cannot be rushed.
- Grouting and cleanup take a full day on a small floor because you have to wait for the thinset to cure.
What makes a small job go smoothly
A small job goes smoothly when the homeowner has picked the tile before we start. If you bring your own tile we need to see it before we set the date. If you want to come to the supply house in Temple with us we can help you pick. The tile is bought out of the Temple supply house so what you pick is what gets set. There is no substitution. There is no surprise when the tile shows up.
The other thing that helps is having the room cleared out. If we are tiling a bathroom we need the vanity out and the toilet out. If we are doing a backsplash we need the countertop clear. If we are doing an entry we need the furniture moved. We can move small items but it saves time if the room is empty. Time on a small job is measured in hours not days so every bit of prep you do helps keep the job moving.
The tile and materials for a single room
You can use any tile you want on a single room. Zellige, marble, porcelain, ceramic, terrazzo and mosaic all work. We carry brass and satin edge profiles to finish the edges. The tile is bought out of the Temple supply house so you pick what you want and that is what we set. You are not limited to a small selection. You can pick from the same materials that go into a whole house.
For a tub surround the work is $2,000 flat. That covers the tile setting for the three walls around the tub. It does not cover the tile material itself. You pick the tile and we set it. For a backsplash or a floor the price depends on the room. You call us and we come look and give you a straight quote. Every job is different and we quote it after we see it.
The warranty and what it covers
Every installation carries a written one year limited labor warranty from the date of completion. It covers issues that come from the original installation. If a tile comes loose or a grout line cracks because of how it was set we fix it. The warranty does not cover the tile material itself. That falls under the manufacturer's own warranty. And it does not cover modifications made after the installation is complete.
The warranty is written and it is straightforward. You get a copy when the job is done. It covers the workmanship for one year. That is typical for this kind of work. We do not promise anything beyond that because we cannot control what happens to the tile after we leave. But if something goes wrong because of how we set it we take care of it.