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Tile Flooring

A tile floor fails at the substrate, never at the tile.

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Close surface detail of tile flooring.

Spec

Material
Porcelain, ceramic, natural stone, large format
Typical window
2 to 4 days, plus grout cure before heavy use
Subfloor prep
Included. Deflection checked, substrate flattened, membrane where it belongs.
Warranty
Pending confirmation

Tile does not fail. What is under it fails.

Cracked grout lines and loose tiles almost never mean the tile was bad. They mean the floor underneath moved, and tile does not move.

So the work happens before any tile gets set.

Deflection

A tile floor needs a stiff subfloor. Bounce in the joists translates directly into cracked grout, and on a natural stone floor it cracks the stone itself. On an older house, particularly the mid-century stock around Murray and Millcreek, joist spans were not designed with heavy tile in mind.

We check deflection before we quote. If the floor needs blocking or an additional layer of subfloor to carry tile, that goes in the number up front. It is not a change order we spring on you in week two.

Uncoupling and waterproofing membrane

Concrete and tile expand at different rates. An uncoupling membrane lets the slab move underneath without dragging the tile along with it, which is what keeps a crack in the slab from becoming a crack straight through your floor.

In a shower or a bathroom, waterproofing is a separate job from tiling and it is the one that protects the house. We do it properly, with a bonded membrane, taped seams, and preslope where there is a drain. Water that gets past a tile floor does not announce itself. It rots the subfloor quietly for two years.

Large format

Anything over 15 inches on a side is large format, and it is far less forgiving. The substrate has to be flatter, the mortar has to be back-buttered for full coverage, and lippage between tiles becomes visible at a glance. We use a leveling system on large format rather than eyeballing it.

Grout

Grout choice is a maintenance decision more than a look decision. Cementitious grout is easier to work with and easier to repair. Epoxy grout is far more stain resistant and is the right answer for a commercial kitchen or a mudroom, but it is unforgiving to install and it costs more in labor.

We will tell you which one your room needs.

Where we install

Tile installation from Logan to Nephi, including Murray, Sandy, Midvale, Cottonwood Heights, Holladay, Millcreek, Taylorsville, West Jordan, South Jordan, Riverton, Draper, Lehi, American Fork, Bountiful, and Layton.

Existing tile with failing grout? See tile and grout repair.

Questions we get asked

Do you charge for an estimate?

No. We come out, measure, look at the subfloor, and give you a written number. Bring us a spec sheet if you have already chosen a product from a showroom and we will price the install against it.

How soon can you get out here?

Call and we will tell you. Repairs are usually the fastest to schedule because they are short jobs. Full installs depend on material lead time, which is set by the supplier rather than by us.

Do I need to move my furniture?

No, we move it. Empty out closets, take things off shelves, and disconnect electronics. We handle the heavy pieces. Tell us in advance about anything unusually heavy or fragile, like a piano, a gun safe, or an aquarium.

What makes your installers different?

Our installers get in-person training on the manufacturers' own factory floors, on the specific products they install. Most flooring crews learn on the job, which means they learn on your house.

Can we stay in the house during the work?

For most jobs, yes. We work room by room where we can. Hardwood refinishing is the exception: the sanding is loud and the finish needs a few days to cure, so most people stay elsewhere or close off that part of the house.

Can you just regrout instead of replacing the tile?

Only if the substrate is sound. Grout cracks because something under it moved, so regrouting a floor that still flexes puts you back in the same place within about a year. We tap the floor and look at how the cracks run before we recommend it.

Can you match my tile if some are broken?

If you have leftover tile from the original install, yes, and it will match perfectly. Without attic stock, an exact match on a discontinued product often is not possible. We will show you how close we can get before you commit to the repair.

Also

Other floors we install

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Tell us what the floor is doing

Send a few photos and we will tell you what it needs. If it is not worth repairing, we will say so.

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