A beautiful mosaic makes a simple entryway into a gorgeous welcoming space.

Tile floors, like their uses, range widely in style and look. From intricate mosaics that require hours to piece together and which create a stunning look for your business foyer, to simple bathroom tiling that keeps your floors from being ruined by water, we do it all!

The same skills and attention we put into a several thousand dollar mosaic, we put into your simple white tile apartment bathroom. Why? Because every customer deserves the best tiling job we can give them.

Part of that attention to detail employing techniques which allow us to level and create a unified surface for you new tile floor to be created on. While these are ‘background’ steps that aren’t readily visible in the finished floor, they are what allow you to enjoy your new tile for a lifetime instead of a matter of years.

Here you can see the 'sandwich' look that a properly mudset floor has - thin set & crack deterrent, mud set, thin set and then tile.

Our most commonly used technique is called a “Mud Set.” We like to use this process because it provides you with a more level surface, and allows us to compensate in older homes for the subtle shifting houses do over time.

When create a mud set floor, we start by laying a protective barrier wherever there are any cracks or problems with the foundation.

Repairing a large crack with a strong membrane.

These barriers vary in both cost and type, depending on the condition of the subfloor, however they help us to create a floor that is more resistant to cracking and shifting as the years go by.  Once we get your existing floor up, our experts will talk with you about the different options for this part of the process. In your initial tile floor estimate, we address this issue, but we can never know the full extent of what will be needed until we see the condition of the subfloor. This extra process costs more – there’s more labor, materials and skill involved in sealing and creating a barrier against cracks.

A severely cracked surface requires a unifying membrane such as this one.

Unfortunately, this is a process that is too often skipped by contractors trying to cut corners. This is bad news for the home owner, cracks that existed before the tile floors were laid will quickly reappear again in you new tile and there is nothing in the way to help abate new cracks. Your tile floors should last a lifetime, don’t cut corners or trust a contractor who does, just to save a buck on the front end – it will cost you much more later down the road.

Once the crack repair option is in place, we begin to lay your tile floors. We start with a thin-set layer. This material helps adhere the mud set to the existing subfloor, cement and/or crack repair.

Laying down the mud set material

Our craftsmen use levels to make sure your tile floor will be perfect.

Now that's a tight corner!

In addition to the mud set technique, we employ a variety of other techniques when the situation doesn’t require this process. Upper floors, for instance, frequently don’t need or can’t handle this heavier installation. When we work with you to create a vision for the tile floors you want, we will discuss all the options available for your specific situation and help you understand and make a knowledgeable decision about how to proceed.

Note: Please be aware that by using a mud-set technique, we create a higher floor surface which can raise the floor from 1 to 1.5 inches.