Tile flooring in San Diego. Flat, plumb, with grout lines you do not have to apologize for.
Tile is unforgiving. A 1/16-inch lippage between two large-format tiles is the difference between a floor that looks custom and a floor that looks rushed. We use back-buttering and mortar combing to spec, install with leveling clips on anything 12 inches or wider, and grout with epoxy or polymer-modified product based on the room.
What's included in this service?
- Subfloor prep including cement board, Schluter Ditra, or self-leveling
- Porcelain, ceramic, and natural stone install
- Large-format tile (24x48 and up) with leveling clips
- Mosaic, hex, herringbone, and chevron patterns
- Heated floor (Schluter Ditra-Heat or Suntouch) install
- Custom layout to balance cuts at room edges
- Epoxy or polymer-modified grout, sealed where needed
- Cove base, bullnose, and metal Schluter trim
When do you need this service?
- Bathroom, kitchen, mudroom, or laundry room
- You want heated floors
- You have a Mediterranean, Spanish, or coastal-modern aesthetic
- High-moisture areas where wood and laminate will fail
- You want a 50-year floor that does not need refinishing
What do homeowners ask about Tile?
Porcelain or ceramic — which is better?
Porcelain is denser, harder, and more water-resistant than ceramic — usually the better pick for floors. Ceramic is fine for walls and lower-traffic floors, and is easier to cut, which can lower labor cost on intricate patterns. For a kitchen or main-traffic floor, porcelain is what we recommend.
Do I need cement board or Schluter Ditra?
Over a wood subfloor, yes. Ceramic and porcelain crack if they flex with the structure. Cement board is the traditional option. Schluter Ditra is an uncoupling membrane that costs more but performs better long-term. Over a sound concrete slab, neither is mandatory, but a crack-isolation membrane is cheap insurance against hairline slab cracks telegraphing through.
How big a tile can I get away with?
We routinely set 24x48 and 32x32 porcelain in residential floors. Larger needs flatter substrates. Manufacturers spec lippage tolerance based on tile size — large format requires the floor to be flatter than 1/8 inch in 10 feet. We measure with a straightedge before quoting and self-level if needed.
Should I do heated floors?
In San Diego, heated tile is a luxury feature, not a heating source. It is wonderful in a primary bathroom — warm tile in the morning is one of those small upgrades you notice every day. Cost is roughly $8 to $12 per square foot of heated area, on top of the tile install. For everywhere else, the cost-to-benefit usually does not pencil out.
How long does grout last?
Polymer-modified cement grout lasts 10 to 20 years before sealing or recoloring becomes worth doing. Epoxy grout is essentially permanent and stain-proof, but harder to install and roughly twice the cost. We default to polymer-modified for floors and recommend epoxy in showers, kitchens, and where stain resistance matters.
Where do we offer Tile in San Diego County?
We provide tile in every city and community in San Diego County. Pick your city for local climate notes and service specifics.
See tile in all 48 cities
Homeowners who hired us for this
Twenty-year-old oak floors that I was about to replace. They sanded, stained, and sealed them — they look brand new. Dust containment was real. Crew was on time every day. Cost a third of what replacement would have been.
Got three quotes for the same LVP. Surface Pro was the only one that probed the slab for moisture before quoting. Two other contractors would have skipped it. Floor's been down six months and there's not a single edge curling anywhere.
Coastal house, slab on grade. They explained why solid hardwood was a bad call here and walked me through engineered options. Picked European white oak, glue-down install. Looks like real wood because it is real wood, but handles the humidity.
Need tile in San Diego County?
Call for a free quote. Most work scheduled within the week.