JOHN BRIDGE    Ceramic, Marble, and Stone Tile Installation
(Home)

"Serving the West Side Since 1983"         

Please note: I've left this page here for informational purposes. On the front page of this site I've posted notice to the effect that I am now semi-retired. I do only tile showers and backsplashes. The only pricing information that is current on this page is for showers and backsplashes.

Thank you for calling on John Bridge. We welcome the opportunity to provide you with information about the best and most complete ceramic tile service available. Although tile contractors provide a variety of services both inside and outside the home, the services can generally be narrowed down to only a few, and by telling you about these, I'll be able to give you an idea of what tile setting is about and what it usually costs.

To begin with, there are tile installers, and there are tile setters. Tile setters adhere to the old fashioned idea that things should only have to be done once if they're done right, and this thinking is literally "cast in concrete." Most of the projects we do incorporate the use of cement mortar and other products based on portland cement. Lumped together, all of these substances are referred to as "mud," and we actually call ourselves "mud men." Projects completed in this fashion will last a lifetime. Installers, on the other hand, have not had the benefit of the training people like myself have been privileged to receive and cannot make that guaranty.

TUB/SHOWER COMBINATIONS (Tub Surrounds): For several decades builders in our area and others have been installing ceramic tile over nothing more than sheetrock in wet areas such as showers. This can be evidenced by the number of people who call almost daily with tiles falling off the wall and into the tub. Sheetrock is light gypsum sandwiched between two sheets of paper. Once the paper gets wet, the problem begins. How long it takes for the problem to become apparent depends on how often the shower is used and how it has been maintained.

Ceramic wall tiles, contrary to popular belief, are not water-proof. They need something behind them that is water-proof, and the best thing is cement mortar -- "mud."

We do not repair "sheetrock showers." We tear them out and start from scratch, using time-honored techniques to re-build them. Including all labor, it runs $1,000 for a tub surround without a window in it and $1,100 if there is a window in the tiled area. Ceramic tile shower stalls are priced individually, based on the amount of time they will take to complete.  A typical 3 by 3 or 3 by 4 shower will start at $2,100 in labor  -- plus the cost of materials.  Shower pan replacements (shower bottoms) begin at $1,000 complete.

(Well, I do build a sheetrock shower that I highly recommend.  Check it out.  :-)

KITCHEN FLOORS: There are a number of tile installers who espouse putting the tiles over vinyl linoleum. I don't. For one thing, there is no way to determine how well the linoleum is glued to the slab without attempting to remove it. It's just a good idea to get the stuff out of the way. Tile floors are expensive, and they are permanent if done correctly. There's no room for shortcuts in the process.

Tile is sold and installed by the square foot. We charge $3.75 per square foot for installation and $1.25 per sq. ft. to remove the linoleum. The linoleum, of course, can be removed by anyone, and I encourage customers to do it themselves. It's sort of a bare knuckles proposition, and I don't enjoy the work.  Our fee for removing wall-to-wall carpeting is .75 per square foot.  Small floor areas (bathrooms, entries, etc.) will be priced at a higher rate depending on their size and complexity.

We don't charge to tack carpet down in doorways, etc. We move appliances at no charge, but we charge $25.00 to remove and re-set toilets -- $50.00 to deal with pedestal sinks.

We are neat and clean workers, but I absolutely guarantee a fine layer of dust on everything in the room being re-floored.

During the past few years tile setting materials have been cheapened by manufacturers in their efforts to compete without raising prices. Cement products producers have also been faced with an ever increasing amount of federal regulation. Consequently, we now use acrylic polymer modified thin set.  The polymers improve the bonding capability of thin set and provide it with a degree of elasticity, but the material is expensive.

In the Houston area we have problems with shifting slabs and ground subsidence. When slabs crack after tiles have been installed, the tiles will crack too, and we can't guarantee that might not happen. We haven't experienced a great many problems, but I want you to be aware of the possibility. Certain areas of town are worse than others, and the best philosophy is to not worry about it unless it happens. Cracked tiles can be replaced.

There are various crack isolation membranes that can be applied to the slab prior to tile installation.  All of these systems are expensive, with the least expensive adding about $2.00 per square foot to the cost of the project.  Crack isolation membranes may or may not prevent the tiles from cracking.  It depends on the size and nature of the slab crack.  Therefore, we do not guarantee against cracked tiles as a result of a cracked slab even with an isolation system in place.

We do not install tiles directly onto wood floors. Some sort of masonry "substrate" must be provided. This can cost 2.00 per square foot or more.  Some wood floors can be done with a product called "Ditra" from Schluter Systems.  Ditra installation runs about $2.50 per square foot.

OUTDOOR PROJECTS: Weather conditions affect our trade more than other trades. Because we use nothing but portland cement materials which have to set up and cure over a period of time, people like myself won't show up if there's a chance of rain. Freezing conditions, which are less of a problem in our area, will also preclude any tile work from being done. We schedule our projects ahead of time (usually, weeks ahead of time) and try very hard to stick to the schedule. But it's not unusual for an outdoor project to be re-scheduled several times.

Patios, large porches, pool decks, and long walkways are treated like interior floors as far as price is concerned -- $3.75 per sq. ft. Smaller projects will be more, and I don't adhere to the tenet that "no job is too small." Some definitely are too small unless exorbitant rates are charged for the work.

We install natural marble, granite and slate tiles (expensive), paving bricks, and glass blocks (also expensive, labor wise).  I have addressed countertops and backsplashes in another article.

Our daily MINIMUM labor charge is  $600.  We do not (cannot) accept any job for less than that amount.

Suppliers

Our business is labor -- that's how we make money -- but we will supply the tile needed for the job at our cost. Our contractor's discount averages 25 to 30% off the retail price of the material. We deal regularly with several full-time tile suppliers, and they all have more than one showroom location. You'll find all of the locations in the Yellow Pages under "Tile, Ceramic." They are:

- Interceramic

- Master Tile Company

- American Tile Supply 

- Daltile (Dallas Ceramic Company) (Added April, 2000)

To select your tile, you simply visit the showroom or showrooms and provide us with a stock number. We'll price the material for you, purchase it, and deliver and install it. You pay us for both labor and material when the job is complete.

We do not do business with discount stores, etc., but we'll install the material for you. I do, however, suggest you do your shopping at a main-line tile supply. You might pay a little more, but the quality of the material is worth it. No manufacturer guarantees tile after it has been installed.

Terms

Unless prior arrangement is made, full payment is due when the work is completed. Checks made to John Bridge are the usual form of payment, but cash is accepted, of course. We don't accept credit cards.

I want to make you aware of a process known as "mechanic's lien." As soon as work commences or materials are delivered, the contractor automatically has a lien on your property until the labor and material bills have been satisfied. As far as contracts are concerned, a hand shake will do the job. A written contract will be provided, however, at your request.

About Contractors

Buy your business cards and you're a contractor in Texas. We have no government agency to regulate us, and it is therefore important to check out the person you're hiring. References, freely given, are the best method of determining whether a contractor is reputable. Get as many as you can, and take the time to call the people. Contractors who have nothing to hide will gladly give you as many references as you want.

If you're still unsure, call the Better Business Bureau. Hardly any of us are members, but the BBB keeps records of all complaints received for members and non-members alike. At the same time, don't count a contractor out who's been in business for years if there have been one or two complaints about him. They are few, but occasionally you run into people who are just impossible to please. As far as I know, though, you won't find any complaints recorded against John Bridge.

Another way to check on a contractor is to contact the people who supply his materials. Do the people who work for the supplier know the person you're calling about? Does he pay his material bills? Has he been dealing with them for a period of time, etc.? Call any of the places where I do business and you'll find they know me and will recommend me.

So ask me about references. There's a good chance there's someone in your neighborhood I've done work for. I've been setting tile and marble for nearly thirty years. I've specialized in residential remodeling in this area since 1983.

We also do a very few (very expensive) new homes. Some are show homes. We have, for example, done the Home magazine house of the year for both 1996 and 1997. Our work has also been featured in Building magazine.

Approximately 70% of our business is brought in through referrals. For the rest we advertise in the Copperfield and Deerfield newsletters. We are also listed in the Yellow Pages.   (And, of course, we draw mega-business from our fabulous web site.)

I could go on and on -- I could write a book, and as a matter of fact I have! My first book Ceramic Tile Setting was published by McGraw-Hill in May 1992. It deals with projects inside the home and is designed for the do-it-yourselfer. The book, which sells throughout the U.S. and Canada, is available at Barnes & Noble, at Amazon.com.  You can click one of the links when you return to my site.  I receive about a dollar in royalty for each book purchased.

In December, 2003, my second book, Tile Your World: John Bridge's New Tile Setting Book, was published by a new Houston book publishing company called Mistflower Press.  You can find a review of the book on the Mistflower Press web site. You will also find ways to buy the book.  :-)

In September, 2005, The Kerdi Shower Book (ebook) was published by Mistflower. You can read more about it at The Kerdi Shower Book web site.

Insurance

When the law changed a few years ago, we opted out of the Workmen's Compensation pool and now carry our own accident insurance. I'm the tile setter, and I usually employ only one helper. Both he and I are covered by our company policy.

My wife Pat, as executive director of the outfit, keeps the books, answers the phone, places material orders, pays the bills, cajoles the IRS, and helps with estimating. In her spare time she is a housewife and mother of twin 17-year old boys.   (Future tile setters? Hardly -- they're both going to be brain surgeons).

Would you like to see a photo of our typical family unit?  (Well, maybe not quite typical.  I'm a little older than the typical father figure.) The picture is a few years old.  The boys are bigger now.  Patti is still beautiful, and I'm still handsome.

Now you know the whole extent of this giant organization you're dealing with. If we can be of any further service, please give us a call. We're looking forward to doing business with you. And don't forget that John Bridge tried his very best to give you the "straight skinny" on the ceramic tile business.

Our workmanship is guaranteed for two years.

October, 2005

As of now I will no longer do kitchen floors and floors in other areas of the home, except for bathroom floors and then only when I re-build the shower or do other extensive tile work in the room. Additionally, the showers I build nowadays are done with  the Schluter Kerdi waterproof membrane. I no longer build mud showers.

The boys are now in college, and I will be semi-retiring in 2006.