Service
Tile Floors, Mud-Set and Heated
Porcelain, stone and large-format floors, old-school mud beds, and electric or hydronic radiant heat.
A tile floor is only as good as what's under it. Large-format porcelain and plank need a floor flat to within 1/8" over 10 feet, full mortar coverage and a leveling system, or you get lippage, hollow spots and cracked tile. We get the floor right first, whether that's Schluter DITRA over a sound subfloor or the old-school way.
The old-school way is a mud bed: packed sand-and-cement mortar, floated flat and level by hand. That's how the hex floors in Long Island's pre-war houses were built, and it's why they're still down 80 years later. Not many installers still do mud work. We do, and it's the fix for a floor that's out of level or joists that aren't even. It's also the best base for radiant heat.
We do both kinds of radiant heat. Hydronic runs warm water through PEX tubing, which we lay out, set in the mud bed and hook up ourselves, so the heat, the mud and the tile are all on us. That's usually the right call for big floors, additions and new construction. For one bathroom, a kitchen or a mudroom, electric cable in Schluter DITRA-HEAT is simpler and barely raises the floor.
What’s included
- Porcelain, ceramic, marble and stone floors
- Large-format and wood-look plank with leveling systems
- Floated mortar-bed floors, leveled by hand
- Hydronic radiant: PEX in the mud bed, hooked up to your boiler by us
- Electric radiant in Schluter DITRA-HEAT
- Schluter DITRA uncoupling, trim and transitions
- Period-correct hex, basketweave and mosaic floors
- Kitchens, baths, entries, mudrooms and whole floors
Good tile starts
beneath the surface.
The finish is what you see. The preparation is what makes it last. Explore each layer, backed by photos from one of our installations.
Our own job photosSet the tile
Marble walls and a hex mosaic floor, set on a base that's dead flat, fully supported and completely waterproof.
One bathroom, start to finish. These photographs show the same job from demolition through finished marble.
Questions
Tile Floors FAQ
- Is a mud floor better than backer board?
- Depends on the floor. Backer board is faster and fine on a flat, solid subfloor. A mud bed is what you want when the floor is out of level, when you're matching an old floor height, when radiant tubing is going in, or when you just want the most solid base there is.
- Electric or hydronic heat: which one do I need?
- For one room, electric is simpler and cheaper to put in. Hydronic makes more sense over a big area, a whole level, or in a house that already has a boiler: it costs less to run and the heat is more even. We'll tell you which way we'd go once we see the space.
- Is a heated floor expensive to run?
- Radiant floors are about warm tile, not heating the whole house. Electric on a programmable thermostat set for mornings and evenings costs little to run, and over a big area hydronic is usually cheaper still.
- How much height does a mud floor add?
- A floated bed is typically 3/4" to 1-1/4" plus the tile, more with hydronic tubing in it. Electric heat adds very little. Either way, we plan thresholds and door clearances before we start.
- Can you tile over my existing floor?
- Sometimes over sound existing tile or a properly prepped subfloor. Never over floating floors or anything loose. We'll check on the site visit and tell you what has to come up.
Still have a question?
Call and ask. Or text a photo and we'll tell you what we're looking at, what it takes, and roughly what it costs.
Also
Other services
Where we work
Tile Floors across Suffolk County
Free estimates