Tile installation in Cerritos

A newer city, with newer houses

Cerritos was once a dairy community. It grew rapidly after it incorporated in the 1950s and took its present name in the 1960s. Most of its houses and condos were built from the 1960s onward, in tracts with consistent floor plans, and the city is known for tidy streets and a lot of two-story houses.

The homes are newer than those in Lakewood or Downey, which changes the tile conversation. You are less likely to be dealing with an original mortar-bed bathroom and more likely to be looking at builder-grade tile from the 1970s or 1980s, a fiberglass or acrylic tub-shower, or a bathroom that has already been remodeled once.

Upgrading builder-grade bathrooms

The classic Cerritos job is replacing a tub-shower insert or a plain tile surround with a new tiled shower, often with a niche, a bench and a glass door. In two-story houses, the upstairs bathroom sits over a living space, so a leak shows up on a ceiling. That is a good reason for proper waterproofing and a flood test.

Large-format porcelain is popular, and so are mosaic floors and a mix of wall tile and accent. We plan the layout around the existing plumbing and check the floor and walls for flatness before ordering.

Two-story houses and wood floors

Upstairs floors are usually plywood over joists, and they flex more than a slab does. We use a stiff underlayment, such as cement board or an uncoupling membrane, and check the joist spacing. Tile on a floor that flexes will crack, so we address it before we tile.

Downstairs, floors on a slab are generally easier, and large-format tile in a kitchen or family room goes down well with a flat slab.

Condos and townhomes

Cerritos also has condos and townhomes, which come with association rules. Check yours for work hours and flooring requirements. We schedule around them and use acoustic underlayment where the rules ask for it. Ask your manager about approved work hours, elevator reservations and whether a floor-protection deposit is needed, and send us the answers so the schedule is realistic from the first day.

Planning a bathroom upgrade

Because many Cerritos bathrooms are builder-grade, an upgrade is an opportunity to improve the structure as well as the finish. We replace the wall behind the tile with cement board or foam board, add a proper waterproofing system, and form a pan that slopes to the drain. The niche and the bench are planned with the layout of the room, not squeezed in at the end.

If you are planning a glass enclosure, tell us the type early. The hardware needs solid blocking in the wall, which has to be installed before tile.

Choosing tile for a newer house

Newer houses often have larger rooms and higher ceilings than their older neighbors, and large-format tile suits that proportion. For floors, rectified porcelain with a narrow joint reads as a continuous surface. For showers, a mosaic or pebble on the floor and a large tile on the walls is a combination that works well and cleans easily. We bring samples so you can see how they look in your light.

What we do in Cerritos

• Residential Tile Installation in Cerritos. Floors, kitchens, backsplashes and entries, with the substrate and waterproofing planned before any tile goes on.
• Commercial Tile Installation in Cerritos. Small restrooms, entries and retail floors, with the substrate and waterproofing planned before any tile goes on.
• Bathroom & Shower Tile in Cerritos. Showers, tub walls and bathroom floors, with the substrate and waterproofing planned before any tile goes on.
• Tile Removal & Floor Prep in Cerritos. Old tile out, flat and sound for new, with the substrate and waterproofing planned before any tile goes on.