Tile installation in Long Beach

An older city, with older bathrooms

Long Beach grew in waves, and the houses show it. There are Craftsman and Spanish Revival bungalows from the early decades of the last century, apartment buildings from the 1920s and 1930s, post-war ranch houses in the eastern neighborhoods and condo buildings near the water. A bathroom in one of the older homes may have tile that is nearly a century old, set in a mortar bed on a wood floor.

Older houses usually have raised wood floors over a crawl space, not a slab, and bathrooms that have been altered more than once. Behind a single wall, we can find plaster on wood lath, patched drywall, old galvanized pipe and cast-iron drains. We open them carefully and tell you what we see before deciding what to do.

Wood floors and tile

Putting tile on a wood subfloor means paying attention to stiffness. Tile and grout do not flex, so the floor underneath has to be stiff enough, with the right underlayment. In older Long Beach homes we check the joists and the subfloor from below when possible, add plywood where it is thin and use cement board or an uncoupling membrane before setting.

Older tile floors in hexagon, penny-round or small square mosaics are still in good condition in many of these homes. Repairs and regrouting can bring them back. Where a few tiles are missing, we look for a match in size and color rather than replace the whole floor.

Condos and the coast

Condos along the coast and in the downtown area are often on upper floors with rules about work hours, elevator use and noise, and floors that need an acoustic underlayment. We plan around the building's requirements and confirm them with your management before we start. Salt air and humidity also matter: grout and caulk in a coastal bathroom see more moisture, and we recommend materials and ventilation to match.

Many condo bathrooms have a small footprint and a full set of constraints: a tub in an alcove, a vanity wall, a single drain. Layout around those fixed points matters more than the size of the tile.

Mid-century ranches in the east

East of the downtown, there are neighborhoods of post-war ranch houses built on slabs, with bathrooms similar to those in Lakewood. Original glazed ceramic is common, and so is the question of whether to restore or replace. We handle both and help you decide.

Planning around Long Beach buildings

Because Long Beach buildings come from so many different periods, the first visit matters. We look at the floor structure, the wall construction, the plumbing and the access. A bungalow bathroom with a tiny window and a plaster ceiling needs different dust control than a condo with a new subfloor. A coastal house with a salt-air exposure needs different caulks and ventilation.

We write the scope based on what we see, not on a standard package. That means we can give you a fair price, and we can tell you when a job is simple and when it is not.

Materials for older and coastal homes

In older homes, we like materials that suit the building: a cement-based grout in a color close to the original, a small-format floor tile in a classic pattern, and a wall tile with a slightly irregular surface. In coastal and humid settings, we choose a grout and sealant that tolerate moisture and we recommend an exhaust fan sized for the room. A shower that dries well lasts longer.

What we do in Long Beach

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