Tile installation · Bothell, Washington
Waterproofed first. Tiled second.
Every 1990s tub surround in Bothell was built to a price, and thirty years on the grout is telling you so. Tile itself is not waterproof — the bonded membrane behind it is. We install that membrane over a pre-sloped base, run a 24-hour flood test, photograph the result, and only then open a box of tile.
Bothell area floors since 2013
Bellevue based · family owned · 12 years
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How much does tile installation cost in Bothell, WA?
Bothell tile installation lands in the $14–$26 per square foot range installed, once the tile itself, setting materials, prep and labor are all on the ticket; the labor line alone begins at $11/sq ft. Replacing a failed tub surround with real tile runs $3,200–$6,800, while a full bathroom — shower, floor and niche — usually comes in from $6,500 to $14,000.
When you're comparing bids, watch the tile format, not just the tile price. A cheap mosaic sheet can out-cost an expensive large-format plank once it's installed, because the labor lives in the cuts and grout lines — a detail low bids tend to leave out.
Installed pricing for Bothell, August 2026 — tile, materials and labor together. Your free on-site estimate produces the real figure, in writing.
What's behind a shower that lasts
Bottom to top, a shower is seven layers. The builder-grade surrounds failing across Bothell's 90s subdivisions usually skipped one — almost always the membrane — to shave a few hundred dollars off a house being built by the dozen.
There's no alarm for a leaking surround. Water travels through grout, saturates the backer, and only two years later do you spot a slightly soft hallway floor or a stain spreading on a downstairs ceiling. By then the repair list runs framing, subfloor, drywall — and the tile begun again from zero.
About 10% of a shower's price is the waterproofing. Bids that come in oddly low usually found their savings right there.
What we tile around Bothell
Starting points, useful for comparing bids. Format, substrate and layout complexity move them; the exact figure is written at your free visit.
Shower & bath tile
The full assembly your builder skipped: pre-slope, bonded membrane, a passed flood test, niche, curb or curbless entry — and only then the tile you picked.
Porcelain & stone floors
Kitchens, entries, bathrooms, basements and laundry rooms — the subfloor gets flattened first, and an uncoupling membrane goes down wherever heat mats or structural movement call for it.
Backsplash
Herringbone, subway, mosaic or slab-look porcelain — outlets cut tight, edges trimmed, grout chosen against the countertop instead of whatever the box suggests.
Heated tile floors
An electric radiant mat set over an uncoupling membrane, tested for resistance before and after installation, on a dedicated circuit. Worth adding only when the floor is open anyway.
Tile repair & regrout
One cracked tile, grout that's quitting, a shower corner working loose. Before we quote, you hear the honest verdict — real repair, or a base that's past rescuing.
Demo & haul-away
Tile, thinset and backer stripped out — surround and floor both — behind plastic sheeting with negative air holding the dust, and every fragment leaving the property with us.
Which tile, and where
Most tile regrets in Bothell start with the right tile in the wrong place. What follows is the short course we'd run through while standing in your bathroom.
These rates cover material alone, not installation. Samples come with us, along with an honest word on which upgrades matter.
Tile cost calculator for Bothell
Price your tile job before we arrive
The estimator on site works from these same inputs: scope, footage, format and prep. It's no substitute for a quote, but it flags instantly whether your other bids are reasonable.
A bathroom, day by day
Figure four to six working days for a standard Bothell bathroom — and the days that seem uneventful are the ones protecting the next twenty years.
Tile jobs from nearby homes
What clients around Puget Sound say
“They placed plastic sheeting over the cabinets to contain the dust, so we noticed hardly any. The floors look as good or better than new.”
“We chose them because they were professional and top-notch. The work was smooth, fast and cost-effective — such skill and precision!”
“The installers were great! The floor is exactly what we wanted. We worked with OC Flooring previously — highly recommend.”
Bothell, WA tile installation FAQ
Not here? Call us at (425) 595-1079 — you'll get an installer on the phone, not a call center.
How much does tile installation cost in Bothell, WA?
Add up tile, setting materials, prep and labor and Bothell tile work totals $14 to $26 for the square foot; the labor piece by itself opens close to $11. Standard tub-shower surrounds occupy roughly $3,200 through $6,800, while a bathroom finished end to end — floor, shower and niche together — usually books in the $6,500–$14,000 band. If two bids diverge sharply, check the format first: mosaic sheets and oversized planks each carry a labor load an ordinary 12×12 never sees.
How much does it cost to tile a shower in Bothell?
A standard alcove shower around Bothell bills between $3,200 and $6,800. Inside that figure: tear-out of the old surround, bonded waterproofing, a base with pre-slope, the tile setting, a niche and grout. Steam, benches, curbless thresholds and full-height stone all push beyond it. Roughly one dollar of every ten buys the waterproofing — the cheapest insurance the project contains.
Do you waterproof showers before tiling?
On every job, yes — it's precisely what separates us from the builder-grade surround being torn out. The base gets pre-sloped to the drain; a liquid or sheet membrane climbs to full wall height; corners, seams and pipe fittings all get sealed; then comes 24 hours of flood testing, photographed for the file, before setting starts. ANSI A118.10 membranes handle the waterproofing — tile and grout never have.
How long does a bathroom tile job take?
Bothell bathrooms generally need four to six working days. The first goes to demolition behind dust protection; the second belongs to substrate work plus waterproofing, and the 24-hour flood test follows straight after; setting fills a day or two more; the finish day covers grout, silicone and trim. Grout then needs a 24-hour cure before anyone showers. A floor on its own is typically a one-or-two-day affair.
Porcelain or ceramic tile — which is better?
Porcelain for floors, showers and wet areas; ceramic where the job is easier. Porcelain is the denser material — water absorption under 0.5% — and it shrugs off impacts that chip ceramic. Ceramic's advantage is cost, which makes it sensible on walls and backsplashes. If a bid specs ceramic on a shower floor to hit a price, that's worth asking about.
Can you install a heated tile floor?
Yes, and it's the upgrade Bothell homeowners most often add mid-quote. Installed cost runs $11 to $16 per square foot with the thermostat counted. The mat goes over an uncoupling membrane, is resistance-tested both before and after setting, and takes its own dedicated circuit. It only makes financial sense while the floor is open, so decide before tile day, not after.
Do I need to remove the old tile first?
More often than not, yes — this is where careful bids part ways with cheap ones. Around $3.50 per square foot covers tear-out and haul-away, and stripping the floor exposes the subfloor, so rot, movement and door-height conflicts surface early. A flat, sound, well-bonded old floor can technically take new tile on top, but the height rises and the problems stay hidden. Surprises belong to demo day, not year two.
How much does a kitchen backsplash cost in Bothell?
In Bothell, a standard 30 square foot kitchen backsplash installs for $1,100 to $2,200, with outlet cuts, edge trim and color-matched grout in the price. What pushes a job toward the high end is cutting and layout time — herringbone, mosaic sheets, a framed detail behind the range, or full-height slab-look porcelain. Simple running bond stays near the low end.
Can you fix cracked tile or regrout instead of replacing?
Ask before you accept any full re-tile bid — repair is often enough. Priced from $8 for each square foot, repair-and-regrout work takes care of stained or crumbling grout, the odd impact crack, and corners overdue for a silicone swap. What repair can't fix: hollow-sounding tile, tiles releasing in a spreading pattern, or a wall that flexes — that substrate has failed, and a patch buys months only. We'll tell you which situation you're in before quoting either way.
Which Bothell neighborhoods do you tile?
Both sides of Bothell's county line — Canyon Park, Downtown, North Creek, Thrashers Corner, Norway Hill, Fitzgerald, Shelton View, Westhill, Maywood Hills, Waynita, Queensgate and Bloomberg Hill — along with Kenmore, Woodinville, Mill Creek and Brier on the Northshore side.
What warranty comes with tile installation?
OC Flooring backs its tile with 2 years of workmanship coverage — set deliberately above our carpet term because tile flaws surface late: year two, not week two. Add a manufacturer's complete waterproofing assembly and that warranty layers over ours. Photos of your membrane and flood test come with the job — paperwork a builder-grade bathroom never gets.