What Missoula clients ask us to tile.
Tile in Missoula falls into a few predictable patterns. Bathroom remodels — primary suite shower upgrades on 1970s and 1980s Linda Vista, Farviews, and South Hills homes — are our most-requested tile work. Mudroom and entry floor tile is a Missoula specialty: this town tracks mud, snow, and grit through entries from October to May, and large-format porcelain in the mudroom is the difference between a floor that wipes clean and a floor that's destroyed in three winters. Kitchen backsplashes — usually on the same remodel that includes new countertops and cabinets. Heated tile floors in primary bathrooms, increasingly common on Missoula custom builds because the comfort upgrade is genuine and the install cost is modest if it's done during a renovation.
Where Missoula tile fails — and how we prevent it
Most tile failures we tear out in Missoula homes share a root cause: the substrate or waterproofing wasn't done right. Greenboard instead of cement board behind a shower wall. Mortar slapped on plywood instead of a real mortar bed. No membrane behind a curbless shower. Caulk where flashing should be. Tile holds tile, but it doesn't hold water — that's the membrane's job, and there's no shortcut.
On every shower we install in Missoula:
- Cement board or foam-board substrate — Schluter Kerdi-Board or USG Durock on walls. No greenboard, ever.
- Full waterproofing membrane — Schluter Kerdi or RedGard liquid on every surface that sees water. Walls, curb, floor, niche, bench.
- Pre-pitched shower pan — Schluter Kerdi-Drain or properly built mortar pan with pitch to drain.
- Mortar bed floor — Not plywood. Mortar bed for tile, with proper isolation membrane on second-floor showers.
- Dry-fit layout — Every wall dry-fit before mortar so tile lines hit corners, niches, curbs, and trim cleanly.
Stone slab work in Missoula
We also handle stone slab fabrication and install — quartz, granite, marble, soapstone — for countertops, vanity tops, window sills, and fireplace surrounds. Most of our Missoula clients source slabs locally and we handle template, fabrication coordination, and install. Tile and stone are often part of the same remodel; doing both with one crew avoids the scheduling and accountability friction of running separate trades.