Tile in McLendon-Chisholm, TX

No, but we plan for it. We walk the drive during the estimate and decide whether the truck can reach the house or whether we shuttle the last stretch. Acreage properties out here actually make the job cleaner, because there is room to set up a cut station well away from the doors and keep the dust and noise outside the house.

The material does not change, but the labor can. Sonoma Verde floorplans repeat, so measuring and layout go quickly and there are few surprises. Older custom homes off FM 550 and Highway 205 have out-of-square rooms, hand-built stairs and additions poured at a different elevation, and all of that takes longer to do properly. We quote each house on what it actually is.

Either works. If you want something past the builder's standard package, it is often cleaner to take the base allowance and have us do the floors after closing. We bring samples to you, offer financing through Synchrony and Wisetack, and our own crew does the install with nobody subcontracted. Call (972) 564-5533 and we will talk through the timing around your closing date.

Porcelain, in almost every case. It is denser, it absorbs almost no water, and a through-body product will not show a pale scar where it chips. Ceramic is a fine wall tile and fine in a guest bath, but on a floor taking the whole family and a dog every day the glaze wears through before you are ready to replace it.

It can, which is why the membranes and movement joints exist. An uncoupling membrane lets the slab shift underneath without dragging the tile along, and a soft joint over every control joint gives the floor somewhere to relieve stress. That covers the seasonal movement Blackland Prairie clay produces. No membrane survives structural failure, so a slab that is actively separating gets addressed first.

Porcelain does not, since there is nothing for a sealer to soak into. Natural stone always does, before grouting and periodically afterward. Cement grout is porous and benefits from sealing in showers, entries and kitchens. A high-performance grout is far less absorbent from the day it cures and takes most of that maintenance off your list.