Kitchen tile installation in Metro Detroit
Durable, precisely installed kitchen floor and wall tile for homeowners across Metro Detroit — porcelain, wood-look plank, and large-format, built to handle daily use.
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Kitchen floors
Durability
A kitchen floor takes daily traffic, dropped pots and cans, spills, and grease — tile has to survive all of it without chipping or cracking at the grout lines. It's one of the few rooms in the house where durability matters as much as looks.
Porcelain vs. ceramic
Porcelain is denser and less porous, which makes it more resistant to chips and moisture — a real advantage in a kitchen. Ceramic costs less and is easier to cut, and holds up fine in a lower-traffic kitchen or for homeowners prioritizing budget.
Wood-look plank tile
Gives you the look of hardwood with the durability and water resistance of tile — no worrying about a dishwasher leak or a spilled pot of water. Runs in a staggered plank pattern, closer to how real wood flooring is laid than square tile.
Large-format in open-plan kitchens
Fewer grout lines read as more continuous floor space, which matters more in an open-plan kitchen that flows into a dining or living area. It needs a flatter substrate than smaller tile tolerates — more on that below.
Transitions to adjoining rooms
Kitchen tile almost always meets another floor somewhere — carpet, hardwood, vinyl — and that transition has to account for a height difference most homeowners never think about until it's a problem. A transition strip, a reducer, or a slight taper in the mortar bed handles small differences; a bigger jump in height needs to be planned before tile goes down, not patched afterward.
Tile before or after cabinets?
Tiling the whole floor before cabinets go in costs more tile up front, since you're covering square footage that will be hidden under cabinetry. Tiling only the visible floor around already-installed cabinets costs less today — but it means the floor under the cabinets stays bare subfloor.
That trade-off matters most the next time the kitchen gets remodeled. Move a cabinet layout years later and a full-tiled floor just continues underneath; a partially tiled floor leaves a gap that has to be patched — often with tile that's been discontinued and no longer matches. Which order makes sense depends on your budget now versus your plans for the kitchen later, and it's worth deciding deliberately rather than by default.
Substrate prep and uncoupling membranes
Plywood subfloors flex — a little under normal use, more if the joists underneath aren't spaced or sized for the load. Tile doesn't flex at all, so a subfloor that moves even slightly is one of the most common reasons tile and grout crack, usually along a straight line that traces a seam or joist below.
An uncoupling membrane goes between the subfloor and the tile specifically to break that connection. It lets the subfloor move slightly without transferring that stress up into the tile, and it also manages minor moisture at the same time. It's not needed on every subfloor, but on a plywood subfloor in a kitchen — where dropped cookware and daily traffic add extra stress — it's cheap insurance against a cracked floor a year or two after installation.
Grout choice in a kitchen
Kitchen grout deals with grease, spills, and dropped food more than grout almost anywhere else in the house, so stain resistance matters as much as color. A darker or mid-tone grout hides staining better than bright white over time. Grout should be sealed after it cures, and resealed periodically — it's porous by nature, and sealing is what keeps it from soaking up whatever hits the floor.
What does kitchen tile cost?
Kitchen tile cost depends on more than square footage — the subfloor and the sequencing with your cabinets both move the number. {{PLACEHOLDER: price range}}. Here's what actually drives it:
- Square footage — More floor means more tile, more mortar, more labor hours.
- Tile size and material — Large-format porcelain typically costs less installed than natural stone, and small-format tile takes longer to set.
- Subfloor prep needed — A subfloor that's out of flat, or that needs an uncoupling membrane, adds cost beyond the tile itself.
- Cabinet sequencing — Tiling the full floor before cabinets go in costs more in tile than tiling only the visible floor around them.
- Demo of the old floor — Removing old flooring and finding what's underneath adds cost that's hard to quote sight unseen.
The only way to get a real number is a free, in-person estimate — Dervin looks at your subfloor and layout and prices what's actually there.
Kitchen floors: before & after
Real before-and-after photos from finished kitchen floors go here as they're added — the kind of proof worth asking to see before hiring anyone.
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Kitchen tile questions homeowners ask
How much does kitchen tile cost per square foot?
Cost per square foot depends on the tile you choose, subfloor condition, and whether cabinets are already in. {{PLACEHOLDER: price range}}. A free, in-person estimate is the only way to get an accurate number for your kitchen.
How long is the kitchen unusable during installation?
{{PLACEHOLDER: typical job duration}} A straightforward floor job goes faster than one that also needs subfloor repair or an uncoupling membrane. Your exact timeline comes with your estimate.
Can you tile over an existing kitchen floor?
Usually not recommended. Old flooring can hide subfloor problems, and tiling over it adds height that throws off transitions, appliance fit, and cabinet toe-kicks. DGJ generally removes the old floor first — your estimate will tell you if yours is an exception.
Do you tile under or around the appliances?
{{PLACEHOLDER: appliance moving/tiling scope}} As a general rule, tile runs under a range or fridge that can be pulled out, and stops at the front edge of a boxed-in dishwasher.
What tile size is best for a kitchen?
Large-format tile suits open-plan kitchens and gives the fewest grout lines to keep clean. Smaller tile is more forgiving on a less-than-flat subfloor and works well in a more traditional, compartmentalized kitchen. DGJ can walk through the trade-offs for your layout during your estimate.
Does tile crack over a plywood subfloor?
It can, if the subfloor flexes or has hairline cracks with nothing to absorb that movement. An uncoupling membrane between the subfloor and tile prevents that by letting minor movement happen without transferring stress up into the tile and grout.
Do you move the appliances?
{{PLACEHOLDER: appliance moving scope}} Ask about the exact scope for your kitchen during your free estimate, so you know what's included before work starts.
Related tile work
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