Gold CoastAstor Street ensuiteA dark, quiet suite carved out of two small rooms and a hall closet, with a book-matched onyx wall behind a freestanding tub.Read the case study
Bathroom service
Tile, stone and heated floors
Slab layout, dry-lay, laser-set tile and heated stone floors detailed so the pattern lands where you want it.
- Typical investment
- $16,000 - $58,000
- Time on site
- 3 to 6 weeks of the build
- Warranty
- 10 yr waterproofing
The overview
Stone is the loudest material in a bathroom. Where the veining lands, where a cut falls, and how the pattern turns a corner are decisions worth making on paper first.
We photograph every slab at the yard, scale it in the drawing and show you exactly where the veining will sit on the feature wall. Book-matched pairs are marked, numbered and stored together so nobody at the fabricator improvises.
On site, every tile job starts as a dry-lay. We set the field out on the floor, decide where the cut course goes, and move the starting line until the cuts fall in the least visible place. Then we set with a laser line and a levelling system, because large-format stone shows every millimetre of lippage.
Heated floors are worth doing in almost every Chicago bathroom. An electric mat under stone costs less than most clients expect, runs on a programmable thermostat, and turns a cold stone floor into the reason you like the room in February.
Grout and sealer are chosen to the stone, not to habit. Marble gets a non-staining grout and a penetrating sealer; porcelain in a shower gets an epoxy joint where cleaning matters most.
What is included
Everything in the scope, written down
Allowances are named in the contract so you know exactly what is covered and what is not.
Yard selection
We walk the slab yard with you and tag the exact pieces for your project.
Slab layout drawing
Veining mapped on the elevation so you see the wall before it is cut.
Dry-lay
The field is laid out loose and adjusted until the cuts fall where they should.
Heated floor
Electric mat, floor sensor and programmable thermostat on a dedicated circuit.
Levelling system
Clips and wedges plus a laser line to keep large-format stone flat.
Seal and care
Penetrating sealer applied, plus a written care guide specific to your stone.
How it runs
From first visit to handover
Select
Yard visit, slab photographs and tagging.
Lay out
Veining mapped, cut courses planned, mock-up approved.
Fabricate
Slabs cut and edged, with reserve pieces held from the same block.
Set
Dry-lay, laser line, levelling clips, then grout.
Seal
Cure, seal, and hand over the care guide.
Why clients choose it
- You see where the veining lands before anything is cut
- Cut courses planned to fall in the least visible place
- Flat large-format installations with controlled lippage
- Heated stone floors on a programmable schedule
- Grout and sealer chosen per material, not by default
What moves the number
Four things that change the price
None of these are surprises if they are checked at the first visit, which is why we open an inspection panel before we quote.
| Factor | What it means for your budget |
|---|---|
| Stone type | Onyx and exotic quartzite cost more to buy, handle and fabricate than marble or porcelain. |
| Format | Large-format panels need more labour, more hands and flatter substrates. |
| Pattern | Herringbone, basketweave and mitred returns add cutting time. |
| Substrate prep | Old uneven floors may need self-levelling compound before anything is set. |
Built in Chicago
Projects with this scope
- Gold CoastAstor Street ensuiteA dark, quiet suite carved out of two small rooms and a hall closet, with a book-matched onyx wall behind a freestanding tub.Read the case study
LakeviewLakeview wet roomA tub alcove and a separate shower became one wet room with a steam head, a teak bench and a fluted glass screen.Read the case study
Questions
About tile, stone and floors
Four things clients ask us about this scope every month.
No, but it is a commitment. Marble etches from acidic products and needs sealing. If nobody in the house will change their shampoo habits, we will recommend a quartzite or a porcelain that looks the part.
We do not use onyx underfoot. It is soft and often translucent. Onyx belongs on a feature wall or a vanity front where it can be backlit and stays out of traffic.
In a typical Chicago bathroom footprint, it is a small fraction of the tile budget and the item clients mention most often afterwards.
Rarely exactly. Dye lots move and formats get discontinued. We usually design a deliberate transition instead of a failed match.
Let us look at the room
Forty-five minutes, two people, one inspection panel and an honest range. There is no charge and no follow-up sales call.
Request an estimate(312) 555-0214
Serving Chicago and the North Shore. Showroom visits by appointment.