Tile & Renovation Services | Ajax & GTA | Ultra Renovations Inc

Large Format Tile Installation

Admin Techtrust — Thu, 30 Jul 2026 02:51:42 +0000

Large format tile is the current standard for a reason: fewer grout lines make a room feel calmer and bigger, and there’s less to clean. It’s also the least forgiving tile to install.

Why it’s harder

The subfloor must be flat within 1/8 inch over 10 feet
Every tile needs back-buttering for full mortar coverage
Medium-bed mortar, not standard thinset, or the tile sags
Levelling clip systems on every joint to control lippage
Two people minimum to place each piece

Typical cost

$18 to $30 per square foot installed. The premium over standard tile is labour and preparation, not the tile itself.

Things worth knowing

If a quote for large format tile is the same as standard tile, the installer is planning to skip back-buttering or levelling clips. You’ll see the result in the lippage within a week.

Basement Renovation

Admin Techtrust — Thu, 30 Jul 2026 02:51:39 +0000

Basements have their own rules. Concrete slabs release moisture for years, they’re rarely level, and they’re colder than the rest of the house. Tile that was specified for an upstairs floor will fail down here.

What’s included

Moisture testing of the slab
Crack isolation and levelling
Uncoupling membrane suited to below-grade
Porcelain tile rated for the conditions
Optional in-floor heating, which makes a real difference down here

Typical cost

$14 to $24 per square foot installed. Slab preparation is the variable — a badly out-of-level slab adds cost.

Things worth knowing

Porcelain is the right material below grade. Its water absorption is 0.5% or less, so slab moisture and the occasional leak won’t damage it.

Heated Floor Installation

Admin Techtrust — Thu, 30 Jul 2026 02:51:35 +0000

In-floor heating has to be installed at the same time as the tile, so it’s a decision you make once. In an Ontario bathroom or entryway, most of our clients say it’s the best money they spent on the whole renovation.

What’s included

Electric heating mat sized to the room
Uncoupling membrane rated for heating cable
Programmable thermostat with floor sensor
Coordination with your electrician for the dedicated circuit

Typical cost

An additional $14 to $22 per square foot on top of the tile cost, including the membrane and thermostat.

Things worth knowing

Heating mats only go under the open floor area, not under the vanity or toilet, so the heated square footage is always less than the room’s total. We measure the actual usable area when quoting.

Shower & Wet Room Tiling

Admin Techtrust — Thu, 30 Jul 2026 02:51:32 +0000

A tiled shower is a waterproofing project with tile on top of it. Everything that matters happens before the first tile is set.

What’s included

Framing check and backer board
Bonded waterproofing membrane on walls and floor
Pre-sloped base with correct fall to drain
Niches, benches and curbs waterproofed as a system
Full-height wall tile with proper corner detail
Flood test before tile goes on

Typical cost and timeline

$4,500 to $9,500 for a full tiled shower, four to seven days.

Things worth knowing

We flood test every shower base before tiling. It adds a day and it’s the only way to know the waterproofing holds before it’s buried under tile.

Kitchen Backsplash Installation

Admin Techtrust — Thu, 30 Jul 2026 02:51:28 +0000

A backsplash is the highest-impact, lowest-cost change you can make to a kitchen. It’s also the most visible tile work in your house, sitting at eye level under direct task lighting, so the cuts around outlets and the edge profile matter enormously.

What’s included

Surface preparation and priming
Precise outlet and switch cuts
Edge profiles, bullnose or Schluter trim
Grout and colour-matched silicone at the counter joint

Typical cost and timeline

$900 to $2,400 for a typical 30 to 50 square foot kitchen, finished in one to two days.

Things worth knowing

Epoxy grout is worth the upgrade here. Standard cementitious grout behind a stove absorbs grease and stains within a year. Epoxy is harder to work with, which is why many installers avoid offering it.

Floor Tile Installation

Admin Techtrust — Thu, 30 Jul 2026 02:51:24 +0000

Floor tile is where installation quality shows most, because you walk across it every day and light rakes along it from every window. Lippage, uneven grout lines and hollow-sounding tiles all come from rushing the preparation.

What’s included

Removal of existing flooring and disposal
Subfloor inspection for deflection and moisture
Self-levelling compound where needed
Uncoupling membrane over plywood subfloors
Layout planning, levelling clips, back-buttering
Grout, transitions and trim

Typical cost

$14 to $24 per square foot installed, depending on tile format, layout pattern and how much preparation the subfloor needs. Diagonal and herringbone layouts cost more because they generate significantly more cuts and waste.

Things worth knowing

Over a plywood subfloor in an Ontario home, an uncoupling membrane is not optional. Our seasonal humidity swing moves the structure enough to crack tile that’s bonded directly to plywood.

Bathroom Renovation

Admin Techtrust — Thu, 30 Jul 2026 02:51:22 +0000

Bathrooms are the most technically demanding room to tile because water is trying to get behind everything you install. Most bathroom failures we’re called to repair come down to one thing: someone skipped the waterproofing membrane.

What’s included

Full gut and disposal
Waterproofing membrane behind all wet-area tile
Sloped shower base and drain set correctly
Wall and floor tile, niches and benches
Vanity, toilet and fixture installation
Glass preparation and final silicone

Typical cost and timeline

A bathroom floor alone is $1,200 to $3,000 over two to three days. A full tiled shower is $4,500 to $9,500 over four to seven days. A complete gut renovation runs $12,000 to $28,000 across two to three weeks.

Things worth knowing

Ask any contractor you’re considering which waterproofing system they use. If they can’t name one — Schluter Kerdi, Wedi, RedGard — walk away. Tile and grout are not waterproof on their own.

Kitchen Renovation

Admin Techtrust — Thu, 30 Jul 2026 02:51:16 +0000

A kitchen renovation is the single most disruptive project most homeowners take on, so we plan it around your life rather than our schedule. We handle demolition, floor levelling, tile flooring, backsplash, and coordination with your cabinet and counter installers.

What’s included

Removal and disposal of existing flooring and backsplash
Subfloor assessment, levelling and uncoupling membrane where required
Tile layout planning to minimise cuts in sightlines
Backsplash installation including outlet cuts and edge profiles
Grout, silicone and full cleanup

Typical cost and timeline

Kitchen floor tile runs $14 to $24 per square foot installed. A backsplash on its own is $900 to $2,400 and takes one to two days. A full kitchen tile package usually lands between $3,500 and $9,000 depending on square footage and tile format.

Things worth knowing

Large format tile makes a small kitchen read bigger because there are fewer grout lines, but it demands a flatter subfloor and back-buttering on every piece. If your floor has any bounce, we stiffen it before tile goes down — tile is rigid and will crack over a floor that moves.