Tile installation and repair in Daly City

Tile that holds up on Daly City's sandy ground

Daly City's Safety Element rates the city's ground-shaking potential as high, because most of it sits on weak to moderately consolidated, loose to firm sands of the Colma and Merced formations; parts of Bayshore near the Bay rate high to extremely high. Tile is rigid and doesn't forgive a floor that flexes. A cracked tile or a grout line split in a straight run often points to movement underneath.

For new floors we check that the base is flat and solid, and level it before any tile goes down; showers get backer board, waterproofing and a proper slope to the drain. For a repair, the cracked tile comes out and the closest match goes in, and we tell you how close it is. Spare tiles from the original job are the best case.

Worth knowing about Daly City

• Westlake, one of western Daly City's oldest subdivisions, dates to the early 1950s; its single-family homes are generally split-level and detached, on lots of 3,000 square feet or larger.
• In St. Francis Heights, Serramonte and Southern Hills, the typical house is two stories with the living area above a two-car garage.
• East of I-280, parts of Vista Grande hold some of the city's oldest homes, mostly one story over a small one-car garage; Crocker has small lots with little or no setback.