How to Price a Tiling Job in the UK

To price a tiling job, measure the surfaces, assess the substrate, calculate materials and estimate the time needed for preparation, fixing and finishing. Then add your labour cost, overheads, profit allowance and any applicable VAT. The result should be a clear quotation based on the work you have actually inspected.

A simple 20m² floor and a 20m² bathroom with awkward cuts can take very different amounts of time. Square metres tell you how much to tile; they do not tell you how long the job will take. Here is a practical method for professional tilers, bathroom fitters and contractors.

1. Measure the area and define the work

Measure floors, walls and awkward details separately

For a rectangular floor, multiply length by width. A 4m × 5m room has 20m² of floor area. For walls, multiply each wall's width by the height to be tiled, then add the results. Divide L-shaped rooms into rectangles rather than guessing from the overall dimensions.

Deduct substantial openings that will not be tiled, but measure any tiled window reveals, door returns, shelves and niches separately. Note the number of pipe holes, sockets, exposed edges and mitred corners: these take time even if they add very little area.

Keep the measured area separate from the tile order quantity. The first determines the installation scope; the second includes cutting waste, full-box rounding and any agreed spares.

Record the finish before pricing it

For each surface, record the tile type and dimensions, laying pattern, grout specification, trim finish and who is buying the products. A useful survey also records:

• Access, parking, stairs and where tiles can be stored and cut.
• Whether old finishes, skirtings, sanitaryware or appliances must be removed.
• The condition and type of the background, including any existing heating system.
• The agreed layout, starting points, borders and visible cuts.

Do not assume that a customer-supplied tile is suitable for the proposed background or pattern. Confirm the specification before committing to a fixed installation price.

2. Assess preparation before choosing a rate

Preparation is often where a square-metre quote goes wrong. A surface that looks reasonably flat may still be damp, loose, contaminated or prone to movement.

Removal, levelling and substrate suitability

If existing tiles are being removed, allow for protecting the property, lifting tiles, removing remaining adhesive, carrying waste out and disposal. Price repairs separately where their extent can be assessed. Investigate uncertain backgrounds rather than assuming they are ready to tile.

Check whether the substrate is sound, dry, sufficiently flat and appropriate for the proposed system. Include priming, floor levelling, backer boards or decoupling where specified. For levelling compound, calculate the quantity from area × required average depth × the product's stated consumption per m² per mm, then round to the available bag sizes.

Wood-based floors deserve particular attention. The Tile Association's guidance on the revised BS 5385 floor-tiling standard explains the need for a suitable intermediate layer when tiling over plywood or other wood-based sheets. Price the appropriate approved system rather than assuming tiles can be fixed directly to the boards.

Wet areas and underfloor heating

Showers and wet rooms need a suitable waterproofing approach, not simply water-resistant grout. Include the specified tanking membrane or board system, tapes, corners, junctions, penetrations and installation time. The Tile Association's technical FAQs explain why grout and adhesive are not substitutes for waterproofing.

If tiling forms part of a complete refit, include it within your bathroom renovation quotation.

For underfloor heating, check the heating type, substrate, required movement joints, compatible adhesives and the responsibilities for testing or commissioning. Large-format tiles over heating can require additional handling and fixing care, as covered in The Tile Association's technical guidance.

Where an existing floor or wall conceals its true condition, identify the assumptions behind your price. Explain when extra preparation must be assessed and separately agreed; the distinction between a quotation from an estimate matters particularly for hidden work.

3. Calculate tiles, fixing materials and waste

Tile choice and pattern affect productivity

Ceramic, dense porcelain, natural stone, mosaics and large-format tiles do not have identical cutting and handling requirements. Porcelain may need specialist blades and drills; stone can need sealing and particular adhesive choices; mosaics require careful sheet alignment; and large-format tiles often demand more exacting substrate preparation and handling.

Layout matters too. A straight-lay floor with few cuts can be quicker than diagonal or herringbone work in the same room. Brick-bond patterns may require an offset that follows the tile manufacturer's guidance. Plan perimeter cuts, doorways and focal points before estimating time; do not apply one universal percentage uplift to every pattern.

Work out the tile order and consumables

Use this calculation:

Tile order area = measured area + a percentage of that area for cutting waste, then round up to full boxes.

For example, a 20m² floor with an illustrative 10% cutting allowance needs 22m² before box rounding. A room with intricate cuts or herringbone may need more; an uncomplicated open space may need less. Allow separately for any spare tiles the customer wants to keep.

Estimate adhesive from the chosen product's kg/m² coverage for the tile, trowel and fixing method. Calculate grout from the manufacturer's guidance for tile size, thickness and joint dimensions. Include primer, levelling products, trims measured in linear metres, movement-joint materials, sealant, spacers, levelling clips where appropriate, blades, drill bits and floor protection. Replace rough allowances with product-specific quantities before issuing a firm price.

4. Price the labour from the work sequence

When to use a tiling price per m² or a day rate

A tiling labour price per m² is useful when the work is repetitive and the background and tile specification are known. A day-based calculation is often more reliable for a small bathroom, lots of cuts, a complicated layout or work involving several short visits. Minimum charges can cover travel, setting up and returning to grout a small area.

Build your time estimate from the actual sequence: protection, preparation, setting out, cutting, fixing, grouting, silicone and cleaning. Allow for materials handling, travel and return visits. Product curing times may affect the programme even when they are not all chargeable working hours.

Your internal labour cost per day is not necessarily your selling day rate. For example, if the fixing and finishing portion of a 20m² floor is costed at three days × £250, that is £750 internal labour cost, or £37.50 per measured m². With a 20% markup, the installation labour selling price becomes £900, equivalent to £45/m² before VAT. Preparation is charged separately in this example.

Compare the planned return with your required day rate and recent local quotations only where the work included is comparable. A £/m² figure that includes tile supply and preparation cannot sensibly be compared with labour-only fixing. Record actual hours and completed area after each job to build your own reliable benchmarks.

5. Build the selling price: labour-only, supply-and-fit, overheads and VAT

Define what is supplied

A labour-only quote does not automatically mean the customer supplies everything. State whether the tiler or customer provides tiles, adhesive, grout, trims, waterproofing and sundries, and who arranges delivery and checks shortages. If customer-supplied tiles arrive late, damaged or unsuitable, the quote should explain how the programme and additional costs will be handled.

For supply-and-fit, cost the tiles and fixing products, order administration, delivery, carrying materials in, normal cutting waste and reasonable handling. Apply the same systematic approach used to price a building job. Do not simply subtract the tile purchase price from a supply-and-fit quote to create a labour-only version: check which delivery, handling and purchasing tasks actually disappear.

Distinguish cost, markup and margin

Account for your own labour, materials, waste removal, hired equipment and an appropriate share of business overheads before setting a target profit. If overheads are already built into your labour rate, do not add them again.

Keep markup and margin distinct. A 20% markup on a £100 cost adds £20 and gives a £120 selling price. The resulting margin is £20 ÷ £120 = 16.7%, not 20%. Neither figure is a guarantee of profit if actual costs rise.

Check the VAT treatment

Most ordinary work on existing homes is standard-rated at 20% VAT when supplied by a VAT-registered business, but some qualifying construction work may be zero-rated or reduced-rated. Non-VAT-registered businesses must not add VAT. Check HMRC's VAT Notice 708 for the applicable treatment rather than assuming all tiling work is identical.

If working as a subcontractor for another business, also check whether the construction VAT domestic reverse charge applies. It changes who accounts for VAT where the relevant conditions are met. The worked example below assumes an ordinary standard-rated customer quote, not a reverse-charge transaction.

6. Worked example: a 20m² floor tiling quotation

The following numbers are illustrative assumptions, not average UK rates or current supplier prices. They show how to calculate a quote and why two jobs covering the same area can produce different prices.

Baseline specification

Assume a 4m × 5m floor, suitable and sound after cleaning and priming, with straightforward access, no removal, no levelling and no waterproofing. The tiler supplies rectangular porcelain tiles laid straight, plus all fixing materials. Assume tiles cost £30/m² before recoverable input VAT, are packed in 1m² boxes, and a 10% job-specific cutting allowance is sufficient.

• Measured area: 4 × 5 = 20m².
• Tile order: 20 × 1.10 = 22m², or 22 boxes.
• Tiles at cost: 22 × £30 = £660.
• Preparation: 0.5 day for cleaning and priming.
• Setting out, fixing, grouting and finishing: 3 working days.
• Internal labour cost assumption: £250 per day, excluding overheads and profit.

For this example, material allowances are assumed budget figures rather than product take-offs. A real quote must use the chosen products and measured trim and joint lengths. All costs below exclude VAT that the business can recover.

The calculation: £1,900 cost + £380 markup = £2,280 before VAT. At 20% standard-rate VAT, add £456, giving a £2,736 customer total. The £380 is the planned amount left after the stated costs, before business tax and any unaccounted expenses. This is a 16.7% margin on the £2,280 pre-VAT selling price.

The £900 installation labour selling price works out at £45/m²; separately priced preparation labour is £150, or £7.50/m². The full supply-and-fit price is £114/m² before VAT (£2,280 ÷ 20), but it includes much more than installation labour and is not a UK market benchmark.

Why herringbone and additional preparation cost more

Consider two independent changes to the baseline, keeping the other assumptions constant:

For the herringbone example, fixing and finishing rise from three to five working days. That changes the implied overall output from 20 ÷ 3 = 6.7m²/day to 20 ÷ 5 = 4m²/day. These are job assumptions, not standard industry productivity figures. The additional £600 cost becomes £720 after the same 20% markup. Extra preparation is a separate £400 cost, or £480 after markup; it is not added on top of the herringbone scenario.

Actual pricing should also reassess any overheads, access costs and return visits that rise with the longer programme. The examples hold those other figures constant purely to show each change's effect.

7. Write a tiling quote that explains the price

A customer quotation should be clear about what the price buys, not just show an area multiplied by a rate. Follow the same principles used when writing a building quote:

• Identify the rooms or surfaces, measured areas, tile format, layout, grout colour and exposed-edge treatment.
• Specify removal, substrate repairs, preparation, waterproofing and underfloor-heating work that is included.
• State who supplies tiles and fixing materials, and clarify delivery, disposal and protection.
• Give an itemised or clearly described price, applicable VAT, expected programme, payment terms, issue date and quote validity period.
• List exclusions such as plumbing alterations, electrical work, door trimming or unforeseen repairs.
• Explain how hidden conditions and customer-requested changes will be assessed and agreed in writing before additional work proceeds.

Keep your internal cost sheet separate from the customer-facing quotation. With Quote Forge, you can enter quantities, unit costs and markup, calculate quote totals with your selected VAT setting, save quotations and reusable items, and download branded PDFs. You still need to assess the site, choose the right materials and confirm the applicable VAT treatment yourself.

8. Avoid the pricing mistakes that eat your profit

The most common estimating errors are using a single metre rate for every surface, overlooking time for preparation or tricky cuts, forgetting delivery and consumables, and treating the whole day rate as profit.

Check the original survey against the costing sheet before sending the quote. Make sure the proposed tile order matches the box size, the substrate work has been priced, and return visits are included. If a change is agreed, update the scope and recalculation together rather than adjusting only the headline total.

After completion, record actual labour days, material spend and unexpected preparation. That record is more useful for your next quotation than a generic national average that may include a completely different scope.

Frequently asked questions

How do I calculate a tiling labour cost per m² in the UK?

Divide the installation labour selling price by the measured area being tiled. For example, £900 installation labour ÷ 20m² = £45/m² before VAT. Keep separately priced preparation outside that figure and only compare it with jobs of similar complexity.

Should I quote a small bathroom by the day or square metre?

Estimate the full working time first. A small bathroom may contain so many pipe cuts, corners and separate visits that a simple m² rate is misleading. You can still offer the customer a fixed total for the defined work.

How much tile wastage should I allow?

Allow enough for the actual layout, cuts, breakages, full-box quantities and agreed spares. The worked example uses 10% for straight-lay and 20% for herringbone, but neither is a universal requirement. Check the setting-out plan and tile packaging before ordering.

What if the customer supplies the tiles?

State the tile specification, quantity, delivery date and responsibility for shortages or unsuitable products. Confirm which fixing materials are still included in your price and what happens if supply problems delay the job.