How much do tilers charge? What's the price per Square Meter?

[Dan]

Okay so I'm going to start the ball rolling. I'd like the forum to be handy for all, including those looking for tilers, or even DIY, to see what they're up against compared to a professionally carried-out job.

So let's get this ball rolling.

Let's try and come up with a base rate for tiling work done, in every area in the country. We can generalise a bit while we start off, but perhaps we can edit and re-edit the prices per area, and add more areas that have unique pricing for whatever reason, over time. And publish this publicly when we're happy with it. So traders can see when they're undercutting, and customers hopefully see when they're under paying.

So I'll start this off really generally with a England price, Scotland, Wales, N.Ireland (Ireland too separate in Euros perhaps? as we do have Irish on here), then of course London (central then outskirts maybe?).

I'll also need a bit of a list of what might be priced differently compared to other tiles or whatever.

ALL PRICES PER SQUARE METER - OR LINEAR METER

England
Ceramic Floors:
Ceramic Walls:
Porcelain up to X size (help me with the size):
Porcelain above X size:
Stone or Slate etc:
Border tiles (not embossed) per L/M:
Border tiles (embossed) per L/M:
Uncoupling or anti-crack matting per L/M:
Price per plug socket (do we need to go that in depth from the start?):
Price per window or door (can we generalise this to opening and get the same point across? / do we need this?):

Scotland​

Ceramic Floors:
Ceramic Walls:
Porcelain up to X size (help me with the size):
Porcelain above X size:
Stone or Slate etc:
Border tiles (not embossed) per L/M:
Border tiles (embossed) per L/M:
Uncoupling or anti-crack matting per L/M:
Price per plug socket (do we need to go that in depth from the start?):
Price per window or door (can we generalise this to opening and get the same point across? / do we need this?):

Wales​

Ceramic Floors:
Ceramic Walls:
Porcelain up to X size (help me with the size):
Porcelain above X size:
Stone or Slate etc:
Border tiles (not embossed) per L/M:
Border tiles (embossed) per L/M:
Uncoupling or anti-crack matting per L/M:
Price per plug socket (do we need to go that in depth from the start?):
Price per window or door (can we generalise this to opening and get the same point across? / do we need this?):

Northern Ireland​

Ceramic Floors:
Ceramic Walls:
Porcelain up to X size (help me with the size):
Porcelain above X size:
Stone or Slate etc:
Border tiles (not embossed) per L/M:
Border tiles (embossed) per L/M:
Uncoupling or anti-crack matting per L/M:
Price per plug socket (do we need to go that in depth from the start?):
Price per window or door (can we generalise this to opening and get the same point across? / do we need this?):

Republic of Ireland​

Ceramic Floors:
Ceramic Walls:
Porcelain up to X size (help me with the size):
Porcelain above X size:
Stone or Slate etc:
Border tiles (not embossed) per L/M:
Border tiles (embossed) per L/M:
Uncoupling or anti-crack matting per L/M:
Price per plug socket (do we need to go that in depth from the start?):
Price per window or door (can we generalise this to opening and get the same point across? / do we need this?):

Central London​

Ceramic Floors:
Ceramic Walls:
Porcelain up to X size (help me with the size):
Porcelain above X size:
Stone or Slate etc:
Border tiles (not embossed) per L/M:
Border tiles (embossed) per L/M:
Uncoupling or anti-crack matting per L/M:
Price per plug socket (do we need to go that in depth from the start?):
Price per window or door (can we generalise this to opening and get the same point across? / do we need this?):

London Outskirts​

Ceramic Floors:
Ceramic Walls:
Porcelain up to X size (help me with the size):
Porcelain above X size:
Stone or Slate etc:
Border tiles (not embossed) per L/M:
Border tiles (embossed) per L/M:
Uncoupling or anti-crack matting per L/M:
Price per plug socket (do we need to go that in depth from the start?):
Price per window or door (can we generalise this to opening and get the same point across? / do we need this?):

(Please add other areas to this list if you're from there and it's way off the average)

Can people please copy and paste their own area in this, and give a bit of a guide. We can get an average then, and edit the bits to make it actually useful.

Then we can frown upon those who go below it and praise those who go above it (no frowning or praising allowed).​

 

[jonnyc]

Btw I price every job I do the same if job within 75 mins of my base .Don't care how big the house is or who client is . If outside that zone I factor in extra travel time .my guys do a shorter actual labour day but more driving and I contra charge the client for that extra travel time in my quote .take it or leave it. When go past 2 hours I charge 40% more and pay my employees equal amount more .plus I pay for b@b or cottage and all food plus travel time . When working overseas on specialist projects whole travel time paid to my guys but I include these costs in my quote . I learnt very early to never take an overseas job just because I fancied going away . There are potential hidden dangers unknown and you are very open when not at home . See my story about South Africa job before you ever take an overseas job !!!! 50 % min labour cost upfront plus book your own fights / accommodation paid for in advance .

 

[jonnyc]

If I charged £130 pp per day as a day rate I would be bankrupt in 4 months. It costs me between 190 and 210 a day to employ my guys before i make my first penny . That may sound high but to get to this figure I have to take in to account not just their gross wage but also employer tax / holiday pay @ 28 days min plus sick pay .i also have say 30 K overheads as example for four of us inc me . This covers all business expenses inc 3 vans / insurance / fuel etcc. So I divide overheads by 4 and that's how I arrive at the figure it costs me to employ my guys. So I obviously price myself out of many jobs from cold calls . But to my regular contractors I think
They appreciate that i can will supply top
Labour and as importantly they know who will turn up on site . My guys have over 70 years working together between us .the only way I can survive is by supplying quality labour required for top
End work.but when a job gets delayed and I have to go out to market to seek work I am pretty stuffed. I can't compete . Just hope I can see my work module through till I can retire

 

[One Day]

If I charged £130 pp per day as a day rate I would be bankrupt in 4 months. It costs me between 190 and 210 a day to employ my guys before i make my first penny . That may sound high but to get to this figure I have to take in to account not just their gross wage but also employer tax / holiday pay @ 28 days min plus sick pay .i also have say 30 K overheads as example for four of us inc me . This covers all business expenses inc 3 vans / insurance / fuel etcc. So I divide overheads by 4 and that's how I arrive at the figure it costs me to employ my guys. So I obviously price myself out of many jobs from cold calls . But to my regular contractors I think
They appreciate that i can will supply top
Labour and as importantly they know who will turn up on site . My guys have over 70 years working together between us .the only way I can survive is by supplying quality labour required for top
End work.but when a job gets delayed and I have to go out to market to seek work I am pretty stuffed. I can't compete . Just hope I can see my work module through till I can retire

with your experience and contacts you could really shift into consultancy.

 

[jonnyc]

I do that quite a lot but unpaid . This is my give back to stone suppliers and always has been . Quite a simple relationship but works . I never cease to be amazed at what supposed stone fixers are capable of .

 

[slythetiler]

Quiet an interesting topic, one i have been surprised at. I qualified as a plumber, and a tiler...before you ask they were both time served courses, totalling 10 years back to back. I spent the first 6months as a tiler, i watching my mentor, fetching, cleaning, scraping! Didnt fix my first tile for 18 months, after the cleaning and carrying i was promoted to "preper".....removing old tiles and flooring, priming, sealing!!!
I asked my mentor why i was given the remidial tasks and he said " i'll tell thee why lad" he was from yorkshire..." if tha' can do wit cleanin' and stuff, wi'owt bother, thee wonna go wrong learnin' trade from tha' ground up. am i reet" (excuse my yorkshire accent but you get the idea)

Interesting to see what you guys have put for tile prices. My prices start from £20pm for ceramics and increase with the type/size of tile.
depending on the job, i will charge a meterage rate to include materials, or a day rate depending on the work involved. I also have standard package prices for full rip outs and installs.
This could include back to brick and restarts in an older property, or re boarding for plasterboard that has deteriorated. A typical average day rate for me is £140, a typical average package bathroom install - not including materials is £1460.
I am based in the north west, just above wales! I moved here 4 years ago and started to do social housing work to get some money coming in. knocked that on the head when i realised i had to tile shower cubicles with no primer or tanking sealer! not prepared to do that!.
My question to you guys is, after reading some of the posts, how would you price up the following.

example 1, Concrete base conservatory with standard DPM, like a ploughed field. 6M square room with 60x60 porcelains.


Also, if you had to prepare damaged floor in a bathroom priot to starting a job, i.e rotten boards, that you could not see before removing the existing floor covering, how would some of you make money on the job, somw have said if the job went over you would not charge any extra? likewise if the render/plaster had blown of the wall. would you get that repaired at your own expense?

Also i was told once by a building contractor, that tilers are ten a penny, anyone can do that!
Which is quite true, i have been undercut on many jobs to the tune of £60 a day!
I like to feel that for my £140 a day, my customers are getting good quality service from a tiler skilled in what he does. And i agree with one comment that this trade needs to be regulated and treated the same as gas fitter, plumbers and such. Whilst we have the TTA, its not really a governing body that can regulate and keep a tight reign on the cowboy odd jobbers that bring our trade into disrepute.

 

[White Room]

Quote;
render/plaster had blown of the wall. would you get that repaired at your own expense?

Job I'm doing at the moment, he initially wanted me to tile on tile, not on your life, tapped the walls and hollows everywhere.
Started to remove tiles and the majority of hollow sounds were from tiling onto lime mortar which had blown, did I charge him for it....yes but did explain the reasoning behind it and why it needed to be removed.
@slythetiler

 

[John Benton]

Quote;
render/plaster had blown of the wall. would you get that repaired at your own expense?

Job I'm doing at the moment, he initially wanted me to tile on tile, not on your life, tapped the walls and hollows everywhere.
Started to remove tiles and the majority of hollow sounds were from tiling onto lime mortar which had blown, did I charge him for it....yes but did explain the reasoning behind it and why it needed to be removed.
@slythetiler

In my quotes I always state that if walls need repairing/boarding this will be charged extra for materials and labour.

Just done one myself where 3 of the walls were shot. I charged them for my labour and did materials at cost. They were happy as they could see the walls were not suitable to tile onto.

I have a little method that helps why the walls need to be suitable and sound for tiling onto. Just give them one box of tiles to hold for 1 minute and tell them to multiply that weight by 3 and imagine that falling on them!!!

 

[juris]

I am base in Reading (south east) My prices are
-ceramic £35 sqm
-porcelain £40 polished £45 sqm
- stone £45 - £55 sqm
-Mosaic £ 50 sqm
- boarder £10 lm
- Victorian tiles £ 130 sqm
+ details
all incl. adhesive and grout

yes! this is prices pro tiler have to get.other extra jobs simple 200£ a day...or 180 cash...this is how much we charge to. In some cases when is comercial jobs can do lower but better to stay on level with those prices before otherways trade going down with cowboybuilders offers. if you do price for window like i show you now on picture its shoul be 200£ on top becose quartz stone tile and 45% cutting in the edge ..and 200£ for shower floor made from tiles...

 

[juris]

this is pic for my last comment

 

[tommy1712]

£200 a day. I am a plumber that can tile with the best but I won't lose money to do the job

 

[seananddonna]

Hi All
I'm in the southwest. I agree pricing is difficult. I generally charge £20 m2 for walls, ceramic or porcelain and £25 for the floors, I don't charge extra for porcelain. I do £30 m2 for natural stone on walls and £35 for floors. mosaics £45 m2, victorian tiling £65 m2. I always add a square meter for window reveals or niche. kitchen splash back's I normally do on a day rate £135 a day. I don't charge for cutting holes, installing tile trim or siliconing. Every job is different, no parking and 120 stairs to climb with all the kit, or outside parking and the tiling job on the ground floor, some you win some you lose.

 

[seananddonna]

£200 a day. I am a plumber that can tile with the best but I won't lose money to do the job

Can't be that good as a plumber, otherwise you wouldn't be tiling, just saying

 

[MW Smith Ceramics]

I don't work on meterage rates ever.......lump sum for labour costs on each job.......i work within a 25 mile radius & no further so I go in at £150 per day plus diesel costs on jobs on my doorstep and up to £175 per day plus fuel if going to the maximum 25 mile radius.......

 

[terrycoe1]

Over the last 6 months I've pushed for doing my own tiling I was a factory manager so I would compare to what I would earn there to earning my own business .I generally look at the job estimate how Long it will take generally not far off ..give half a day or so.. I've won last 4 jobs one being for a plumber who bit my arm off at 140 a day rate to tile a bathroom in standard ceramics I'm south east if I compare my last job 130 a day wouldn't be worth setting up on ur own after you have payed out expenses ie tax ni diesel /petrol etc if I'm ridiculously quick on the job say I quote for 4 days do it in 3 I offer a cash back scheme I don't let on to this till I'm done tho customers like the honesty and most of them say not to worry we love the job where this has happend

 

[the naked tiler]

how can you price without seeing the technical spec on the works. Tiling is not as simple as in the 80s or 90s. There is also the quality of the works. Goin from cheap 6x6 whites to 3mtr x 1mtr 5mm thick porcelnosa tile, high spec. Every tiling job should be priced on spec, quality and tile format. If I work on a price I would earn between £300 to £600 a day, £600 rare. So why should I charge daywork at £120/£150?
I work away from home doing site work and the problems are unreal, lack of materials, change of design, broken tiles, accessories drilled wrong, I could go on. I charge £300 per day and if the meterage is there I bang it out. Or if there are problems its down to others to sort. My price is then not affected and my earnings are what they should be for working away. A extremely good tiler should earn £300 a day,exp and quality. A good site tiler, £200 a day and someone just out of collage between £80-120. No exp needs looking after. Some tile works cant be rushed, and I find it best to charge a little more to cover my ***!