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).​

 

[Mr Tiler]

Suppose il go first then... £20 per m2 minimum and if stone an easy £30-35 per m2. Any prep work would be min (depending on the graft) £120 day rate and if i go over the days quoted there will be no charge. All private no site involved

 

[jimthetiler]

same as mr tiler....boxing in from £17 per lm and borders from £ 7 per lm.Pipe holes from £3

 

[SUPERTILER]

How it is possible to talk about prices if you not seen job? Another thing --> tilers with different skill and expirience and bla bla bla... Ok. I work in London and almost all works in 1-4 zone and as I based in center I can travel everywhere... I would split tiling works just on few categories:
1) Building construction(majority this is bathroom or en-suit renovation). Always negotiable prices and there is budget but I can give a few examples for bathrooms and en-suits, corridor-kitchen-living rooms floors. Ceramic, porcelain from 25-40£/m2, mosaic 35-40£ m2 or line meter 25£. Marble, limestone tiles 35-50£ m2 but let's say 100x100 little limestones tiles I would never do less then 50£ m2. Skirting 5-10£ line meter. Tanking(waterproof system) 80£ any size bathroom/shower. Silicon/mastic 2,5-4£ line meter..
2) Commercial sites. This jobs always smell miles away and now there is so much to do in London that prices could be MEGALOW! But people still go at this works and of course for this money no one can ask from man reasonable quality ) ok, let's start. What I have pass for last years. Ceramic, porcelain are main materials for this sites and price from 18-25£. Skirting 5-7£ line meter. Tanking 40-80£ room but this is for majority works as I say. Day work on this sites negotiable starts from 140-180£/day.
3) Wet rooms/swimming pools/sauna. Negotiable price if interested pm/me
4) Industrial sites. For me this is number one jobs!!! Why!? money-money There is always different prices. I can say only one as a supertiler I was born for it don't want to talk about income because some people may be shocked. How tiler can earn so much!!?!?? No-no-no! Layer And another thing some customers don't want pay!! Because they think that it is to much money for tiler... But it's ok, Barclays know what to do next....


Another category of works that including build boxes(internal/external), windows, skirting, Silicon, mastic, snaggs, splash backs, tile ceilings, panels, access panels, change grout, shelfs, floor leveling(lateks), build wall thickness and extend, trims, cuts 45 degrees... All this jobs I would say based on hourly rate. Example: let's take 6inc tiles and fix them around any window with trim and bla bla bla.. Brick designed.. Let's say for this job we need 2h, but if we are going to do the same job with 600x600 size tiles then we would spend 1 hour time.
P.S. Actually I think that this is good idea, if we can talk about our experience and discuss prices aswell!!! Because a lot of people go at work, they think they can tile but they don't!!! By the end of the working day they release that there is nothing in pocket. Maybe now they know a bit more... Ok, I write everything what I remember from past.. If there is a lot of spelling mistakes please forgive me I am learning English

 

[Raff]

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

 

[MTiler]

I rarely price on metre rate unless it's a large job. I give a price based on my day rate and how long it would take plus materials. I have a standard day rate for most domestic work and higher rates for Vic floors and mosaic jobs.

 

[Wishiwasatoptiler]

How it is possible to talk about prices iceramic not seen job? Another thing --> tilers with different skill and expirience and bla bla bla... Ok. I work in London and almost all works in 1-4 zone and as I based in center I can travel everywhere... I would split tiling works just on few categories:
1) Building construction(majority this is bathroom or en-suit renovation). Always negotiable prices and there is budget but I can give a few examples for bathrooms and en-suits, corridor-kitchen-living rooms floors. Ceramic, porcelain from 25-40£/m2, mosaic 35-40£ m2 or line meter 25£. Marble, limestone tiles 35-50£ m2 but let's say 100x100 little limestones tiles I would never do less then 50£ m2. Skirting 5-10£ line meter. Tanking(waterproof system) 80£ any size bathroom/shower. Silicon/mastic 2,5-4£ line meter..
2) Commercial sites. This jobs always smell miles away and now there is so much to do in London that prices could be MEGALOW! But people still go at this works and of course for this money no one can ask from man reasonable quality ) ok, let's start. What I have pass for last years. Ceramic, porcelain are main materials for this sites and price from 18-25£. Skirting 5-7£ line meter. Tanking 40-80£ room but this is for majority works as I say. Day work on this sites negotiable starts from 140-180£/day.
3) Wet rooms/swimming pools/sauna. Negotiable price if interested pm/me
4) Industrial sites. For me this is number one jobs!!! Why!? money-money There is always different prices. I can say only one as a supertiler I was born for it don't want to talk about income because some people may be shocked. How tiler can earn so much!!?!?? No-no-no! Layer And another thing some customers don't want pay!! Because they think that it is to much money for tiler... But it's ok, Barclays know what to do next....


Another category of works that including build boxes(internal/external), windows, skirting, Silicon, mastic, snaggs, splash backs, tile ceilings, panels, access panels, change grout, shelfs, floor leveling(lateks), build wall thickness and extend, trims, cuts 45 degrees... All this jobs I would say based on hourly rate. Example: let's take 6inc tiles and fix them around any window with trim and bla bla bla.. Brick designed.. Let's say for this job we need 2h, but if we are going to do the same job with 600x600 size tiles then we would spend 1 hour time.
P.S. Actually I think that this is good idea, if we can talk about our experience and discuss prices aswell!!! Because a lot of people go at work, they think they can tile but they don't!!! By the end of the working day they release that there is nothing in pocket. Maybe now they know a bit more... Ok, I write everything what I remember from past.. If there is a lot of spelling mistakes please forgive me I am learning English

What happened to north south divide. I know of a tiler whos charginging £160 day rate for ceramic! Just 10 miles over in the scotish borders. Im still finding my rate! Running at plaster day rate at the mo, would go for the £20 for floors mtr2. Like this idea @Dan

 

[highlandtiler]

I price by the job mainly based on a day rate as I would never price doing a kitchen above worktops say in 3" square tiles the same as one in 12" square tiles. Some jobs are just really fiddly and others - like a bathroom floor of 4 sq mtrs are easy and take less time - however if you cannot finish in a day then your costs mount up for going back the next.

 

[highlandtiler]

Yeah it generally means they're very careful with their cash and don't want to pay over the odds for anything, and then resent handing over a cheque to a bloke with dirty hands

Absolutely right! I am very wary of these people having not been paid by a high flying barrister once - he said " You can try suing me but I think you will find that the courts will err in my favour as I am the complainant"

 

[Dan]

Can we keep this thread on topic.

Just help if you can.

Don't reply if you can't stick to the instructions in the first post.

 

[-=HaZ=-]

My prices have changed so much over the last year
I set up 2 years ago and was losing out on time and money tbh so I upped prices but have found with different jobs its is different with time etc

I've done jobs like 30m² of metro tiling on 21 walls in a takeaway and found I lost out on cash but I've done 700x350 tiles and felt iv over priced

My prices have 2 prices

For packs in 1m² containing up to 20 tiles I charge £22.5m²
For packs containing more I charge £30m²
The time between the 2 can be along time as people will know

Most of my jobs are full bathrooms so plumbing plastering tiling and little bits on boxing out etc

When I pick jobs up like kitchens or floor tiling I just charge day rate of £120 plus materials and have found people are happy with this

It has taken some time to find the right balance of what to charge but I am getting there now

 

[Jon Boy]

I charge the following

Floors
Ceramics £30 m2
Porcelain £35m2
Slate £40m2
Stone/mosaics £45+ m2
All including adhesive and grout

Kitchens or bathrooms on day rate of £140 a day plus materials, because all those sockets/boxing in or Windows slow you down.

Any prep prior to tiling is done on day rate plus materials.eg levelling, sanitary removal, over boarding, skirting removal and replacement etc

 

[One Day]

I charge day rate of 175-225 depending on the 'ache' factor of the work involved. I. E having no space to set tools up, having to walk long distances to and from water etc. Never give meterage prices, I'd rather weigh up how long it's going to take and give a fixed price. If i get done more quickly then extra profit for me. I also aim to make a decent amount supplying materials these days too. Some jobs i can make more supplying than fixing.

 

[andy8758]

After a long time absent, I just tumbled on this thread. I think that some of the prices here are rather high.

Ceramics - starting at £18 psm. Bathroom last week, 4 walls and floor, 25sq m; one window recess, 3.5m of pipe boxing. Walls using 600x300 ceramics in brickbond, and floor 600x300 straightbond. Charged £450 labour (£18 psm) and completed in 3 days - i.e. £150/day.

Porcelain floor - usually about £20 psm. Last month completed 54 sq m floor in 4 days. Priced at £20 psm, £1056, which earns me £264/day.

Natural stone - very hit and miss, price structure usually starts at £30 psm, and rises to £60, depending on work required. In June I completed 26 sq m of 22mm thick tumbled limestone in grand opus pattern and 28 sq m of 400x600 limestone on bathroom walls. Priced at £25 psm for a builder who agreed to do all prep work and seal tiles after. Total £1350, 7 days in total, or about £190/day. However, last month I tiled 600x300 limestone tiles in an en suite bathroom on third floor of a terraced house in Bristol, with all tile cutting three floors down at rear, no skip, garden the size of the bathroom, which had 22 sq m of tiling required. It took me 7 days and was charged at £38psm or just £120 per day. That was an expensive error on my part but we all learn from our mistakes!

Materials. Usually priced per sq m when supplied - so rsf grey adhesive for porcelain floor with 5mm x 9mm grout gap - £8 psm. Stone tiling with rsf white adhesive, and 7x15mm grout gap would be £16 psm.

Day rate - Bath and Bristol £175/day (must include free parking), elsewhere £150. I class a lot of jobs up to 12 sq m as "tile in a day" jobs; i.e. in, set out, prime, fix and grout in one day - as long at tiles are fixed by 2pm, this is achievable. These are excellent jobs to fill in odd day gaps from larger commissions.

Discounts - Friends and family are charged less - not telling you by how much. Quiet periods bring lower prices to keep monthly costs paid. Larger tiling may attract price discounts, depending on what incentives I am given.

Windows/boxing-in/hole cutting. These are all standard problems for tilers - come on guys you cannot charge to drill a hole. I usually accept one window recess and up to a metre of boxing without increasing the price, but actually they are not that difficult, and the extra time taken is balanced by clean walls - a 6 sq m wall with no holes or obstructions should take me about 3 hours at the most, whilst a (metal) trimmed uneven window recess can take about the same amount of time.

Kitchen worktop splashbacks. A tricky one sometimes. I can expect to complete 4 sq m tiled, grouted and siliconed in a day, but sometimes there is a lot of fiddling around fittings, and differing socket heights and window recesses may require some lateral thinking on planning the height of the tiles. I always now charge this on a day rate. I have even tiled a curved wall with metro tiles in a brickbond pattern - again lateral thinking on running break lines like you have to in some wet room floors - customer thought it looked fantastic though.

Additional work: Ditra mat - I usually price to supply Ditra, adhesive and fix as a single price. It allows me to make a decent profit on obtaining Ditra at special prices whilst customers can rarely source the material below £12 psm. e.g. 44 sq m of Ditra supplied and fitted at £18 psm. Just like carpet and vinyl suppliers do! Levelling depends on depth, but again it makes sense to try to supply and fit at a psm price (but beware of any serious depth differences). To provide a 3-5mm level using a flexible self levelling compound I charge around £12 psm.

Competition - there are still guys in my area tiling for £80/day. I suspect some work on site Monday to Friday, but its very difficult in price conscious times to compete with that, so I don't try. Customer service alone makes my prices competitive. Timeliness, keeping promises, politeness, quality work, cleanliness, and accurate pricing seems to give me the edge. We all have off days too, but I try to keep a professional face on my work, and I try to give the customer the result they want - I have even removed and replaced natural stone tiles because the "pattern on the tile does not match the ones around it" - in fact on one floor I allowed the customer to direct where the (6 different) patterns of the porcelain tiles went just so that they were happy with the finished result (and yes some customers are that picky!)

The final word on pricing - I make a site visit on 95% of all jobs. I price according to what needs to be done, and site visits reduce pricing errors. Tiles sizes are only an issue when the surface to be tiled is an issue - if the surface is perfectly flat and sound, even small tiles can be applied quickly, although a 600x600 tile installation will always be quicker than a 100x100 tile. I am more likely to increase the price for facility issues - parking, access and loading, cutting area restrictions, height of tiling, waste, traffic jams (it takes me less time to travel to Swindon - 50 miles - than to Clifton in Bristol - 17 miles) than for tiling problems.

 

[One Day]

I think some of the prices on here are worryingly low! I guess it depends which ponds you fish in but I hate seeing quality tilers earning below average wages. If you're good at what you do and can justify the premium over other "tilers" - damn well charge it and don't be afraid to!