Why we don’t publish a price list
Ask five installers for a price per square foot and you may hear five answers. That doesn’t mean four of them are wrong. Most of the difference between tile jobs is work you never see once the grout is in, so a single number tells you very little.
What we can do is show you what moves the price, so you can read any quote properly, ours included.
The prep
Prep is usually the biggest variable. An old tile floor has to come up and be hauled away. A dip in the subfloor has to be levelled before large tile goes down, because a big panel shows what a small tile hides. Shower walls need backer board and waterproofing before any tile goes on.
The size and type of tile
Mid-size porcelain is generally the quickest to set. Mosaic takes longer because of all the joints. Large panels are heavy, need careful handling and often two people. Natural stone usually needs sealing, and glass needs a very clean, even setting bed because it shows what is behind it.
The layout
A straight lay is faster than herringbone or a patterned floor. Every outlet, corner and cut adds time, and a curved edge takes far longer than a straight one. Layout decides whether the room looks right, and it’s where a careful installer earns the money.
Wet areas
A shower costs more per square foot than a floor because so much goes in before the tile does: a sloped base, the drain connection, membranes, niches and benches. It is also the worst place to save money. A leak behind finished tile costs far more to fix than the waterproofing did.
What a written estimate should spell out
- Removal and disposal of what is there now
- Floor or wall prep, including levelling
- Waterproofing, and how it’s done
- Who supplies the tile, mortar, grout and trims
- Grout type and whether it’s sealed
- Niches, benches, heating mats and other extras
- What other trades you need to arrange, such as a plumber or an electrician
- When the work starts and roughly how long it takes
How to get a useful answer quickly
Send one wide photo of the room, one close-up of the floor or wall, rough measurements and the tile if you have picked one. From that, we can usually tell you what the job involves. The written estimate comes after we’ve measured on site.