Tiler Pricing Guide

How much does a tiler charge in 2026?

Hourly rates by region, common job prices, what drives the cost, and how to write a tiling quote that wins.

The short answer

Tilers typically charge $50 to $90 per hour

$400 to $14,000+ per job depending on scope. Here is what tradies actually charge in 2026 and how the price gets built.

Tilers typically charge between $50 and $90 per hour in the US, or fixed-price per square metre. Small jobs like a kitchen splashback run $400 to $1,200. Mid-size jobs like a full bathroom retile run $3,500 to $8,000. Larger jobs like an open-plan kitchen-and-living floor tile run $6,000 to $14,000+. Pricing depends on tile size, material (porcelain vs natural stone), pattern complexity, waterproofing requirements, and floor preparation needs.

Hourly rates

Tilers hourly rates by region (2026)

Standard daytime rates across the major markets. Metro areas typically command a 20-30% premium. After-hours work is 1.5x to 2x.

Region	Hourly rate	Notes
United States	$50 - $100/hr	Mosaic and natural stone specialists at the top
United Kingdom	£28 - £65/hr	London commands a 20-30% premium
Australia	$55 - $110/hr	Waterproofers with TASB ticket at the top
South Africa	R180 - R500/hr	Mosaic and natural stone specialists above this
Canada	C$50 - C$95/hr	Heated-floor and stone specialists at the top
New Zealand	$50 - $105/hr	Auckland and Wellington at the top
Ireland	€35 - €80/hr	Dublin commands a premium
India	₹1400 - ₹3900/hr	Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore at the top

United States

Hourly rate$50 - $100/hr

Notes

Mosaic and natural stone specialists at the top

United Kingdom

Hourly rate£28 - £65/hr

Notes

London commands a 20-30% premium

Australia

Hourly rate$55 - $110/hr

Notes

Waterproofers with TASB ticket at the top

South Africa

Hourly rateR180 - R500/hr

Notes

Mosaic and natural stone specialists above this

Canada

Hourly rateC$50 - C$95/hr

Notes

Heated-floor and stone specialists at the top

New Zealand

Hourly rate$50 - $105/hr

Notes

Auckland and Wellington at the top

Ireland

Hourly rate€35 - €80/hr

Notes

Dublin commands a premium

India

Hourly rate₹1400 - ₹3900/hr

Notes

Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore at the top

Job pricing

Common tiler jobs and what they cost

Real-world price ranges for the jobs tradies quote every week. Includes labour, parts, and standard call-out.

Job	Typical price	What's included
Site visit and measure	Free to $150	Most tilers visit free for jobs over $1,500. Detailed CAD plans for patterned floors may be charged.
Kitchen splashback (per sqm)	$120 to $280	Includes tile cuts around outlets, edge trim, grout, and 1-2 days labour. Mosaic or natural stone adds cost.
Bathroom wall tile (per sqm)	$80 to $180	Includes waterproofing membrane on wet areas, tile, grout, and labour. Patterns and small format tiles cost more.
Bathroom floor tile (per sqm)	$95 to $200	Includes waterproofing, screed if needed, tile, grout, and labour. Large format porcelain or anti-slip rated tiles cost more.
Full bathroom retile (walls + floor)	$3,500 to $8,000	Includes strip-out, waterproofing, screed, tiles, grout, silicon, 5-7 days labour. Bath/shower replacement priced separately.
Kitchen floor tile (per sqm)	$75 to $160	Includes prep, tile, grout, and labour. Skirting cut-back, threshold strips, and edge trim quoted separately.
Outdoor patio tile (per sqm)	$100 to $220	Includes anti-slip rated porcelain or natural stone, drainage falls, exterior-grade adhesive, and labour. Pool surrounds cost more.
Floor screed prep (per sqm)	$22 to $55	Self-levelling compound to fix uneven floors before tile laying. Required where deflection >5mm. Add if floor is concrete-rough.
Tile removal (per sqm)	$20 to $55	Includes strip, debris removal, and substrate clean. Cement-bed tile removal runs higher than thinset.

Site visit and measure

Typical priceFree to $150

What's included

Most tilers visit free for jobs over $1,500. Detailed CAD plans for patterned floors may be charged.

Kitchen splashback (per sqm)

Typical price$120 to $280

What's included

Includes tile cuts around outlets, edge trim, grout, and 1-2 days labour. Mosaic or natural stone adds cost.

Bathroom wall tile (per sqm)

Typical price$80 to $180

What's included

Includes waterproofing membrane on wet areas, tile, grout, and labour. Patterns and small format tiles cost more.

Bathroom floor tile (per sqm)

Typical price$95 to $200

What's included

Includes waterproofing, screed if needed, tile, grout, and labour. Large format porcelain or anti-slip rated tiles cost more.

Full bathroom retile (walls + floor)

Typical price$3,500 to $8,000

What's included

Includes strip-out, waterproofing, screed, tiles, grout, silicon, 5-7 days labour. Bath/shower replacement priced separately.

Kitchen floor tile (per sqm)

Typical price$75 to $160

What's included

Includes prep, tile, grout, and labour. Skirting cut-back, threshold strips, and edge trim quoted separately.

Outdoor patio tile (per sqm)

Typical price$100 to $220

What's included

Includes anti-slip rated porcelain or natural stone, drainage falls, exterior-grade adhesive, and labour. Pool surrounds cost more.

Floor screed prep (per sqm)

Typical price$22 to $55

What's included

Self-levelling compound to fix uneven floors before tile laying. Required where deflection >5mm. Add if floor is concrete-rough.

Tile removal (per sqm)

Typical price$20 to $55

What's included

Includes strip, debris removal, and substrate clean. Cement-bed tile removal runs higher than thinset.

What drives the price

Six things that change the price of a job

The same job can cost 2x more or less depending on these factors. Knowing them helps customers spot fair quotes and helps tradies justify their own.

Tile size and material

Standard 300x300 ceramic is fast to lay. Large 1200x600 porcelain needs 2 tilers and slower setting. Natural stone needs sealing before and after. State the size and material on the quote.

Pattern complexity

A straight grid is the baseline. Herringbone adds 25%. Chevron, hex, or laser-cut mosaic adds 50-100%. State the pattern on the quote and the labour multiplier. Customers can swap to grid if budget tightens.

Waterproofing

Wet areas (bathroom, shower, balcony) need a certified waterproof membrane under the tile. This is a $400-800 line item, not an assumption. State the membrane brand and warranty on the quote.

Surface preparation

A flat, dry substrate tiles fast. Out-of-level floors need self-levelling screed. Crumbling old plaster needs strip and re-skim. Survey the substrate before quoting.

Cuts and detail

An open floor with no cuts is fast. A bathroom with 6 cuts around fittings (toilet, basin, shower trap) adds 4-6 hours of labour. Quote cut-heavy spaces at a higher per-sqm rate.

Edge trim and skirting

Profile trim (chrome, brushed nickel) at $25-60/m. Mitre-bullnose detail on stone is hours of work per metre. Pencil-tile in shower niches is its own line. State on the quote.

How to quote it

How tilers should price their work

Tips for tradies on writing quotes that win the job and protect the margin.

Quote per square metre, with adders

Base sqm rate for standard tile and grid pattern. Adders for pattern, cuts, large format, waterproofing. Customers can mix-and-match to budget.

Specify tile by brand and model

'Mariwasa Bianca Porcelain 600x600 matte, $48/sqm' beats 'porcelain tile, $50/sqm'. Customers comparing quotes can verify the exact spec.

Show grout colour options

Standard grey, white, charcoal, or coloured. Each affects the visual result. Discuss at quote time so the customer sees and signs off before bagging is opened on site.

Take a 30-40% deposit on materials

Custom tile orders cannot be returned. 30-40% covers the tile outlay. Stage payments cover labour milestones.

Walk the customer through samples

Bring 3-4 sample tiles in their bathroom or kitchen, in their lighting. Photos lie; in-situ samples do not. Reduces colour-mismatch disputes to near zero.

Send progress photos via WhatsApp

Day 1 (waterproofing), day 2 (substrate ready), day 3 (tile dry-laid), day 5 (grouted). Customers paying in stages see what they are paying for. Reduces invoice disputes.

Watch out for

Pricing red flags to watch for

The patterns that usually signal a problem on the quote, with what to do about each one.

No waterproofing line on a wet area

What to do: Walk away. Tile over no membrane in a shower or bathroom floor leaks within 3 years and rots the substrate. Quality work always includes a certified waterproofing system.

No tile brand or model on the quote

What to do: Insist on brand, model, and colour code. 'Premium tiles' invites substitution arguments and budget-grade tiles being delivered with you unaware.

Verbal quote on a $2,000+ job

What to do: Always written. Tiling has too many variables (tile size, pattern, cuts, waterproofing, edge detail) for a verbal to capture. Insist on line items.

Cash-only with no invoice

What to do: Walk away. Without an invoice you have no warranty, no insurance claim path, and no recourse if the tile fails or grout cracks within the guarantee period.

No substrate inspection

What to do: A tiler who quotes without checking the substrate is bidding on hope. Uneven floors and damp walls are the leading cause of tile failure. Insist on a substrate inspection before quote.

Skipping silicone in corners

What to do: Grout cracks where two planes meet (wall-to-wall, wall-to-floor). Quality tilers use silicone in all internal corners. If the quote does not mention silicone, the tiler is planning to skip it.

Sample quote

A real example: line-by-line

Full bathroom retile, walls + floor + shower niche, mid-range porcelain

Line	Rate	Total
Strip-out existing tile and grout (walls 22sqm, floor 6sqm)	$ 1,400	$ 1,400
Floor screed and level prep	$ 380	$ 380
Waterproofing membrane (Ardex or similar, walls and floor wet areas)	$ 720	$ 720
Wall tile (22sqm, porcelain 300x600 customer-choice)	$ 130/sqm	$ 2,860
Floor tile (6sqm, anti-slip porcelain 600x600 customer-choice)	$ 160/sqm	$ 960
Pencil trim in shower niche and external edges (8 linear m, brushed nickel)	$ 38/m	$ 304
Grout (epoxy, neutral grey, all joints) and silicone in corners	$ 380	$ 380
Tiling labour (4 days, 1 tiler)	$ 480/day	$ 1,920
Subtotal		$ 8,924
Tax (10%)		$ 892
Total		$ 9,816

Strip-out existing tile and grout (walls 22sqm, floor 6sqm)

Rate $ 1,400$ 1,400

Floor screed and level prep

Rate $ 380$ 380

Waterproofing membrane (Ardex or similar, walls and floor wet areas)

Rate $ 720$ 720

Wall tile (22sqm, porcelain 300x600 customer-choice)

Rate $ 130/sqm$ 2,860

Floor tile (6sqm, anti-slip porcelain 600x600 customer-choice)

Rate $ 160/sqm$ 960

Pencil trim in shower niche and external edges (8 linear m, brushed nickel)

Rate $ 38/m$ 304

Grout (epoxy, neutral grey, all joints) and silicone in corners

Rate $ 380$ 380

Tiling labour (4 days, 1 tiler)

Rate $ 480/day$ 1,920

Subtotal$ 8,924

Tax (10%)$ 892

Total$ 9,816

FAQ

Tilers pricing questions, answered

Everything customers and tradies ask about tiler pricing.

Hourly rates are $50 to $90 in the US, £28-65 in the UK, A$55-110 in Australia, R180-500 in South Africa, and C$50-95 in Canada. Most tilers prefer fixed-price per square metre because it is more transparent and forces a clear scope conversation.

A standard 6-7sqm bathroom (walls + floor + shower) takes 5-7 working days from strip-out to grouting, plus 24-48 hours for waterproofing membrane cure and another 24 hours before the room can be used. Larger or pattern-heavy bathrooms run 7-10 days.

You can, and many customers do for design control. Just confirm with the tiler 1-2 weeks before start so the tile arrives on site in time and the colour matches across boxes. Customer-supplied tile usually voids tile-failure warranties; workmanship warranty stays.

For jobs over $2,000, get 2-3 quotes. Compare tile brand, waterproofing inclusion, substrate prep, pattern and edge detail. The cheapest quote often skips waterproofing or substrate prep, leading to failure within 3 years.

Ceramic is the cheapest and softest; OK for walls, marginal for floors. Porcelain is denser, harder, and frost-proof; the best all-rounder. Natural stone (marble, travertine, slate) is premium-priced, beautiful, and needs sealing before and after grouting.

Order 10-15% extra for straight-laid floors, 15-20% for diagonal or patterned layouts, 20-25% for mosaic or hex. The waste is unavoidable due to cuts; the spare boxes also cover future repairs without a colour-match nightmare.

For tiling: 30-40% on signing to cover tile order, balance on completion. Larger jobs split into substrate-ready, tile-laid, and grouted milestones.

Quality porcelain with proper waterproofing and good substrate prep lasts 20-40 years. Bad waterproofing fails in 3-5 years. Bad grout washes out in 5-7 years and needs regrouting. The substrate work is what determines longevity.

Get the tile spec, waterproofing brand, substrate prep, pattern and trim detail upfront in writing. Pay via banking app so there is a record. Verbal cash deals are the highest-risk path on tiling because problems show up months later.

Yes, most modern tilers send quotes via WhatsApp as a PDF with sample-tile photos. Faster acceptance, mobile-friendly review, and the message thread doubles as a written record. Tools like QuoteGenio build the PDF on the tiler's phone and send via WhatsApp in 2 minutes.

Use a template

Free tiler quote and invoice templates

Itemised templates ready to send. Skip the manual quote builder and get from job to paid in 2 minutes.

Quote

Tiler Quote Template

Tiler quote with liquid membrane warranty, substrate prep, and supply-and-lay rates.

Open template

Invoice

Tiler Invoice Template

Tiler invoice with prep on actuals, membrane warranty, and tile spec.

Open template

City pricing

What tilers charge in 160 cities

Tilers pricing benchmarks written for tradies pricing their own work in each city. Local hourly rates, common job prices, and a sample quote you can copy. Pick a country to see its cities.

New York City$50-$100/hr

Tilers pricing

What to charge for tilers jobs in New York City.

How much does a tiler charge in 2026?

Tilers typically charge $50 to $90 per hour

Tilers hourly rates by region (2026)

Common tiler jobs and what they cost

Six things that change the price of a job

Tile size and material

Pattern complexity

Waterproofing

Surface preparation

Cuts and detail

Edge trim and skirting

How tilers should price their work

Quote per square metre, with adders

Specify tile by brand and model

Show grout colour options

Take a 30-40% deposit on materials

Walk the customer through samples

Send progress photos via WhatsApp

Pricing red flags to watch for

A real example: line-by-line

Tilers pricing questions, answered

Free tiler quote and invoice templates

What tilers charge in 160 cities

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