Tiler pricing in Sydney
What tilers charge in Sydney (typically $55-$110/hr), the local factors that move the rate, and a sample quote you can use as a starting point.
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Sydney tiler pricing
What tilers should charge in Sydney
Sydney tilers serve harbourside premium bathroom and kitchen renos, Inner West and Inner East terrace bathroom refits, commercial fitout in Surry Hills, Alexandria and Pyrmont, and apartment work across Pyrmont, Barangaroo and Olympic Park. Imported Italian, Spanish and Turkish porcelain ships 8-14 weeks to Sydney port. Federation and Edwardian terraces need substrate repair (compressed cement sheet over old timber subfloor, replacing failed lath-and-plaster walls) before any tile install. AS 3958.1 governs tile installation; waterproofing must comply with AS 3740. Strata Committee approval required for apartment work. GST 10% applies.
Hourly rate
$55-$110
per hour, weekday daytime
Call-out fee
$39-$83
within standard radius
After-hours
1.5-2x
evening, weekend, holiday
Job pricing
What to charge for common tiler jobs in Sydney
Real-world price ranges for the jobs local tradies quote every week. Use the table as a starting point for your own quotes and adjust for parts, access, and your overheads. All figures in AUD.
Site visit and measure
What's included
Most tilers visit free for jobs over $1,650. Detailed CAD plans for patterned floors may be charged.
Kitchen splashback (per sqm)
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)
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)
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)
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)
What's included
Includes prep, tile, grout, and labour. Skirting cut-back, threshold strips, and edge trim quoted separately.
Outdoor patio tile (per sqm)
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)
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)
What's included
Includes strip, debris removal, and substrate clean. Cement-bed tile removal runs higher than thinset.
Sydney quote factors
What to factor into your Sydney tiler quote
Local context that should shape what you quote as a tiler in Sydney. Temperate humid subtropical. Hot humid summers (Dec-Feb, 30°C+), mild winters (June-Aug, rarely below 5°C), heavy summer storms, La Niña wet years (2020-2022) drove flooding. Coastal salt-air corrosion on harbourside and beachside metalwork. Extreme UV (AS/NZS UV standards drive paint cycles every 5-7 years).
Harbourside large-format porcelain
Mosman, Vaucluse, Double Bay, Point Piper, Bellevue Hill, Woollahra harbourside clients want 600x1200mm and larger porcelain. Quote per-sqm at A$130-A$310 install rate plus tile (A$88-A$715+/sqm material). Mid-tier Inner East (Paddington, Surry Hills) and Inner West (Newtown, Glebe, Balmain) A$99-A$200/sqm install. Standard Greater Sydney A$72-A$145/sqm install.
AS 3740 waterproofing required
AS 3740 (Waterproofing of domestic wet areas) is mandatory in NSW. Quote waterproofing membrane (Ardex WPM, Mapei Mapelastic, Davco Wet Area, Bostik) at A$50-A$105/sqm as a separate line on every bathroom, laundry and kitchen splashback job. Improperly waterproofed wet areas cause downstairs leaks and strata lawsuits; AS 3740 compliance certificate is increasingly required by strata managers and HBCF-bonded builders.
Federation and Edwardian substrate repair
Pre-1940 terraces in Paddington, Glebe, Surry Hills, Newtown and Balmain need substrate repair before tile install: compressed cement sheet (FC sheet) over old timber subfloor (A$50-A$105/sqm), Schluter Ditra or Kerdi uncoupling membrane (A$39-A$83/sqm), or full wall replacement on failed lath-and-plaster (A$130-A$240/sqm). Quote substrate work as a contingency line on every pre-war job.
Strata Committee approval and acoustic compliance
Sydney apartment tiling needs Strata Committee approval (4-12 weeks) plus acoustic compliance under Strata Schemes Management Regulation 2016 (impact-sound rating). Quote acoustic underlay (Embelton Floorflex, Regupol Sonus) at A$28-A$66/sqm and AAAC-rated certification as separate lines on every apartment job. Skipping acoustic compliance is a major callback driver and strata complaint source.
Imported tile lead times
Italian (Marca Corona, Coem, Marazzi, Mirage), Spanish (Porcelanosa, Apavisa, Roca), Turkish and Portuguese premium porcelain imports run 8-14 weeks to Sydney port. Australian stock (Beaumont Tiles, Di Lorenzo, Tile Cloud, National Tiles): 1-4 weeks. Quote lead time on the contract; Strata Committee approval (4-12 weeks) often runs in parallel with tile shipping.
GST 10% and NSW Fair Trading licence on builder-led jobs
GST 10% on every tax invoice once you cross A$82,500 turnover. Where you're subbing to a builder on a contract over A$22,000, your work falls under the head builder's HBCF cover; print the head builder's NSW Fair Trading licence and HBCF certificate on your invoice for clarity.
Sample quote
A real Sydney tiler quote you can copy
Full bathroom retile, walls + floor + shower niche, mid-range porcelain. Replace the line items and rates with your own; the structure stays.
Strip-out existing tile and grout (walls 22sqm, floor 6sqm)
Floor screed and level prep
Waterproofing membrane (Ardex or similar, walls and floor wet areas)
Wall tile (22sqm, porcelain 300x600 customer-choice)
Floor tile (6sqm, anti-slip porcelain 600x600 customer-choice)
Pencil trim in shower niche and external edges (8 linear m, brushed nickel)
Grout (epoxy, neutral grey, all joints) and silicone in corners
Tiling labour (4 days, 1 tiler)
FAQ
Sydney tiler pricing questions, answered
Common questions about tiler pricing in Sydney, with answers framed for tradies pricing their own work.
Per-sqm install (labour only): A$72-A$145 for standard Greater Sydney; A$99-A$200 for Inner East and Inner West premium pockets; A$130-A$310 for harbourside and large-format porcelain. Add tile material (A$33-A$715+/sqm depending on tier). State substrate prep, AS 3740 waterproofing, install, grouting and cleanup as separate lines.
A$16,500-A$49,500 for a 5-9sqm Mosman, Vaucluse, Double Bay or Point Piper bathroom in tile and labour depending on tier. Includes substrate repair (A$50-A$240/sqm), AS 3740 waterproofing (A$50-A$105/sqm), tile install (A$130-A$310/sqm), tile material (A$88-A$715+/sqm) and grouting. Quote rip-out, disposal and Strata Committee approval (4-12 weeks) separately.
Yes, on every pre-1940 job. Compressed cement sheet over old timber subfloor (A$50-A$105/sqm), Schluter Ditra or Kerdi uncoupling membrane (A$39-A$83/sqm), or full wall replacement on failed lath-and-plaster (A$130-A$240/sqm). Pre-quote as a contingency line; substrate condition is unknown until demo.
Yes, always, on bathroom, laundry and kitchen splashback jobs. AS 3740 (Waterproofing of domestic wet areas) is mandatory in NSW. Quote waterproofing membrane (Ardex WPM, Mapei Mapelastic, Davco Wet Area, Bostik) at A$50-A$105/sqm as a separate line. State 'AS 3740 compliant' on the quote; strata managers and HBCF-bonded builders require the compliance certificate.
Yes, on every Sydney apartment job. Strata Schemes Management Regulation 2016 requires impact-sound compliance. Quote acoustic underlay (Embelton Floorflex, Regupol Sonus) at A$28-A$66/sqm and AAAC-rated certification as separate lines. Skipping acoustic compliance is a major strata complaint source and callback driver.
Hourly rates are $55 to $99 in the US, £28-65 in the UK, A$61-110 in Australia, R180-500 in South Africa, and C$55-95 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 $2,200, 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.
Keep going
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