The ultimate tile-laying cost guide

Even ambitious craftsmen know: tiling is not that easy. It requires craftsmanship, experience and precise execution. Otherwise, mistakes can quickly happen that cannot be easily eradicated. So if you don’t think you can do it yourself, you should probably leave the laying to a professional. The decisive question in this context is then quickly: What will the tiler cost me? The answer to this question is revealed in this article.

What are the costs of tiling?

One thing in advance: It is not easy to give a general answer to the question of how much the laying of tiles by a professional actually costs. This is because the tiler price depends on several factors and can therefore vary greatly depending on the project.

What the tiling will cost is always influenced by the following three components:

• Material
  • which tile manufacturer
• Workload
• possible additional services
  • must the substrate first be levelled with a leveling system for tiles?
  • must the substrate be levelled with a levelling compound for tiles?

These costs are usually quoted per square metre, which is also the most reliable basis of calculation for you as a customer. This allows you to estimate the total cost of tiling a given area when you request a quotation.

Material costs

The tiles themselves naturally account for the largest share of the material costs. The following applies: the price differences are just as large as the selection. While simple ceramic floor tiles or promotional items are already available from 5 to 10 euros per square metre, extravagant brand-name tiles or special formats, such as mosaic tiles, for example, can also be considerably more expensive at 70 to 100 euros per square metre. On average, however, high-quality tiles usually cost between 20 and 40 euros per m2. When making your choice, make sure that the tile is suitable for the desired application. You should pay particular attention to the tile abrasion class and in the bathroom or on the terrace additionally to the skid resistance of the tiles. This may increase the costs a little bit, but the higher quality is definitely worth it in these cases.

In addition, there is also the tile mortar or tile adhesive during laying or the grout. Depending on the size of the tiles, joint width and the filling material used for the expansion joints of the tiles, the costs per m ² for this can be between 2 euros and 11 euros.

The total cost of the material depends, of course, on the surface on which you want to lay the tiles. Because on the one hand, this determines how many square metres of tiles you need, and on the other hand, what tile mortar or adhesive is required.

You can easily calculate a guide value for the material requirements:

For a floor installation, multiply the length and width of the room, for wall tiles take instead the height up to which the tiles should be placed. Also remember to allow for about 10 percent reserve for cuttings, breakage or later repairs.

Labour costs

The choice of tiles also influences how much the laying work costs. This is because tilers calculate the estimated work required with the corresponding tile and also convert this into costs per m². In addition to the cost of laying tiles, the prices quoted per m ² usually also include grouting and other necessary sealing work (e.g. silicone or acrylic joints). If not, this usually adds about 1 to 2 euros per meter.

The price per square meter is influenced by several factors:

Thus, floor plans that require complex cutting of the tiles increase costs just as much as special requests or complicated patterns. In addition, glued installation is in principle cheaper than laying tiles in a mortar bed. On the one hand, even large-format tiles often mean less work and correspondingly lower costs because they can be laid more quickly. On the other hand, however, they must also be aligned much more precisely, which at the same time increases the effort required. The trend towards particularly narrow joints, often associated with large tiles, can also increase costs.

As a rule, the cost of a tiler is between 30 euros and 50 euros per m ². However, the above-mentioned influencing factors can by all means increase the costs per m ² by another 10 to 20 euros. In addition, regional price differences may exist: For example, tiles are generally more expensive to lay in the city than in the countryside – and the well-known West-East divide also plays a role.

Some tilers prefer, especially for complicated orders, to charge according to actual time spent instead of a price per m ². An example of this is the laying of tiles on stairs, as the amount of work involved here is above average in relation to the area. An hourly rate of at least 40 euros is normally customary in the industry, but the costs can sometimes be considerably higher depending on the requirements or qualifications of the tilers.

Additional services

In addition to material and installation work, additional costs may also be incurred. For example, you should check whether the offer already includes the filling and priming of the surface. This is because this work is required relatively frequently and can also cost around 5 euros per square metre extra. Also the installation of edge or skirting boards usually costs around 5 euros per meter extra. Not to be forgotten are possible costs for travel, construction site equipment or transport or delivery of the tiles.

Example: Costs for 20 square meters of tiles

On the basis of the cost factors for tiling, which have now been explained, the following exemplary calculation now shows what a tiler can cost for 20 m2 :

• Tiles (porcelain stoneware, abrasion class 2, non-slip, EUR 30,-/m2) 600,- Euro
• Tile adhesive (permanently elastic, EUR 7,-/m2) 140,- Euro
• Filling and priming (extra charge, EUR 5,-/m2) 100,- Euro
• Labour costs for tilers (EUR 40,-/m2) 800,- Euro
• Additional services (installing skirting boards, setting silicone joints) 150,- Euro
• Journey all-inclusive 70,- Euro

Total for 20 m² Have tiles laid 1,860.- Euro

The best saving tips when tiling

All in all, it can be quite expensive to hire a tiler. Therefore we have a few tips on how you can reduce costs:

1. It pays to compare prices
2. You can also save on the installation itself, for example by dispensing with elaborate installation patterns or by not selecting a joint width that is too small.
3. Avoid billing on an hourly rate to avoid unforeseeable cost developments. Instead, it is better to agree on a flat rate if a price per square metre is not possible.
4. In addition, you can already make some advance payments yourself, which the tiler would otherwise charge for. For example, you can prepare the substrate by cleaning, smoothing and priming it yourself.
5. You can also do the grouting or sealing with silicone yourself. Compared to tiling itself, this is almost child’s play.