How to Quote a Tiling Job in Australia

What a good tiling quote covers

Whether it's a floor, a splashback or a full wall, a complete tiling quote accounts for more than the tiles. List all of it:

• Tiles — supplied by you, or noted clearly if the client is supplying them.
• Adhesive — flexible adhesive for any wet area.
• Grout — colour-matched, in the right quantity for the tile size and joint.
• Waterproofing — for wet areas, to AS 3740 (see below).
• Trim, edge strips and silicone — the finishing lines that get forgotten.
• Substrate prep — levelling or grinding an uneven surface before you lay a tile.
• Labour — priced for the tile size and layout, not a flat rate.

Always specify the tile size and the layout pattern. A large-format tile or a herringbone layout is slower, more skilled work than a standard grid, and the rate has to reflect that.

Tiling costs per square metre in 2026

Most tiling is quoted per square metre. What's in that rate depends on whether you're supplying the tiles and how big they are:

Consumables sit on top: adhesive runs about $25–$40 per 20kg bag (covering 4–5m²), and grout $15–$25 per 5kg bag. They're small numbers that add up over a big floor, so put them in rather than rounding them away.

Calculating tile quantities

Never order the exact area — you'll come up short the moment you start cutting. Add a waste factor based on the layout:

• 10% for a standard straight grid layout.
• 15% for diagonal or herringbone patterns.
• 15–20% for small rooms with lots of cuts, like a compact bathroom.

The maths is simple: a 6m² floor at 10% waste needs 6 × 1.1 = 6.6m² of tiles. Use the same approach for adhesive coverage so you're not back at the supplier mid-job. If the client is supplying the tiles, tell them the waste figure in writing so they order enough — running out of a discontinued tile is a problem you don't want to own.

Waterproofing wet areas

Every wet area — showers, bathroom floors, laundries — has to be waterproofed to AS 3740 before any tile goes down. It's a code requirement, not an optional extra, so it belongs on the quote as its own line. A proper waterproofing line covers:

• Liquid membrane, two coats, with drying time between them.
• Reinforcing tape to internal corners and joints.
• Bond breaker tape where surfaces meet.
• A waterproofing certificate for the client and the certifier.

Some tilers do their own waterproofing and some sub it out — either way it's a real cost, so price it in at around $30–$50/m² rather than treating it as part of the tiling rate.

Common mistakes that eat your margin

1. Not allowing for waste. Order the exact area and every cut comes out of your pocket. Add 10–20% depending on the pattern and the number of cuts.
2. Forgetting waterproofing. Leaving the wet-area membrane off the quote is both a margin hit and a code failure. Always itemise it.
3. Underquoting large-format labour. Big tiles are heavier, need levelling systems and are slower to lay. Charge the large-format rate, not the standard one.
4. Not saying who supplies the tiles. If the client supplies, spell out that they order the extra for waste. Otherwise you wear the shortfall or the delay.
5. Skipping substrate prep. An uneven floor needs levelling before you tile. Check it on site — levelling compound is time and material you can't absorb.

Pro tips for a tiling quote that holds

• Add a 10–15% waste factor as a visible line, not a hidden buffer.
• Specify tile size and pattern — large-format and herringbone cost more to lay.
• Itemise waterproofing on every wet-area job.
• Check the substrate is level on site before you quote.
• Make it clear who supplies the tiles and who's responsible for the extras.
• Quote trim, silicone and threshold strips — they're small lines that add up.

Frequently asked questions