How to Quote Tiling Jobs in the UK (Without Losing Money)
Are You Losing Tiling Jobs Because You’re Slow at the Admin?
The problem is twofold. First, rough numbers texted in haste are almost always too low – you forget the grout, underestimate the prep time, don’t account for the awkward cuts around the door frame. Second, customers who don’t get a written quote don’t feel committed. They shop it around. You lose the job to someone who sent a proper document.
Here’s how to quote tiling jobs properly in the UK – and how to do it fast enough that you actually will.
Why Tilers Underprice Their Work
Quoting from memory without a system leads to the same mistakes over and over. You quote £800 for a bathroom floor. Materials end up at £220 not £160. Prep took an extra two hours because the substrate was uneven. You made £180 profit on a job that took 9 hours. That’s £20 an hour before van, fuel and tools. The fix is a proper quoting system – one that forces you to itemise everything before you commit to a price.
How to Quote a Tiling Job: Step by Step
Step 1: Measure the Area Yourself
Never quote from a customer’s rough estimate. Get the measurements yourself. Length x width for floors. Calculate wall areas in sections. Add 10–15% for wastage and cuts – more for intricate patterns or small tiles with lots of edge cuts.
Step 2: Price the Materials at Current Prices
List every material and check current prices. Tiles, adhesive, grout, grout sealer, silicone, edge trim, backer board, screws and washers, levelling compounds. Add a 10–15% materials contingency for difficult substrates.
Step 3: Calculate Honest Labour Time
Factor in: site setup and protection; surface preparation (this always takes longer than expected); tile laying time (varies hugely by tile size and pattern); grouting and finishing; sealant application and dry time; and site cleanup. This is where most tilers lose money – be honest about how long it will actually take.
Step 4: Apply Your Materials Markup
A materials markup of 20–30% is standard for trades. It covers your time sourcing, transporting, and managing materials, plus any wastage beyond your estimate.
Step 5: Review Against Your Day Rate Regularly
Check what you charged for the same job 3 years ago, then check what it costs you now. If your prices haven’t kept pace with materials and fuel, you’re working harder for less. A pricing review every 6 months is not optional.
How to Send a Professional Quote Fast
Tradify solves the speed problem directly. You build a quote on your phone using saved line items – set up your standard materials and labour rates once, then just adjust quantities per job. A bathroom floor quote that used to take 45 minutes at a laptop takes 5 minutes on your phone while you’re still at the customer’s house. Hit send. They get a professional PDF. When they accept, it converts to a live job automatically.
Pricing: Tradify from ~£34/month per user. Jobber from ~$39/month USD. Both offer free 14-day trials.
What to Include in a Tiling Quote
- Your business name, address, and contact details
- Quote number and date
- Customer name and site address
- Clear description of the work – area to be tiled, tile specification, pattern if relevant
- Materials itemised or subtotalled
- Labour cost
- Total price including VAT if applicable
- Quote validity – e.g. “This quote is valid for 30 days”
- Payment terms – deposit required, balance due on completion
- What is and isn’t included – e.g. “Does not include replacement of damaged substrate boards”
Tradify vs Jobber for Tiling Quotes
| Feature | Tradify | Jobber |
|---|---|---|
| Saved materials and labour items | ✓ | ✓ |
| Quote on mobile while on site | Yes – fast | Yes |
| Branded PDF quote | ✓ | ✓ |
| Online customer approval | Basic | Full portal |
| Auto-convert quote to job | ✓ | ✓ |
| Quote open and read tracking | ✓ | ✓ |
| Built for UK trades | ✓ | ✗ |
| Starting price | ~£34/month | ~$39/month (USD) |
Common Tiling Quote Mistakes
- Quoting before you’ve measured. Customers often underestimate their own space. Always measure yourself.
- Not accounting for prep time. Surface preparation is often 30–40% of total job time. Price it properly.
- Using old materials prices. Check current prices every time.
- No payment terms on the quote. If it’s not written down, the customer doesn’t have to honour it.
- No exclusions clause. Protect yourself from “I thought that was included” by listing what is not covered.
- Not following up. Tradify shows you when a customer has opened your quote. Follow up within 3 days if they haven’t responded.
Frequently Asked Questions
Measure the area yourself – never rely on a customer’s estimate. Price every material at current trade prices and add a 20–30% markup. Estimate labour honestly, factoring in setup, surface preparation, tile laying, grouting, finishing, and cleanup. Add a contingency for difficult substrates or complex patterns. Then send a written quote including your payment terms, validity period, and a clear exclusions clause.
UK tilers typically charge £20–£40 per square metre for labour on standard floor or wall tiling, with rates rising to £50–£80+ per square metre for complex patterns, mosaic tiles, or specialist work. These are labour-only rates and do not include tiles or materials. Rates vary by region – London and the South East command the highest rates, with the North of England, Scotland, and Wales at the lower end.
A professional tiling quote should include your business name and contact details, quote number and date, customer name and site address, a clear description of the work (area to be tiled, tile specification, pattern if relevant), materials itemised or subtotalled, your labour cost, the total price including VAT if applicable, a validity period (typically 30 days), your payment terms including deposit requirement, and a clear exclusions clause listing what is not covered.
Same day is the standard to aim for – ideally before you leave the customer’s property or within a couple of hours of the site visit. Homeowners comparing multiple tilers frequently go with whoever responds first, assuming prices are in a similar range. Quoting software like Tradify lets you build and send a professional quote from your phone before you drive away.
A materials markup of 20–30% on top of your trade prices is standard for UK tilers. This covers the time spent sourcing and ordering materials, transporting them to site, managing returns or damaged items, and any wastage beyond your estimate. It is a legitimate and widely accepted part of how tilers price their work.
Tradify and Jobber are the two most widely used quoting apps among UK tilers. Both let you build professional quotes on your phone using saved materials and labour rates, send them by email from the site visit, and convert accepted quotes to jobs and invoices in one tap. Tradify is the better fit for sole traders; Jobber suits growing teams with its client approval portal.
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