How to Quote Tiling Jobs in the UK (Without Losing Money)

Are You Losing Tiling Jobs Because You’re Slow at the Admin?

In April 2026, a tiler called James Blake posted in a UK trade group: “Is it just me or does anyone else struggle to get quotes out quickly for the smaller jobs? I end up just texting the customer a rough number and hoping for the best.”

He got 30 responses. Most of them said the same thing. Yes. We all do it. We’re busy on site, we don’t want to spend the evening writing a quote, so we fire off a number on WhatsApp and cross our fingers.

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

John Edwards’ post about margin squeeze explained it perfectly: rising costs, flat rates, fully booked and barely breaking even. The reason isn’t that tilers are bad at business. It’s that 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. Cutting around the toilet was fiddly. 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. Do not use prices from 6 months ago. 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

This is where most tilers lose money. Be honest about how long it will actually take. Factor in:

• Site setup and protection
• Surface preparation – this always takes longer than expected
• Actual tile laying time – varies hugely by tile size and pattern
• Grouting and finishing
• Sealant application and dry time
• Site cleanup and de-rig

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. If a customer pushes back on materials cost, you can explain what’s included.

Step 5: Add Business Overhead

Every hour you work on site needs to contribute to your van, insurance, tools, phone, software, and accountant. A simple approach: add £5-10 per hour for overhead. If you’re doing 1,200 hours a year, that’s £6,000-£12,000 per year for running costs – a realistic figure for a sole trader tiler.

Step 6: 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

James Blake’s problem was speed, not quality. He knew how to price a job – he just didn’t have a quick way to turn it into a written document on a busy day.

Tradify solves this 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 – no re-entering anything. Jobber works in a similar way if you want an online client portal for quote approval and card payment.

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

A professional tiling quote should include:

• 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

Common Tiling Quote Mistakes

Avoid these and you’ll be ahead of most of the competition:

• 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. Tile adhesive and grout prices have risen significantly. 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. If they open it and don’t respond in 3 days, follow up. Most sales are won by the person who follows up.

Affiliate Disclosure: Some links in this article are affiliate links. If you sign up through them, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. We only recommend tools we’d genuinely suggest to a mate in the trade.