Floor tiles can add colour and texture to your kitchen or bathroom, giving a luxurious air to a room, and looking striking in a hallway or an open-plan kitchen. They’re also durable and entirely suitable for a kitchen space as they’re easy to clean up accidental spills of food or drink.
There are lots of tiles to choose from, from materials to shapes, sizes and laying patterns – so how should you know what to choose for your home?
In this article, we’ll be covering:
- How much tiled flooring costs
- What affects the cost of tiled flooring
- How to know if floor tiles are the best option
- What’s involved in tiling a floor
- How to find and hire a professional floor tiler
If you want to give your floors a new lease of life with something other than carpet, keep reading to find out the best ways to do that, while being as cost-effective as possible.
How Much Does Tiled Flooring Cost?
Depending on the type of tile you choose, the price you can expect to pay will be different. Below are some ballpark costs for various tile types, as well as their associated labour costs:
| TILE TYPE | ESTIMATED SUPPLY COST PER SQUARE METRE | ESTIMATED COST TO TILE A SMALL KITCHEN OR BATHROOM (5 SQM) | ESTIMATED COST TO TILE A MEDIUM KITCHEN OR BATHROOM (10 SQM) | ESTIMATED COST TO TILE A LARGE KITCHEN OR BATHROOM (20 SQM) | LABOUR COSTS PER DAY | TIME REQUIRED |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ceramic | £15 to £25 | £75 to £125 | £150 to £250 | £300 to £500 | £100 to £250 | 1 to 3 days |
| Marble | £40 to £50 | £200 to £250 | £400 to £500 | £800 to £1,000 | £100 to £250 | 1 to 3 days |
| Slate | £45 to £65 | £225 to £325 | £450 to £650 | £900 to £1,300 | £100 to £250 | 1 to 3 days |
| Porcelain | £15 to £30 | £300 to £450 | £600 to £900 | £1,200 to £1,800 | £100 to £250 | 1 to 3 days |
| Glass | £90 to £150 | £450 to £750 | £900 to £1,500 | £1,800 to £3,000 | £100 to £250 | 1 to 3 days |
| Limestone | £30 to £45 | £150 to £225 | £300 to £450 | £600 to £900 | £100 to £250 | 1 to 3 days |
| Granite | £70 to £100 | £350 to £500 | £700 to £1,000 | £1,400 to £2,000 | £100 to £250 | 1 to 3 days |
Ceramic tiles are great choices for wet rooms as they have a glazed layer which makes it virtually impossible for water to penetrate the material.
The estimated supply cost per square metre for ceramic tiles is between £15 to £25. Equating this to a medium-sized kitchen or bathroom of 10 square metres will come out at between £150 to £250.
Marble is increasingly popular as a floor tile owing to its timeless appearance. With a range of between £40 to £50 per square metre, a medium-sized room will come out at £400 to £500 to tile.
Touted for its cool appearance to suit most home interiors, slate is around £45 to £65 per square metre. A medium-sized room would equate to £450 to £650 in total to tile.
Porcelain tiles are known for their durability – but with that comes a drawback, as they are hard to cut to size and need extra pressure when being attached to your wall. They cost between £15 to £150 per square metre, with the same medium-sized room costing between £600 to £900 to tile in its entirety.
Glass tiles are a luxurious option, with a similar price tag: £90 to £150 per square metre, depending on the style you choose. A medium-sized bathroom or kitchen would equal out to be £900 to £1,500 in total.
For something slightly cheaper, limestone is a great option at between £30 to £45 per square metre. £300 to £450 is what you can expect to pay for a medium-sized room.
Finally, granite is a beautiful option coming in at between £70 to £100 per square metre; making a medium-sized room total to £700 to £1,000.
The prices in the table above reflect the costs of supply only and do not include labour costs, which can either be charged at a day rate or per square metre at the tiler’s discretion.
Labour costs per day are generally between £150 to £200, and most medium-sized rooms will take between one to two days to complete, to give you a rough estimate.
There may also be a minimum charge, especially true for smaller jobs, so it’s always best to find this out first before agreeing to any jobs so you know exactly what you’re going to be paying.
Are you ready to get your floor tiled? HouseholdQuotes can help you find the right tiler.
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What Affects the Cost of Tiling a Floor?
Having a set of floors tiled in your home can make a huge difference to its overall ambience and living environment, but it can also have a huge impact on your bank balance if you’re not careful.
Here are some factors that affect the cost of tiling your floor to watch out for.
Your Choice of Tile
As shown in the table above, some tile options are cheaper than others, while some are more premium and perhaps better suited for a feature, around a fireplace, for example, but not the entirety of a room if your budget can’t stretch that far.
It’s therefore a good thing that the range of tiles available is so expansive, as it usually means you’ll be able to find a style you like in the budget you have, or you may be able to find ‘effect’ tiles which offer the design of a more expensive material without the cost.
Your Choice of Pattern or Design
As you’d imagine, the choice of pattern design will dictate the price you pay – the more complex the pattern, the more time and skill is needed from your tile fitter, resulting in higher prices for fitting.
This is the same with wooden flooring, as more complex layouts like herringbone or parquet require considerably more skill than a simple horizontal or vertical laying.
As you’d expect, straight-edged tiles are less expensive than curved ones, or those with bevelled edges. You can still create impressive patterns with simple tiles, so don’t think you’re missing out if you’re not buying the most complex design on the market!
The Size of Your Room
As evidenced in the table above, the size of the room in question will raise or lower your price – not only in materials, but in labour costs, too.
The larger the space, the more time it’ll take to prepare and lay the tiles – as well as literally needing more product to fill the area.
Whether You Need to Remove Old Tiling
As with most home renovations, some cost and labour time can easily be eaten away if the area isn’t sufficiently prepared in advance.
This means removing old flooring – be that carpet, tiles or wooden flooring – to make room for the new tiles to be laid.
This is something you can do yourself, although it is time and labour-intensive, which is something to bear in mind when you’re looking to tackle it single-handedly. But, if you’re up for the challenge, it can be a great way to save some extra money.
Your Location
It’s an unfortunate fact that your geographical location will play a role in dictating the price you will be expected to pay for your service. In London, prices are typically higher than elsewhere in England.
Also, it’s good to consider if you’ll need to pay for a parking permit for the worker while they’re at your property if you don’t have a driveway or roadside parking available, as you’ll be expected to foot this bill too.
How Can I Save Money on Tiled Flooring?
Comparing quotes is a great way to potentially reduce the cost of floor tiling. HouseholdQuotes can help you get quotes from multiple tilers near you, so that you can find someone that suits your budget.
Click the button below to get started:
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Thankfully, there are ways in which you can save money on your tiled floor. Here’s what we suggest if you’re looking to trim down some costs:
Half of what makes home renovations expensive is waiting until the last minute to get hold of your materials – or being caught short and having to buy something at full price instead of being able to wait for discount periods or sales.
By shopping in a savvy way, and keeping an eye on sales or discount days, you can look to source your tiles at a cheaper premium than the RRP. This way, you can get the tiles you really want at a price a little lower than expected.
Then all you have to do is find somewhere to store them until the job is ready to start!
You can also prepare the existing flooring yourself and remove it ahead of time to save on some labour fees. You’ll have to deal with the debris yourself, but you will save on your final bill – so if you’re up to the challenge, it’s a great way to save some cash.
Local tradesmen are always going to be more competitively priced than nationals – so although it may be enticing to use the tiling service attached to the place you bought your tiles from, it’s good to bear in mind that they won’t necessarily be the most cost-effective option for you.
Local traders don’t have the overheads nationals do, meaning they can drop their prices down to vie for your trade – as well as being competitive amongst themselves to secure the job. It’s always good to let them know when negotiating that you’re seeking out deals from other parties too to see what they can do for the same price.
Some traders will have minimum call-out fees – and instead of viewing them as a bad thing, you can use them to your advantage and book the same amount in labour hours to have some extra tiling done on a fireplace or your doorstep, so that it’s not just wasted money.
Are Floor Tiles the Best Choice for My Home?
Let’s take a look at the key advantages and disadvantages of introducing tiled floors to your home.
| ADVANTAGES | DISADVANTAGES |
|---|---|
| Gives a premium look and feel | Premium stone can be expensive |
| Dupes are available for premium stones, making options more affordable | If DIYing, expensive stone tiles can damage easily and be hard to replace/costly to replace |
| Can add value to your home | Anti-slip tiles are needed for humid rooms to prevent slips |
| Durable and easier to clean than carpet | Can be cold underfoot if not paired with underfloor heating systems |
Tiling the floors in your home can add value, especially when used in appropriate rooms like the bathroom and kitchen. They add a durable, luxurious touch and are far easier to clean if you spill something on them as opposed to carpets.
The disadvantages of tiled floors can be that they are cold to the touch – especially when not paired with underfloor heating – and can get slippery when wet. If you have a large room, tiles may not be the best choice, especially if you have young children who like to run around as they could potentially slip and hurt themselves.
When choosing bathroom floor tiles, remember to:
- Select tiles with anti-slip properties to prevent nasty falls when wet
- Make sure the base for laying the tiles is sufficiently waterproof
- If you are going to carry out the tiling, ensure you have the right tools to ensure a perfect finish.
For more bathroom tiling ideas, have a look at our dedicated page.
What’s Involved in Tiling a Floor?
Your existing flooring will need to be taken up before any work on your new tiled floor can begin, so the carpet or old tiles and underlay will need to be removed to make room for the new materials.
The ground will then be prepared, and marks will be drawn to show the centre of the room and the expected position of the tiles based on the pattern or design you want.
Adhesive will be applied to the ground, and tiles will be placed with spacers in between them to ensure the gaps are consistent throughout the entire room.
A spirit level will be used to make sure each stone is laid flat so that nothing is sloping in the room one way or another.
Excess adhesive can be removed with a damp sponge, then the tiles will need to be grouted once the adhesive has set and the spacers removed. Finally, a sealant will be used to make sure everything is in place.
How Do I Find and Hire a Professional Tiler?
Finding the right floor tiler can be challenging. At HouseholdQuotes, we can connect you to tilers in your area.
Click the button below to tell us more about your project, and we’ll help you find someone quickly and easily:
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Here’s where friends, family and neighbours come in use: have any of them had similar work done recently? If so, ask if they’d recommend their trader.
This way, you’re mitigating the search yourself and side-stepping rogue traders. They’ll also be able to vouch for their integrity as workers, which is important and something you sometimes can’t judge from a website alone.
Finding a tradesman you can rely on to tile your kitchen or bathroom can be a challenge. However, having a single source where you can go and ask for quotations from tradesmen in your area so you can compare easily is a great way to find the right match for you – and using HouseholdQuotes can help you find just that.
Ensuring the Professional Is the Right Fit
As we’ve already mentioned, finding out if the trader charges per day or per square metre is an important factor to find out immediately – as is if they have a minimum call-out fee, too.
Then, it’s best to get any quotes in written format to reduce the stress at the end of the job if there are problems, as you’ll have something formal to look back on and see what was and wasn’t included in the original quote.
Seeking out a trader’s experience, along with their references and any photographs or videos of previous projects is a great way to see if their skills are a match for what you’re looking for. This is especially true if you’re looking at a more complex design, as this will require more skill than a straight-forward horizontal or vertical laying pattern.
Finally, all traders should carry their insurance to cover themselves and you in the event of any incidents, but it’s better to be safe than sorry – so always check before you agree to work with them if they have valid insurance.
If someone refuses to show this to you, or bolts at the idea of it, then refuse to work with them – it’ll save you time, money, and most probably a headache.
Final Checklist
If tiling your floors is the way to go, make sure you make note of our final checklist to ensure everything is thought of before your project gets started:
- What tile is right for you? Consider the space you’re looking to change. Do you want a hard-wearing tile, or is a decorative option fine for this space?
- If you’re tiling your bathroom, look at underfloor heating options as well as anti-slip variants to increase the comfort and safety of the room
- Seek out references from your friends and family if they’ve had a similar job done recently
- Find out if your trader has a minimum call-out fee, and whether or not they charge by the day or by the square metre when fitting
- Look to source your tiles during sales and discount days to cut the prices down
- Always get a written quote from your trader and check they have suitable insurance before starting work in your home
- Enjoy your new tiled floors!
Use HouseholdQuotes to find local tilers and potentially save money on your tiling project.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Can I Tile a Floor Myself?
You can – but with most home renovations, this should only really be undertaken if you are sure of your abilities and have properly understood the scope of the work you’re doing.
If you are unsure about the procedure, how to fit underlay or more complex features like underfloor heating beneath the tiles, it’s best to speak to a professional instead.
Can I Use Underfloor Heating With Tiled Flooring?
Yes – some tiles help to disperse the heat from underfloor heating around the room. Stone and ceramic tiles are touted as the best for this.
Can I Use Wall Tiles on the Floor?
This isn’t recommended as wall tiles are generally much thinner than standard floor tiles, and are more likely to crack under the weight.
Although they’re cheaper, it’s not a good investment in the long term, so it’s best to stick to the proper floor tiles for this job.
How Can I Prevent Floor Tiles From Cracking?
It’s suggested that the subfloor is separated from the tile using a backer board which will help to reduce the likelihood of cracks.
And, as above – cutting corners and using wall tiles won’t help to prevent cracks in your tiles, so always use floor tiles for the floor.
How Much Adhesive Do I Need Underneath the Floor Tiles?
This depends on the type of room the floor tiles are being fitted in. For a dry area, this will be minimum of 85% coverage on the tile; whereas a wet area (like a bathroom or toilet) will need a minimum of 95% coverage on the tile to assure proper adhesion.
Ready to start your project? We can help!
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