The tile choice changes after you have quoted
They said £28 a square metre and came back with a large-format porcelain at £62. If the tile was buried in your total, you now look like you are putting the price up.
For tilers
Tiling quotes that survive the customer changing their tile
Half the job is priced before the customer has chosen anything. TradeScribe writes your labour, preparation and adhesive as firm lines and leaves the tile itself as a prime cost sum, so a change of mind at the tile shop does not mean rewriting the whole estimate.
Why estimating is the worst part of the week
Nobody budgets for the substrate
Tanking, backer board, uncoupling matting and levelling compound are all invisible once the tiles are on, so they feel like extras. Written down beforehand they are just part of doing it properly.
Wastage arguments over patterned tiles
Herringbone and large formats need more cuts and more wastage, and a customer who ordered exactly the floor area will blame the tiler when it runs short.
A real example
Wet room walls and floor, plus kitchen splashback
On the left is what you would actually write down. On the right is what your customer receives.
Your notes
wet room 2.4 x 1.8. tank it properly - board on the shower wall, tanking kit on the rest. floor former is already in, plumber did it last week. 24sqm walls, 4.3 floor. 600x300 porcelain, brick bond, they're picking their own, budget £34 a metre. mosaic strip in the niche. floor is chipboard so it needs uncoupling matting or it will crack within a year, do not skip this. dark grey grout, silicone every internal corner not grout, tell them why. kitchen splashback while im there, 3.2sqm white metro. 4 days. cutting outside on the wet saw, ask about the neighbours first
The estimate
| Item | Qty | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Tank shower area, backer board and waterproofing kit | 1 job | £320.00 |
| Uncoupling and anti-crack matting to timber floor | 4.3 m² | £120.40 |
| Fix 600 x 300 porcelain to walls, brick bond | 24 m² | £1,104.00 |
| Fix porcelain floor tiles, including falls to gully | 4.3 m² | £249.40 |
| Mosaic feature to shower niche | 1 job | £145.00 |
| Tile adhesive, grout and edge trims | 1 job | £260.00 |
| Sanitary silicone to all internal angles | 1 job | £85.00 |
| Metro tile splashback to kitchen | 3.2 m² | £134.40 |
| Tiles, prime cost sum at £28/m² including 10% wastage | 34 m² | £952.00 |
| Wet saw hire, cutting and waste removal | 1 job | £140.00 |
| Total before VAT | £3,510.20 | |
An illustration using typical UK rates, not a price list. TradeScribe prices from the rates in your own notes and your saved day rate.
What we know about tiling estimates
These are the lines that come up again and again on a tiler's estimate. Mention any of them in your notes, however briefly, and they come out properly worded.
- Ceramic wall tiling, per square metre
- Large-format porcelain, per square metre
- Floor tiling including levelling, per square metre
- Herringbone or patterned layout supplement
- Wet room tanking and waterproofing
- Uncoupling or anti-crack matting
- Self-levelling compound to floor
- Grouting and sanitary silicone
- Tile trims and edge profiles, per linear metre
- Prime cost sum for tiles, per square metre
Tiling estimating questions
How do I quote tiling when the customer has not chosen the tiles?
Price your labour, adhesive, trims and preparation firmly, then put the tiles in as a prime cost sum at an assumed rate per square metre. Say plainly that the sum will be adjusted up or down against the actual tile price. It lets you send a quote today instead of waiting three weeks for them to make up their mind.
Should I charge more for large-format or patterned tiles?
Yes, and show it as a supplement rather than hiding it in a higher rate. Large formats need a flatter substrate, levelling clips and two people to handle; herringbone doubles the cuts and the setting-out time. A customer who sees a £6/m² pattern supplement understands the choice they are making, whereas a mysteriously higher rate just looks expensive.
How much wastage should I allow for, and who pays for it?
Ten per cent on a straight lay, fifteen on a diagonal or herringbone, and more on a small room with lots of cuts. Put the allowance on the estimate in writing. If the customer is ordering the tiles themselves, tell them the number to order rather than the floor area, because a floor that runs half a box short from a discontinued batch is a genuine disaster.
Should my estimate say the walls need preparing before I can tile?
It has to. Fresh plaster needs to dry and be primed, plasterboard in a shower needs tanking or replacing with backer board, and a bouncy timber floor needs stiffening. Write your assumption as a condition of the price, so that if you turn up to something different the estimate itself explains why the number changes.
Should VAT be shown separately on my estimate?
If you are registered, yes: show the net total, the VAT and the gross. Domestic customers care about the gross figure, so make sure it is the one that stands out, but a hidden VAT line is the single fastest way to have a customer feel misled at invoice stage. If you are not registered, show one total and no VAT line at all.
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