Tile Installation cost will usually range from $8-15/SF. In this article, we’ll look at how this number was calculated, and how you can build tile installation estimates yourself.
Table of Contents
- Accurate Formula to Quote Tile Installation
- 4 Basic Considerations to Determine Tile Installation Costs
- 6 Quick Steps to Calculate Manhours for a Tile Install
- Preparing Surfaces for Tile Installation
- Time it Takes To Layout, Size, and Cut Tiles
- How long does it take to mix and lay mortar?
- How long does it take to set tiles?
- How long does it take to mix and lay grout?
- How long does it take to clean, seal, and caulk new tile?
- Quick Calculation for Tile Installation Manhours
- How Much do Tile Installers get Paid?
- How Much Profit do Tile Contractors Make?
- How Much Is a Full Tile Replacement?
Accurate Formula to Quote Tile Installation
In all of my articles one of the first things I discuss is the importance of qualifications. For example, when a contractor delivers bids or sets a budget, as I am doing here, we must first clarify what is, and what is not, included in the pricing. Therefore, I have included a few qualifications below.
- Includes labor rates in Texas at the time of this post.
- Includes cost of installation, excludes cost of materials and equipment.
- Includes labor for cutting, trowling, placing, grouting, cleaning, sealing, and caulking.
- Excludes cost for removing existing walls, tile, or flooring.
- Excludes cost for materials and tools.
- Excludes specialty tile patterns such as herringbone, crosshatch, and basketweave.
Understanding the qualifications listed above, I have a simple formula I like to use to determine the cost of tile installation. First, we must determine the total square footage of tile. Secondly, we must determine how much it will cost us to install 1 square foot of tile. Third, we multiply the total square footage of tiles by the cost to install each square foot of tile, then we have determined our tile installation cost. As mentioned, the cost for each SF of tile will usually falls in the range of $8-15/SF.
(Total SF of Tile) x (Cost to Install 1 SF of Tile) = (Tile Installation Cost)
4 Basic Considerations to Determine Tile Installation Costs
Estimators can figure installation costs by factoring manhours, labor rates, profit, and size of project. Each of these will have a direct impact on the cost of your installation. We will dive into how these each of these impact pricing in the sections below.
- Manhours
- Labor Rates
- Profit
- Size of Project
The type of contractor and the current economy will impact the cost. I’ve provided an overview of this in my article on “How Much Profit Do Contractors Make?“. Some of the driving factors are listed below:
- Size of Contractor
- Strategy of Contractor
- Current Market (Supply/Demand)
In the following sections we will discuss how each of the 4 basic considerations listed above can have an impact on the cost of an install, noting that the 3 factors above will also have an overall impact on the final cost.
6 Quick Steps to Calculate Manhours for a Tile Install
Merriam-Webster defines a manhour as “a unit of one hour’s work by one person that is used especially as a basis for cost accounting and wages”. To expand, we will need to figure out how many workers are needed and how long it takes them to complete each task. For the purpose of this guide, we are assuming two workers. The tasks are as follows:
- Prepare surface
- Layout/Size Tiles
- Mix/Lay Mortar
- Set Tiles/Tile Spacers
- Mix/Lay Grout
- Clean, seal, and caulk
Preparing Surfaces for Tile Installation
Preparing a floor for tile will have a different cost than preparing a wall. Consequently, the owner can expect to pay more/less depending on where they are wanting tile.
How to Prepare a Tile Floor
Preparing a tile floor starts with having a clean and level surface, or properly sloped if in a shower floor. Notably, if the floor previously installed was wood, carpet, or a vinyl or sheet good, there will likely be a flooring adhesive that will need to be removed in its entirety. For this reason, floor preparation will likely include scaping. Furthermore, I generally like to assume 2 minutes (per person) of scraping for every 1 square foot. This would come out to about 0.02 Hrs/SF.
How To Prapare a Tile Wall
When installing a new tile wall, you must first remove the existing wall in order to install backboard to ensure stability and/or a waterproofing membrane. Similarly to the paragraph above, we are not including the demolition of the wall itself, however we will account for the installation of the backerboard and waterproofing membrane. Moreover, I like to assume it takes 15 min/board/person (4×8 sheet) for a 2 person crew to hang, cut, and waterproof . This comes out to about 0.02 hrs/SF.
Time it Takes To Layout, Size, and Cut Tiles
In order to determine the sizes of tile that will be required, one must first plan and layout their tiles. You will start at the centerpoint and work outwards. This helps ensure the tiles that are being cut later, will not be located in the center of the space. Continuing, I like to assume this process of aligning tiles and creating lines takes about 1 minutes/SF per person for a 2 person crew, or 0.03 hrs/SF.
1 min / 60 min/hr = 0.025 x 2 workers = 0.03 hrs/SF
Next, you will draw lines on your outside pieces that will be cut. Depending on the location of the floor tile, there will be different ratios of perimeter to area. If a typical bathroom floor is about 60 SF, the perimeter would likely be around 30 LF. This comes out to 0.5 LF/SF. Furthermore, we would need to cut about 30 LF of tile and I like to use 3 minutes/LF per person cutting tile. This calculation would need to be converted to SF, so it would be 1.5 minutes per person per SF of tile. This would give us a rate of 0.08 hrs/SF.
1.5 min /60 min/hr = 0.025 x 2 workers = 0.05 hrs/SF
In conclusion, when calculation manhours for layout and cutting floor tile, I like to use a rate of 0.13 hrs/SF.
0.03 (layout) + 0.05 (cut) = 0.08 hrs/SF
How long does it take to mix and lay mortar?
After layout and cutting the tiles to size, you start mixing and troweling thinset mortar. According to Home Depot, it takes about 5 minutes to mix a bag of mortar with a 10 minute rest period. Tile Shop says 1 Bag of thinset covers about 60 SF of tile. Furthermore. It takes about 0.05 hours/SF to mix the mortar.
20 min / 60min/hr /60 SF = 0.005 hrs/SF
Once the mortar is mixed, you have to towel it to the surface. I like to use 1 minutes/SF as a rule of thumb. Keep in mind, sometimes you have to “butter the back” when installing the tile. This is built into my assumption of 1 minutes/SF. Furthermore, laying/troweling takes about .075 hours/SF for a two person crew.
2.5 minutes / 60 min/hr = 0.042 x 2 workers = 0.084 (Trowel) + 0.005 (mix) = 0.089 hrs/SF
How long does it take to set tiles?
As you lay your thinset tile, you will begin setting your tile with tile spacers. I like to use a rate of 1 minute/SF/Person to lay the tile, align, and place the tile spacers. This comes out to 0.67 hours/SF.
3 min / 60 min/hr = 0.05 x 2 workers = 0.1 hrs/SF
How long does it take to mix and lay grout?
Similar to thinset mortar, grout takes about 5 minutes to mix and 10 minutes of rest. Grout will be similar to the thinset mortar listed above.
20 min / 60 min/hr /60 SF = 0.005 hrs/SF
Applying grout will move a little quicker than toweling mortar, so I like to use 2 minutes/SF.
2 min /60 min/hr = 0.03 x workers = 0.06 hrs /SF
How long does it take to clean, seal, and caulk new tile?
After grouting the tile, you must clean it. This process is relatively quick and I like to assume 20 seconds / SF of cleaning, 30 seconds / SF of sealing, and 20 seconds / SF of caulking. This adds up to about 1.17 minutes/SF or 0.04 manhours for a 2 person crew.
(20+30+20) / 60 Seconds/Min = 1.17 / 60 Min/hr = 0.02 x 2 workers = 0.04 hrs/SF
Quick Calculation for Tile Installation Manhours
Furthermore, in this article I will be providing round (and more conservative) numbers for quick calculations.
- Prep wall – 0.02 hrs/SF
- Prep floor – 0.02 hrs/SF
- Layout/size/cut tiles – 0.08 hrs/SF
- Mix/lay mortar – .089 hrs/SF
- Set tiles with spacers – 0.1 hrs/SF
- Mix/lay grout – .06 hrs/SF
- Clean, seal, and caulk – 0.04 hrs/SF
0.02+0.08+0.089+0.1+0.06+0.04 = 0.39 manhours/SF
In conclusion, each SF of tile would take roughly 0.39 manhours. These manhours are based on the assumptions made above. We will use this number to calculate our cost below, so don’t forget it.
How Much do Tile Installers get Paid?
Similar to any profession, time, experience, location, and market conditions impact how much tile installers are paid. Furthermore, at the time of my posting, US Bureau of Labor Statistics says $20/HR in Texas. This is in line with what I like to use.
Total Manhours x Average Rate = Cost of Work
0.39 x $20 = $7.8/SF
How Much Profit do Tile Contractors Make?
As mentioned above, many factors play into the final number such as the type and size of the contractor. For example, a larger company will have higher overhead costs such as accounting, marketing, insurance, office rent, etc. These factors would increase the final markup they place on the cost of a fence installation. Moreover, some contractors view the overhead and profit as “one bucket of money” while others may be more detailed and split this out. Nevertheless, Tile Letter says tile installation companies should aim for 30%, which is generally what I would have expected. I like to use 35%.
$7.8/SF x 1.35 (35% Markup) = $10.53/SF of Tile
How Much Is a Full Tile Replacement?
When projects are smaller, contractors are likely to have an upcharge to ensure they make a good profit for the time spent. Additionally, the cost for a full tile replacement can vary based on the materials the owner wants to use. For example, some tiles can go for $0.85/SF to $30/SF depending on shape, size, material, etc. Stay tuned for a future post for the full install of tile replacement.
Disclaimer
Clear Construction estimates does not take responsibility for pricing calculated in this post being representative of your local market. You should do your owner research for your area. We have written this to provide a general understanding of how to estimate and prices shown above are not guaranteed. We have no sponsors or affiliation with the links provided.
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Great Post!
Great thoughts. Thanks for the tips.
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