Tile Installation Cost: Important Factors to Consider

Tile is one of the most varied countertops, floors, and wall materials available for households today. They are uniquely coated to make them invulnerable to water or ingrained dirt, and these things make it easy to clean and maintain.

Endurance is likely the number one reason most people install the tile. With the correct installation from an expert tiler, it can last up to twenty years without any high repairing cost.

Today, I’m going to cover a wide variety of tiling costs, including material cost, labor cost, repairing cost, etc.

Tile Installation Costs Per Square Foot

If you want to put tiles in your home, the range sits at $13 to $63 per square foot. If you’re going to install it outdoors, you may have to pay $15 to $80 per square foot. Components, materials, and labor make up most of the expenses.

Material Cost Per Square Foot

When considering a tile project, you can choose from high-end, designer tiles to the least expensive ceramic. Before starting your research for the perfect style of roofing or tiling, consider a few factors such as presentation, quality, strength, use, and placement.

Ceramic vs. Porcelain

Ceramic tiles vary from half a dollar to staggering $35 per square foot. Ceramic is more flexible and less durable than porcelain, so they generally cost less.

Porcelain tiles vary from $4 to $36 per square foot. Thin porcelain manages to hit the higher end of the cost spectrum for indoor units. They come from a unique method that provides supreme durability with minimum thickness.

No matter which material you are using, you need to know the individual tile’s Porcelain Enamel Institute Wear rating to discover where and how you can install it.

This scale ranges from 1 to 5+. Ceramic tiles are commonly set from 1 to 3 while the porcelain tiles rate up to 5+. Specialists recommend a level of 3+ for tiling projects for floors. Units with a Porcelain Enamel Institute Wear rating of 1 or 2 are only appropriate for applying in the wall (i.e., kitchen backsplash). Private or industrial floors require materials with a score of at least 5.

Wood-like Tile Cost

Wood-like tiles, usually made by porcelain, comes to about $3 to $35 per square foot. They’re often cut into rectangular slabs, but usually, still, price by the square foot. They are suitable for those who want the style of solid hardwood.

Natural Stone and Slate Cost

The standard price to buy natural stone or slate tile stone ranges from $6 to $40 per square foot. Components cut to size feature a different look since each stone is varying. Many of you will love the natural appearance for countertops, flooring, bathrooms, and backsplashes.

Rectified Tile Cost

Rectified tile can be bought within the same price spectrum of half a dollar to a whopping thirty-five dollar per square foot when purchasing it.

It reflects a system used on many components after manufacturing. Rectification indicates that the tiles are cut after firing to secure a precise size and edge. It is publicly available in varying materials and styles.

Glass Tile Cost

Glass tiles will cost you around $6 to $14 per square foot. Glass may not be suitable for flooring; it’s like a rule of thumb in the tile industry. Instead, this option is perfect for countertops, backsplashes, or a bathroom shower surround.

Useful Resource: How to Lay Metro Tiles

How to Measure a Room for Tiles

As you shop, keep in mind that products sold by the square foot may not accurately measure twelve inches.

Owners of households should plan to buy more than the total square footage of the space for recommendations from satisfied clients to accommodate the area of the room. Then there is the plausibility that a professional will be needed to cut some of the tiles.

The Labor Cost of Installing Tiles

The labor charges for tile installation can cost you from $5 to $32 per square foot. Flooring investment goes from $5 to $15 per square foot, opposed to $20 to $28 per square foot for backsplashes and countertops.

This expense is usually set by the square foot, but some experts may charge by the hour. In that case, hourly rates go from $30 to $120, depending on the project’s size and the complication.

The Installation Cost of Porcelain Tile

Installing porcelain tile starts at a minimum of $5 to as much as $25 per square foot. More comprehensive tiles and more magnanimous rooms tend to commence to lower incremental prices.

Installation Cost of Tile Floor

For tiles measuring about twelve inches on a prepared floor, homeowners will have to pay about $5 to $10 per square foot in indoor installation. The kind of flooring grounds and the configuration of the room will affect the rate contractor’s charge.

For example, let’s say that having ceramic tiles installed on a cement floor will likely cost more. But, installing it on a wood foundation in good condition may cost less, since you’ll need fewer materials and shorter time to finish the job.

Installation Cost of Bathroom Wall Tile

You will have to pay around two thousand dollars to surround your shower with tile, measuring about ninety square feet. This covers the preparation of the wall’s surface, the installation cost of the backer board, and the placement of the tiles and grout.

Installing Countertop Tile or Kitchen Backsplash

The cost of putting in a backsplash stands at about $25 to $30 per square foot. This development is due to the meagerer size of the tiles and complex design work involved to accomplish the job.

Installing tile around a furnace will price similarly. These tiles are used to enhance kitchen backsplash areas, polish the furniture around, and create authentic artwork.

Cost of Installing Tile over Existing Flooring

A constructor usually cannot install tile on top of subsisting flooring. You will need to pay about two dollars per square foot to remove the old flooring, adding the $5 to $15 per square foot for stable placement.

Cost of Removing and Retiling Floor

Retiling a floor costs $5 to $10 per square foot when you incorporate labor. This is like a fresh installation, with several exceptions.

Let’s start by separating the tile. You will presumably have to replace the backer board as needed, which will cost you from $5 to $8 per square foot.

If the flooring is now set and is nevertheless in good condition, you may conserve some money on developing the surface for the new components.

Cost of Installing Backer Board

If you have a sub-flooring of wood, you may need to pay $5 to $8 per square foot for a material known as the “backer board.” It’s regularly used in bathrooms, and the fitting expense usually comes as part of the cumulative labor costs.

Sub-flooring of wood is, in my opinion, a less-than-ideal foundation for tile because it easily warps if presented to high levels of moisture. When the surface drops its integrity, the tiles can jump off or break.

The backer board gives a level cement surface on which to place the material. You can use appropriate screws to bind the cement sheets in place.

Cost of Laying Tile

Household owners may need an extra $5 to $10 per square foot to resurface the sub-floor before a contractor or installer can put in the tile.

The factors involved in the installation process of laying tile in concrete flooring are the extra labor hours and components needed to level and smooth the floor surface in preparation for laying.

While a level, smooth cement floor is a perfect surface on which to lay tile, those situations are somewhat rare. The installer must ensure that the floor is smooth, clean, free, and dry of divots or holes.

Usually, a product called thin-set is used to seal the surface cracks or fill the tiny holes. Then latex primer is applied to the flooring surface in preparation of installation.

Slip Resistant Tiles

Tiles that fit better adhesion on a wet outdoor surface cost about $2 to $35 per square foot. Outdoor variants need to be slip-resistant for obvious safety reasons.

This can involve preceding sealant or glazing common to other means of tiling installations. High-end outdoor tiles include grit embedded in the finish to produce a finished product that also renders superb traction.

The rougher surface of unfinished styles will make them more challenging to clean, so household owners should factor resources into their decision. Ignoring any of these rules can lead to tiles that are flying in disrepair.

Cost of Exterior Decking Tile

At $5 to $15 per square foot and the likelihood of making it a Do It Yourself (DIY) project, outdoor decking tiles can be a comparatively inexpensive alternative. These products are interlocking, so they don’t need specific substrate bonding. They are practiced enough to spruce up subsisting installations.

For example, let’s say a porch or wood deck, which has fallen into the category of “disrepair,” but still has its fundamental integrity, can easily have decking tiles laid straight over the primary material.

Decking tiles may not have equal longevity that of a standard outdoor tiling. Still, they are a cost-effective choice for many household owners looking to install outdoor decking tile.

Laying Porcelain Pavers Cost

Placing porcelain outdoor pavers prices at $4 to $14 per square foot. Besides being slip-resistant, outdoor tiles must also be able to resist repeated thawing and freezing. You’ll need to have components and add an installation process that meets the following guidelines.

• Fitting to a concrete slab reinforced with steel to deter cracking and separating.
• Durable bonding to the flooring substrate.
• Dense pipes with an immersion rating 3% or lower, graded “impervious” or “vitrified.”
• Consistently-sized units, with distinction less than 1/8″.

Outdoor Tiling Estimated Cost

Buying outdoor tile? It should set you back a dollar to $35 per square foot, depending on the substance. You’ll have to pay another $5 to $15 as an installation charge.

Making tiles that will withstand the hardships of outdoor installation isn’t cheap. Still, fewer outdoor floor establishments will give you such a stunning and refined look.

You may not have the funds for a perfect patio or walkway in ceramic tile. Still, even a small stoop or some other tiling weight can add significant value to the exterior side of your landscape.

Do It Yourself or Hire a Professional?

This project can cost $9.50 to $51 per square foot, compared to $13.50 to $83 for a pro. Since permanently placing tiles in your home or yard requires such precision, it is a task that is best left to a professional.

With a wide variety of materials available at local stores, many people try to place it themselves. However, complicated flooring arrangements and the innocent nature of some Do It Yourself installers (like yourself) makes this a less desirable option than choosing a professional.

Finding the Right Contractor

Before you sit down and meet with a contractor to discuss a current project, seek reviews and ratings from qualified tiling specialists and professionals near you.

You can make a list of inquiries associated with your household and the design that you have in your mind. Then ask for recommendations from satisfied clients, and then a portfolio of the installer’s work should do it.

Bonus Tip: How to upcycle your old roof tiles