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I’m a carpenter considering becoming a tile installer. In my area, there’s a shortage of tile specialists and the time seems right to get started. What are reasonable prices? I’ve been offered $2 per sq.ft. which seems very low. My guess is that on larger jobs the foot price can be lower, but on a forty to fifty square foot bath or entryway a setter must charge more. How is price modified to reflect complexity and or a large number of cuts? Is $6-$8 per sq.ft. reasonble? Would that include installation of Durock? How would a setter change price relative to tile size?
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In my area a good tile setter will work for between 2 and 3 dollars a sq ft for med size jobs. That would be jobs of 150 sq ft and up. Small jobs should always be at a premium. Think of it this way... if you are to do only large jobs what would you make per day or per hour. At that determined rate ask yourself how many hours you will spend on the small job and charge accordingly. All of the time spent picking up material, seeing the job, setting up, cleaning up and driving to and from the site are the same on both small and large jobs. The only difference is the time you spend laying and grouting tile. If you can't make a premium on a small job you will soon loose your shirt. No tile setter I know would include the laying of additional sub-flooring or durarock in that per sq ft price either. Hope this helps a bit.
*Tough question. When I began my installation business I had the same questions. I did a quick survey of the retail flooring vendors in my area. We have several small flooring shops as well as the Home Depot. In my area the Home Depot charges the customer $5.00/ sf and pays the installer $3.00/ sf. The independent shops are lower. The Depot charges for installing the concrete board in addition to the tile. They charge $20 for 15 sf and pay $15. All materials are billed as well.This will probally lead to more questions than answers, but isn't that why we are all here?Tripp
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I bid floor tile at $2 to $3 per square foot on a slab floor. This includes all materials but tile and grout. For counters or walls $8 to $10 per sq ft. and up depending on the difficulty. Tile size makes very little difference, unless it is a mosaic. That said, I wouldn't do a floor in 2" square tiles for $2. You've got to learn by experince.
*In response to your post, let me first ask you a question. How do you plan to acquire experience in the tile installations? Here in CA, the state requires contractors to be licensed through a dept. of Consumer Affairs. It is a good idea, at first glance. To be licensed, one must show four years experience and profiecency. But, they now allow self-employment to count towards the qualification. So, a guy decides to be a tile setter. Great, but self-employment does not allow for one to learn the right and wrong of it. Don't tell me you'll get your knowledge out of a book or that you'll talk to alot of guys to get some sort of consensus, or you'll just figure it out. The proof is in the pudding, buster. When you are on a job facing some unusual detail is not the time for any of the above. Only good knowledge will count.The only real way to get that brand of knowledge is to indenture yourself (I'm kidding) to the maestro. Besides, how are you going to bid a job you don't fully undrerstand? You think walking in thinking thinset and backerboard is enough? A competent setter will know how to sratch and brown. And all the ancillary knowhow that goes along with it.Too, do you wish to do absolutely fabulous work? Then, how do you plan on differentiating yourself in the eyes of your customer from your hacker competetion? Do you understand the materials you'll be using? What are their limitations? When is it okay to use mastic, when is it not okay? When is it not okay to use thinset? There are a hundred billion billion more questions you should know the right answer to. Here's another: what is the maximum spacing of floor joists for a 2nd story tile installation over thinset, over mud setting bed? Understand, the list is long.So, if you want to keep your shirt, if you desire a profit, hey, if you like to sleep at night, you better know what the heck you are doing.A pet peeve of mine--it bugs the noodles out of me--is the myriad of inferior installations going in. The owner is paying good money for crap. I see it all around me. Of course, I hear it all the time; the owner saying to me, after the fact, "I should have hired you".I wish you there very best, the industry needs good installers.
*Thank you Jesus, I know it is easier for a camel to pass throughthe eye of a needle than for a non tile setter to lay tile correctly. I agree that there is plenty to learn, but I think a competent carpenter can have a very steep learning curve. FHB has a fine book and video set that could easily set some one down the right path. I would say experience helps, but as a somewhat self taught tile setter I am pretty damn good. Besides, most tile setters in my area have a tenuous grasp of english, let alone a great deal of understanding of tile setting. I would take a competent and caring carpenter/good with hands person over some yo-yo most big tile companies would send out.P.S. $5.00 a sq ft is a good setting and grouting rate, materials extra
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Yes J.D. until the cracks telegraph to the surface.
You betcha!
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I have not had any cracks over the years, because I did my homework and prepare the base the tile sits on properly.
My point was that this guy could very well lay tile sucessfully. I'm not saying any DIYer could do it, but it is not rocket science.
*Before I get totally hammered, some of my previous comments were out of line.
*What was that Jesus quip about? Anyway, My point was to address some of the concerns of the original post. This guy is, as I understand it, thinking about becoming a tile setter for MONEY, ie, his occupation. How far down the road to riches does one encounter the cross street to ruin? Not very far. How then, does one know which road to take? (Sometimes, the shortcut looks very appealing)The key is--TA DAH--knowledge.My somewhat wordy previous post was to clue-in the new guy, okay? It is quite possible that a self taught individual can succeed in this business, but it is not probable.
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A tile setter around these parts( West Texas) that is self employed gets $2.75-$3.00 a sf for a basic install on a slab floor. This is a basic 6"-13" ceramic tile job of 150 sf job and up. The employees of most of these companies are getting paid $2.00 a sf or so for the same above mentioned job. Having done some of this work (50 sf - 1000 sf or so) I sure hope you have good knees. Good luck
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I'm a carpenter considering becoming a tile installer. In my area, there's a shortage of tile specialists and the time seems right to get started. What are reasonable prices? I've been offered $2 per sq.ft. which seems very low. My guess is that on larger jobs the foot price can be lower, but on a forty to fifty square foot bath or entryway a setter must charge more. How is price modified to reflect complexity and or a large number of cuts? Is $6-$8 per sq.ft. reasonble? Would that include installation of Durock? How would a setter change price relative to tile size?