The rates are starting points and they move with format and layout more than with anything else. If you have never worked out what an hour has to earn once the ute, the tools and the unbillable days are covered, start with the charge-out rate calculator.
A worked example: main bathroom, full retile
Stripped back to substrate by others. Floor 6 m², walls 22 m², 600×300 wall tiles and 300×300 floor. Tiler registered for GST, customer supplying tiles.
| Line | Qty | Rate | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Waterproofing — wet area to standard, incl. certificate | 1 | $780.00 | $780.00 |
| Screed to floor — fall to waste | 6 | $78.00 | $468.00 |
| Floor tiling — 300×300, straight lay (labour) | 6 | $88.00 | $528.00 |
| Wall tiling — 600×300, straight lay (labour) | 22 | $82.00 | $1,804.00 |
| Adhesive, grout, silicone, trims and consumables | 1 | $420.00 | $420.00 |
| Niche — form, waterproof and tile | 1 | $340.00 | $340.00 |
| Subtotal | $4,340.00 | ||
| GST (10%) | $434.00 | ||
| Total inc GST | $4,774.00 | ||
| Deposit to book in (20%) | $954.80 | ||
| Balance on completion | $3,819.20 |
Waterproofing sits at the top, on its own line, with the certificate named. It is the highest-risk item in the job and the one most likely to be assumed included by a customer who never asked — putting it first makes the conversation happen while you are still quoting.
What to put on a tiling quote
- Business name, ABN, and your waterproofing licence or the licensed applicator's details where your state requires one.
- Areas split into floor and wall, each in square metres, each with its own rate.
- The tile format the price assumes — "priced on 600×300 wall and 300×300 floor, straight lay". A rate quoted for large-format does not hold for mosaic, and this line is what makes that clear before the tiles arrive.
- Layout. Straight, brick, diagonal, herringbone. Anything other than straight is a different labour price and should say so.
- Waterproofing — in or out, to what standard, and who provides the certificate.
- Substrate condition the price assumes, and screed or levelling as a separate line. A floor that is out of level is somebody's cost.
- Who supplies tiles, and the wastage allowance you need — commonly around ten per cent, more for diagonal, herringbone or large format. Say in writing that sourcing extra tiles from a closed batch is not your risk.
- Consumables — adhesive, grout colour, silicone, trims and edge profiles.
- Exclusions. Demolition and removal of existing tiles, plumbing and electrical, plasterboard or sheeting, painting, sealing of natural stone, and reinstating anything out of square.
- Whether GST is included, how long the price holds, and deposit and payment terms.
- The variations sentence, which in this trade means: whatever is behind the old tiles.
Common mistakes, and what each one costs
- Waterproofing assumed rather than stated. It is regulated work with a certificate attached, and it is the most expensive thing in this trade to get wrong.
- No format assumption. Mosaics have many times the cuts and grout lines per square metre of a large format. The same rate is a very different day.
- No wastage clause on customer-supplied tiles. They buy exactly the square metres, you cut, and the last two square metres of a discontinued batch become your problem.
- Screed absorbed into the floor rate. An uneven slab can take a day on its own.
- No demolition exclusion. Removing old tiles and bedding is heavy, dusty work and it is a separate job.
- No deposit on a job where you buy the consumables. Adhesive, grout and trims for a bathroom is real money out before you start.
Three things that win the job
Quote from measurements, not a photo. Wall areas in bathrooms are consistently underestimated by eye, and the difference is your margin.
Say what happens behind the old tiles. A customer who has been warned that the sheeting may be shot, and knows what that costs, is a customer who does not feel ambushed later. It reads as experience, and it protects you.
Follow it up. Bathroom work is scheduled around other trades, so quotes sit while the plumber and the sparky are lined up. Two short messages over a fortnight is the difference — wording in the quote follow-up templates.
Yamate keeps your rates, your format assumptions and your standard exclusions, so a quote is a few taps rather than a blank page — then turns the accepted quote into the invoice without retyping it. Sign up before 30 September 2026 and lock in the Founder plan at $19/mo — forever. It's $29/mo after that. No lock-in, cancel anytime. Prices in AUD.
FAQ
What should a tiling quote include?
Floor and wall areas separately in square metres, the tile format and layout the price assumes, waterproofing and screed as their own lines, who supplies tiles and the wastage allowance, exclusions, whether GST applies, and deposit and payment terms.
Who supplies the tiles, and how much wastage?
Either, as long as the quote says which. Where the customer supplies, state the wastage allowance you need — commonly around ten per cent, more for diagonal, herringbone or large format — and say that sourcing extra from a closed batch is not your risk.
Is waterproofing included?
Only if your quote says so. It is regulated work in Australia, commonly requiring a licensed applicator and a certificate, and the requirements differ by state. Never let it be assumed.
Why does tile size change the rate?
Large formats need a flatter substrate and are heavier and slower to place; small formats and mosaics mean far more cuts and grout lines per square metre. Name the format your rate is built on.
Do I charge GST on a quote?
Only if you are registered, which is generally required once turnover reaches $75,000. See when a sole trader has to register.
Next steps
General information for Australian tradies, not tax, legal or financial advice. Every figure this page produces is an estimate based on what you type in. Waterproofing, licensing and deposit rules are set by each state and territory — check yours before relying on this page.