Your quote is often the first proper impression a customer gets of your business. Turn up, measure the job, then send across a vague price a day or two later, and you're already on the back foot compared with a tiler who hands over a clear, detailed, professional quote on the same day or very soon after. Getting your quote right isn't just about the number. It's about how you present it, what you include, and how quickly you follow it up.

Here's a practical guide to writing tiling quotes that win you more jobs, while still protecting your time and your profit.

Why Your Quote Matters More Than You Think

Customers are often choosing between several tradespeople, and in a lot of cases they can't easily judge who's the better tiler just from a conversation on their doorstep. What they can judge is how professional, clear, and trustworthy each quote feels.

A lot of work is lost not because the price was too high, but because the quote felt rushed, unclear, or unprofessional. A well presented quote signals that you'll likely run the job the same way: properly, and with attention to detail.

What to Do Before You Even Write the Quote

Measure the Job Properly

Get accurate measurements of every wall and floor area to be tiled. Don't just estimate from a quick glance. Measure height and width for each wall, and length and width for floors, then work out the square metres. Always add a at least 10% extra for wastage, particularly for cuts around corners, fittings, and any pattern that isn't traightforward.

Check the Substrate and Condition of the Area

Look closely at what you're tiling onto. Is the wall or floor level and sound, or will it need preparation such as boarding, levelling compound, or removing old tiles first? This is one of the most common reasons jobs go over budget, because it wasn't accounted for at the quote stage. Spotting these issues early lets you either include the cost in your quote or clearly note it as a separate item.

Ask the Right Questions

Find out what tiles the customer has in mind, or whether they need help choosing. Ask about layout preferences, such as a stack bond, brick bond, herringbone, or a feature wall, since these all take different amounts of time. Confirm whether you're supplying materials or whether the customer is buying their own tiles, adhesive, and grout.

What to Include in Your Tiling Quote

A strong quote should cover the following clearly:

• A list of everything that is included in the job.
• A list of materials, if you're supplying them, including tiles, adhesive, grout, trims, and any boarding or levelling products needed. 
• Any preparation work required, such as removing old tiles, repairing plaster, or levelling floors. 
• The estimated expected timeframe for the job, including the likely start date. 
• Payment terms, including any deposit required and when the balance is due. 
• Anything that's excluded, such as plumbing work, electrics, or making good to areas outside the tiling itself.

Being specific here protects you. If a customer later assumes something was included that wasn't, a clear written quote is what settles the disagreement.

Pricing Your Job Correctly

Pricing is where a lot of tilers either undercharge and struggle to make a living, or overcharge and lose work to competitors. As a general guide, most skilled tilers charge between £40 and £80 per square metre for labour on standard ceramic or porcelain tiling, working out at roughly £250 to £350 per day. Natural stone tiles such as slate, granite, or travertine typically command 50% more due to the extra time and care needed, usually landing between £60 and £100 per square metre.

To put this into perspective, a typical bathroom of around 2 metres by 3 metres might have 6 square metres of floor and 24 square metres of wall to tile. At £45 per square metre, that's £1,350 in labour alone, before adding a profit margin on materials.

When pricing a job, factor in:

The complexity of the layout. Diamond patterns, herringbone, and mosaic borders all take longer than a straightforward stack bond, so price them with that extra time in mind. The condition of the substrate. Out of level walls or floors, damp areas, or old tiles needing removal all add time. The size and type of tile. Large format porcelain tiles often need levelling clip systems to avoid lippage, which adds time and cost to the job. Access and disruption. A job in a busy family bathroom with limited access may take longer than a similar job in an empty new build.

It's tempting to quote low to win the job, but underpricing causes problems later, either through resentment as the job drags on for less money than it's worth, or by cutting corners to make the numbers work. A fair, accurately priced quote that reflects the real time and skill involved is far better for your business in the long run.

Leave Scope for Extra Costs

One of the most common reasons tiling jobs become disputes is unexpected extra work that wasn't priced in. Good quotes leave room for this without surprising the customer later. A simple way to do this is to clearly state in the quote that certain costs are estimates pending what's found once old tiles are removed or floors are uncovered, such as the discovery of a damp patch, rotten flooring, or pipework that needs moving.

Letting customers know upfront that this is a possibility, rather than springing it on them halfway through the job, makes a huge difference to how they react if it happens. People are generally understanding about genuine surprises. What frustrates them is feeling like they've been caught out.

Presenting Your Quote Professionally

How a quote looks matters almost as much as what it says. A handwritten figure on the back of an old receipt doesn't inspire much confidence compared with a clean, typed document with your business name, logo, and contact details on it.

Where possible, send your quote by email rather than only verbally, so the customer has something to refer back to and to compare against other tradespeople. Keep the language simple and avoid jargon the customer might not understand. If you're including photos of similar previous jobs, even better, since this helps build trust in your ability before you've even started.

Following Up Without Being Pushy

Sending a quote and then never mentioning it again is one of the easiest ways to lose work to someone who simply follows up first. A short message or call a few days after sending the quote, just checking whether they have any questions, often makes all the difference. This isn't about pressuring anyone. It's about staying front of mind and showing that you're organised and genuinely interested in the job.

If a customer raises an objection, such as the price being higher than another quote they've received, address it calmly and explain what's included in your price rather than dropping it to match. Sometimes that means losing the job to a cheaper quote, but it also means you're not left doing skilled work for less than it's worth.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Quoting too quickly without measuring properly, leading to costly errors once work starts. Leaving out materials or preparation work, then having an awkward conversation about extra charges later. Being vague about timeframes, which leaves customers unsure when their bathroom or kitchen will actually be usable again. Failing to follow up, and losing jobs to tradespeople who simply got back in touch first.

Why Quoting Well Is a Skill Worth Learning Properly

Being able to tile beautifully is only half the job. Tilers who consistently win good work and build a strong reputation are usually just as skilled at measuring up, pricing fairly, and presenting themselves professionally as they are with a trowel and grout float.

This is exactly why we cover quoting, pricing, and winning work as part of our 1 Day Business Development course, included as standard in our 9 and 13 day courses. Alongside the practical tiling skills taught across all of our tiling courses, you'll learn exactly how to measure up a job, what to charge, how to spot extra work at the quoting stage, and how to win more jobs than other tradespeople quoting against you.

If you're ready to learn how to tile and how to run a profitable tiling business, get in touch with us to find the right course for you.

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