A proper tiling quote should tell you exactly what you are paying for, line by line, so you can compare it fairly against the others. The trick is making sure every quote covers the same scope before you look at the price, because the cheapest headline number often hides the most exclusions.
This guide walks through a tiling quote item by item, shows you the exclusions that catch Adelaide homeowners out, and gives you a simple way to compare fairly. It sits within our guide to Choosing and Hiring a Tiler in Adelaide.
What a proper tiling quote includes
A quote that just says "tile bathroom, $4,000" is not a quote, it is a guess with a dollar sign. A proper quote breaks the job into lines you can check. Look for these:
- The area in square metres. Floor and walls should be measured and stated, not eyeballed. This is the number you compare rates against.
- A supply and lay rate, or a fixed price. Either a per square metre rate (for example $60/m2 supply and lay) or a fixed total for the whole job, with the tiles specified.
- Waterproofing. Itemised separately for any wet area, done to Australian Standards by a licensed applicator.
- Surface preparation. Levelling, screeding, patching or priming the substrate so the tiles sit flat and bond properly.
- Removal and rubbish. Taking up old tiles, and carting the waste away.
- Adhesive, grout and trims. The consumables, plus edge trims or silicone where the job needs them.
- Payment terms and GST. A deposit schedule, progress payments if it is a big job, and GST shown clearly.
If a line is missing, it has not disappeared from the job. It has just been left off the page, and it will come back as a variation once the work is under way.
The hidden exclusions that catch people out
Most of the difference between two quotes for the same room is not the tiling rate. It is what one quote quietly left out. These are the usual suspects in Adelaide.
Waterproofing
Every wet area has to be waterproofed to Australian Standards before tiling, and it is a licensed job. Expect it itemised at roughly $500 to $1,500 for a wet area. A quote that leaves it out looks cheaper but is not, and it is the single most expensive thing to get wrong. Our sibling guide on what to expect in a tiling quote goes deeper on why this line matters most.
Tile removal and floor preparation
Ripping up old tiles runs about $20 to $40/m2, and levelling an uneven floor adds another $25 to $50/m2. On a tired old Adelaide bathroom these two lines alone can be $1,000 or more. If one quote includes them and another assumes a bare, level substrate, the two prices are not remotely comparable.
Tile supply versus lay only
Some quotes are lay only, meaning you buy the tiles separately. That can be fine, but you have to add the tile cost back in before comparing against a supply and lay quote. Standard floor tiles are laid at $45 to $75/m2, natural stone and mosaics at $90 to $160/m2, so the tile line moves the total a long way.
Rubbish removal, parking and access
Skip hire, carting waste and difficult access (a second-storey unit, tight side access, limited parking near the CBD) can all sit outside a headline price. They are small lines individually but they add up.
GST
A registered business must show GST. If one quote is 10 percent lower purely because GST is missing, that is not a discount, it is an incomplete price. No ABN and no GST is also a signal to ask whether the operator is licensed and insured.
Comparing apples with apples
Here is the honest problem: three quotes almost never arrive in the same format. One is a fixed price, one is per square metre, one is a scribble on the back of a card. To compare them fairly, normalise them onto the same scope first.
Take the same 12 m2 bathroom and see how a missing line changes the picture.
| Line item | Quote A (complete) | Quote B (looks cheaper) | | --- | --- | --- | | Tile supply and lay (12 m2) | $2,400 | $2,400 | | Waterproofing wet area | $900 | not included | | Old tile removal (12 m2) | $360 | not included | | Floor levelling (12 m2) | $420 | not included | | Rubbish removal | $200 | not included | | GST | included | not shown | | Apparent total | $4,280 | $2,400 | | True like-for-like total | $4,280 | $4,280+ |
Quote B is not $1,880 cheaper. It is the same job with 4 lines hidden, and those lines reappear as variations once the tiler is on site. Once you add them back, the two are level, and now you are choosing on trust and quality rather than a misleading headline.
The steps are simple:
- Pick one quote as your baseline scope (usually the most detailed one).
- Read the others against it and note every line they are missing.
- Add the likely cost of each missing line back in using the bands above.
- Compare the adjusted totals, then weigh licence, insurance, warranty and reviews.
This is exactly why we always suggest you get 3 tiling quotes rather than 1. Three quotes reveal the real scope of the job, because between them they surface the lines any single quote might miss.
Questions that make a quote easier to compare
If a quote is vague, you do not have to guess. A few direct questions force the detail onto the page, which makes comparing far easier. Ask what is excluded, whether the price is fixed or subject to variation, and what happens if the substrate is worse than expected once the old tiles come up. Our list of questions to ask a tiler covers the full set, and the answers double as a way to judge how straight an operator is with you.
A tiler who itemises clearly, explains their exclusions and puts a warranty in writing is telling you something about how they work. That is worth as much as the number at the bottom.
Get quotes you can actually compare
The easiest way to compare fairly is to start with quotes built to the same scope. Tell us about your job and we will connect you with vetted Adelaide tilers who measure up properly, itemise the work and quote free with no obligation.
Want a rough number first? Run your job through our tiling cost calculator for an indicative estimate, then request your quotes and compare them line by line.