A proper Adelaide tiling quote is not a number texted to you after a phone call. It follows a site visit and a measure-up, and it arrives as a written breakdown you can actually compare. Here is what that process should look like and how long each part takes.
Knowing what to expect helps you tell a professional quote from a rushed guess, and it sits within our guide to Choosing and Hiring a Tiler in Adelaide.
The site visit comes first
Any tiler worth hiring will want to see the job before they price it. Photos and phone descriptions miss the things that move the cost most: how level the floor is, what condition the walls are in, whether old tiles need to come up, and how easy the space is to get to.
For a standard residential job in Adelaide, the visit itself usually takes 20 to 45 minutes. On the day, a good tiler will:
- Look at the substrate (the surface being tiled) and check it is sound and level
- Measure the area properly rather than eyeballing it
- Ask what tiles you are leaning towards, since tile size and type change the labour
- Flag anything that needs fixing first, such as a soft floor or a leaking join
- Talk through access, parking and where rubbish will go
If someone gives you a firm price without ever seeing the space, treat it as a rough guess. It almost always gets revised once they arrive, and by then you are committed.
The measure-up and why it matters
The measure-up is where the real number comes from. A tiler measures the floor and wall areas in square metres, adds an allowance for cuts and waste (usually 10 to 15 percent), and factors in the fiddly bits: niches, hobs, steps, around a vanity, and any curved or awkward edges.
This is also where they assess prep work, which is the part cheap quotes love to leave out. Prep can include:
- Removing old tiles, roughly $20 to $40 per square metre
- Levelling an uneven floor, roughly $25 to $50 per square metre
- Waterproofing a wet area to Australian Standards, usually $500 to $1,500
- Repairing damaged plasterboard or a rotten subfloor before anything goes down
A thorough measure-up is a good sign. It means the tiler is pricing the actual job in front of them, not a generic average that falls apart on the day.
What a written quote should detail
You should always get the quote in writing, whether that is an email, a PDF or a printed sheet. A verbal price is not something you can compare or hold anyone to. A proper written Adelaide tiling quote spells out:
| Line item | What to look for | | --- | --- | | Scope and area | The rooms or surfaces, and the size in square metres | | Preparation | Tile removal, levelling, repairs, itemised | | Waterproofing | Listed separately, to Australian Standards, for any wet area | | Tiles | Either supplied by you, or a clear supply allowance per square metre | | Labour | The laying cost, ideally split from materials | | Rubbish removal | Who carts away the old tiles and offcuts | | Timeframe | Rough start date and how many days on site | | GST | Shown clearly, so you know if the total includes it | | Payment terms | Deposit, progress payments and final balance | | Licence and insurance | ABN, and licence details where the work requires them |
If a line is missing, ask before you sign rather than after. Our full walkthrough on how to read a tiling quote breaks down each item and the wording that hides nasty surprises.
A quote that is vague on purpose (a single lump sum with no breakdown) makes it impossible to see what you are paying for, and it is impossible to compare against anyone else. That is exactly why we always suggest you get 3 tiling quotes on the same scope, so fair pricing becomes obvious.
Timeframes to expect
Timing trips people up more than price does, so here is a realistic picture for Adelaide.
Getting the quote itself:
- Booking a site visit: often within a few days, though the good tilers are busy and may be a week or 2 out
- Written quote after the visit: 2 to 5 working days for a standard job, up to a week or more for something larger or bespoke
- If you hear nothing after 10 days, chase once, then move on. Slow to quote usually means slow to communicate all the way through
From accepting to starting:
A busy, reputable Adelaide tiler is rarely free tomorrow. For residential work, a lead time of 2 to 6 weeks is normal, and it stretches over summer and before the Christmas rush when everyone wants their reno finished. A tiler who can start immediately is not automatically a red flag, but it is worth asking why they have a sudden gap.
Time on site:
- A splashback: often 1 day
- A standard floor: 1 to 2 days plus drying time
- A full bathroom: usually 4 to 8 working days across the whole job, because waterproofing and adhesives need curing time between stages
Do not let anyone rush the curing windows. Tiling that is pushed too fast is behind a lot of the lifting, cracking and failed waterproofing that shows up 6 months later.
Questions worth asking during the visit
The site visit is your chance to size up the tiler, not just the job. A confident professional welcomes the questions. It is worth having a few ready on things like their licence, insurance, warranty and who exactly does the work. Our list of the right questions to ask a tiler covers the ones that separate a solid operator from a cowboy.
The short version
A trustworthy Adelaide tiling quote follows a clear pattern: they visit, they measure, and they put a detailed price in writing within a few days. Anything that skips those steps, a phone price with no visit, a lump sum with no breakdown, or a promise to start tomorrow, is worth a second look.
Compare real quotes on your job
Get a rough figure first with our tiling cost calculator, then line it up against proper written quotes. Tell us about your job and we will connect you with vetted Adelaide tilers who will visit, measure up and quote properly, free and with no obligation. Or send us the details and we will match you with the right local tilers to compare.