Getting 3 tiling quotes is the single easiest way to find out what your job should really cost in Adelaide. Three quotes give you a fair middle number to judge everything against, so you can see which prices are reasonable and which ones are outliers, without simply chasing the lowest figure.
This guide explains why the number 3 works, how it reveals the fair price, and how to use it to choose on value rather than racing to the bottom. It sits within our guide to Choosing and Hiring a Tiler in Adelaide.
Why 3 is the magic number
One quote tells you nothing. You have no idea whether it is fair, high or a lowball designed to win the job and then grow through variations.
Two quotes are better, but they leave you stuck. If they are $1,500 apart, which one is right? You cannot tell whether the cheaper tiler has cut a corner or the dearer one has padded the price. There is no reference point.
Three quotes change everything. With 3, a pattern appears:
- Two land close together and one sits well below or well above.
- The two that cluster are almost always near the fair Adelaide rate.
- The one on its own is the outlier that needs a closer look.
You do not need 5 or 6 quotes. That just wears you out and annoys good tilers who can tell you are shopping rather than serious. Three is the sweet spot: enough to reveal the fair price, few enough that every tiler takes you seriously.
How 3 quotes reveal the fair price
Say you are tiling a standard family bathroom in an Adelaide suburb like Prospect or Mitcham. You send the same job to 3 vetted tilers and get these back.
| Quote | Price | What it includes | |-------|-------|------------------| | Tiler A | $3,200 | Tiling only, waterproofing "not included" | | Tiler B | $5,400 | Tiling, waterproofing, tile removal, floor levelling | | Tiler C | $5,700 | Tiling, waterproofing, tile removal, floor levelling, wall repair |
At a glance Tiler A looks like a bargain. Look closer and the picture flips. Tiler B and Tiler C are within $300 of each other and both include waterproofing (usually $500 to $1,500 for a wet area) and the preparation the job actually needs. Tiler A is $2,000 cheaper because they have quietly left the waterproofing and prep out, which you will end up paying for later anyway, often at a higher price once the job is half done.
The 3 quotes have done their job. The fair price for this bathroom sits around $5,400 to $5,700, and the cheap quote is not cheap at all once you add back what is missing. Learning to read those line items properly is a skill in itself, and our guide on how to read a tiling quote walks through exactly what to look for.
Finding the outlier is the whole point
The outlier is the quote that behaves differently from the other two. It matters in both directions.
The suspiciously low quote
A price well under the pack is a warning, not a win. In Adelaide tiling, a lowball figure usually means one of these:
- Waterproofing skimped or left out entirely.
- Old tiles and levelling not costed, then charged as "extras" mid-job.
- An unlicensed or uninsured operator with no warranty behind the work.
- A deliberate underquote that grows through variations once you have committed.
When tiling fails, the fix means tearing out finished work and starting again, which costs far more than the money you thought you saved. That is why the cheapest quote is so often the most expensive one. We cover the real trade-off in cheap vs quality tiler.
The unusually high quote
The high outlier is not always a rip-off. Sometimes it reflects a genuinely better spec: more careful preparation, a longer warranty, premium materials, or a tiler who is simply in demand and prices accordingly. Three quotes let you ask the right question, which is "what does this extra money actually buy me?" rather than assuming the top price is a con.
Getting 3 quotes without racing to the bottom
The trap people fall into is treating 3 quotes as a race to find the lowest number. That defeats the purpose. The point is to find the fair price and then choose the tiler you trust most within a fair range.
Here is how to keep it honest:
- Quote the same scope to all 3. Same tiled area, same tiles, waterproofing included, removal and levelling spelled out. If one tiler quotes a smaller scope, they will look cheaper for the wrong reason.
- Compare inclusions, not just totals. A $5,400 quote that includes everything beats a $4,200 quote that hides half the job.
- Weigh licence, insurance and warranty. These are not optional extras. They are what protects you if something goes wrong 12 months later.
- Trust your read of the person. Who turned up on time, measured properly and explained things clearly? That counts for a lot on a job that lives in your home for 20 years.
Choosing well is about more than price, and our guide on how to choose a tiler in Adelaide covers the licence, insurance and reference checks that sit alongside the numbers.
Make the 3 quotes easy to get
The catch with getting 3 quotes is the legwork: finding tilers, chasing callbacks, and making sure each one is licensed and insured before they ever set foot in your home. That is the part we take off your plate.
Tell us about your job and we will connect you with vetted, licensed Adelaide tilers so you can find a tiler and compare fair quotes on the same scope. Every tiler we refer is checked, so the only thing left for you to weigh is value, not risk.
When you are ready, tell us about your tiling job and we will line up your quotes, free and with no obligation.