Wall and floor tiling: calculator for UK builders
Answer the measurements this calculation needs and JobBosh works out the materials with wastage and pack rounding, the labour hours by role, the plant, the waste and the site needs - then prices them from your own figures, a supplier's quotation or a dated price you record. Free, no account needed to start.
What it works out
- Material: Tiles (medium 300 600); Flexible tile adhesive (20 kg); Grout; Spacers, trims, silicone, primer, tanking in wet areas
- Labour: Tile and grout
The questions it asks
| Question | Unit / choices | Required? | Help |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tiled area | m2 | required | |
| Surface | one of: wall, floor | optional - default wall (labelled assumed) | |
| Tile size | one of: small under 300, medium 300 600, large format | optional - default medium_300_600 (labelled assumed) | |
| Substrate | one of: plaster board, tile backer board, screed concrete, timber floor | optional - default plaster_board (labelled assumed) | |
| Remove existing tiles? | yes / no | optional - default no (labelled assumed) |
The norms behind it, with their sources
Coverage, productivity and wastage defaults you can edit; each carries where it comes from and is shown as assumed until your own benchmark replaces it.
| Norm | Value | Source | Tier |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tile adhesive per m2 (notched trowel) | 4 kg/m2 | typical manufacturer figure | assumed |
| Grout per m2 (3 mm joints) | 0.6 kg/m2 | typical manufacturer figure | assumed |
| Tile per m2, medium tiles, incl. cuts | 1.2 hr/m2 | trade practice | assumed |
| Tile per m2, small / mosaic | 1.8 hr/m2 | trade practice | assumed |
| Tile per m2, large format (levelling clips) | 1.5 hr/m2 | trade practice | assumed |
| Remove old tiles and prepare | 0.4 hr/m2 | trade practice | assumed |
A worked example
Answers used: Tiled area 20 m2; Surface wall; Tile size medium 300 600; Substrate plaster board; Remove existing tiles? no. These are the recipe's own quantities for those answers - the prices are yours, the supplier's or a quotation's, never a figure typed on a web page.
| Kind | Line | Quantity | How it is worked out |
|---|---|---|---|
| material | Tiles (medium 300 600) | 22.4 m2 23 x m2 - boxes ~1-1.5 m2 | 20 m2 + cutting waste |
| material | Flexible tile adhesive (20 kg) | 88 kg 5 x bag - 20 kg bags | 20 m2 x 4 kg/m2 |
| material | Grout | 13.2 kg 3 x bag - 5 kg bags | 20 m2 x 0.6 kg/m2 |
| material | Spacers, trims, silicone, primer, tanking in wet areas | 1 item | one allowance |
| labour | Tile and grout | 24 hr | 20 m2 x 1.2 h/m2 |
Labour on this example: about 24 hours across the roles; at your rates it becomes money.
Site questions this work raises: Protection and cleanliness, Utilities and welfare, Waste.
Then what
Price the lines from your crew rates and your material prices (each with its source and date), answer the site questions (parking, skip, welfare, power, water, protection), let JobBosh draft the supplier enquiries you approve, and issue a branded quotation your customer accepts on a secure link. Guest work is kept for 14 days; a free account keeps it for good.