How Much Does Tile Installation Cost? Everything You Need to Know

Tile is one of the most versatile and durable materials for flooring, walls, backsplashes, showers, and a host of other surfaces around the home and outdoors. With a broad range of styles and types, tile offers choices for practically any home to suit the tastes of most homeowners.

Tile installation typically costs $2,880. The total cost range for tile installation is from $1,000 to $4,760, on average.

Learn overall tile installation costs as well as costs broken down by areas of the home, types of tiles, and additional services like tile removal and labor costs.

Tile Installation Cost Per Square Foot

Overall, tile installation costs an average of $27 per square foot, with a range starting at $9 and reaching as high as $46 per square foot. Estimating tile installation costs by square foot helps to determine the basic cost of most projects.

Labor Costs

Tile installation labor may include any of the physical work involved with installing tile, excluding materials. This work ranges from initial tasks like removing old tiles and installing cement board to installing and finishing the tile.

Labor Cost by Square Foot

The average labor cost to install tile is $10 per square foot, with a total range of labor costs from $4 to $15 per square foot.

Labor Cost Per Hour

The labor cost per hour to install tile ranges from $32 to $78 per hour, with an average per-hour cost of $55.

Tile Installation Prep Costs

Tile installation often requires extensive preparation work, from removing existing flooring to repairing the subflooring and installing cement backer board.

Remove Old Tiles

Removing old tiles costs an average of $4 per square foot, for a total cost range of $2 to $6 per square foot.

If the space is currently tiled, the new tile can sometimes be laid over the existing tile. But the tile does need to be solid and substantial, plus the height increase must be accounted for.

Tip

Though tile-on-tile is allowable, it's still best to remove the old tiles whenever possible.

Install Cement Backer Board

The cost to install cement backer board averages $7 per square foot, for a cost range starting at $5 per square foot and going up to a high of $8 per square foot.

Backer board is a thin, cementitious underlayment for tile, often used in showers and tubs. It also can be used anywhere a dimensionally stable tile base is required—one that won't expand or contract upon moisture contact.

Repair Subfloor

The average cost to repair a subfloor is $53 per square foot, starting at a low of $40 and ranging up to a high of $65 per square foot.

Subflooring is usually built from 4-foot by 8-foot sheets of 1/2-inch or 3/4-inch thick A/C-grade plywood attached to the joists.

What Is a Subfloor?

The subfloor is the lowest section of a flooring system, just above the joists.

Tile Installation Cost by Room or Location

Looking at specific rooms or areas to be tiled provides a more granular and accurate picture of tile installation costs.

Tile Backsplash

The flat rate cost to install a kitchen or bathroom tile backsplash is about $850. Costs to install backsplashes range from $435 to $1,265.

On a per-square-foot basis, it costs an average of $30 to install a backsplash, with costs ranging from $25 to $35 per square foot.

Bathroom Floor

The cost of installing bathroom floor tile is $1,415, on average. The cost of bathroom tile flooring ranges from $515 to $2,315.

Kitchen Tile Floor

The project cost to install a kitchen tile floor is $2,360, on average, with a total range from $870 to $3,850.

Tip

On average, it costs from $15 to $20 per square foot to install tile flooring.

Shower Tile

Shower tile installation costs $3,125 per shower. Shower tile installation can cost as low as $915 or as high as $5,335.

Tiling a shower is a complex project because complete waterproofing is critical. As such, it's often best to hire professionals to install shower tile.

Walls

Tiling walls costs from $890 to $2,050 per project, for an average cost of $1,470.

Tiling walls that are meant to be dry such as hallways or kitchen walls costs less than water-intensive applications like showers.

Cost by Type of Tile

The size and shape of the tile can influence the tile installation cost.

Mosaic Tile

Mosaic tile costs $32 per square foot to install, with a cost range of $17 to $47 per square foot.

Mosaic tile is commonly used for shower pans, backsplashes, and wall accents.

Large Format Tile

Large format tile costs from a low of $18 per square foot for ceramic tile to a high of $45 per square foot for porcelain tile. Mid-range large format tile installation costs are from $32 to $34 per square foot.

Tip

Large format tile generally qualifies as any tile over 12 inches by 12 inches. Heavier to haul and handle, large format tile installation is often a job for experienced tile professionals.

Cost by Tile Porosity

Porosity affects tile installation cost since heavily glazed tile (less porous) is more expensive than tile with no or little glazing (very porous).

Impervious Tile

Impervious tile costs an average of $12 per square foot.

Impervious tile, often termed porcelain due to its low water absorption rate, ranges in cost from $4 to $20 per square foot. Impervious tile works best in areas with direct water exposure.

Vitreous Tile

Vitreous tile costs an average of $11 per square foot. Vitreous tile ranges in cost from $4 to $19 per square foot.

Vitreous tile, often termed ceramic, is the most common type of bathroom tile due to its slightly lower cost than porcelain.

Tip

Vitreous tile holds up well to water but is not best for high water-contact areas like bathtub basins or swimming pools.

Semi-Vitreous Tile

Semi-vitreous tile costs an average of $11 per square foot. Semi-vitreous tile is used in dry applications outside of the bathroom.

Non-Vitreous Tile

Non-vitreous tile costs an average of $9 per square foot. It ranges in cost from $1 to $18 per square foot.

Non-vitreous tile such as terracotta tile works well for outside installations, for wall tiling with no water contact, or for decorative accents.

DIY Tile Installation vs. Hiring a Professional

Do-it-yourself tile installation is within the reach of any motivated homeowner with time to learn the intricacies to the trade. It's best to start with a smaller, lower profile tiling job like a laundry room floor or a guest bathroom backsplash, before working up to larger, more visible projects like kitchen floors.

The cost to install tile as a DIYer includes the cost of the materials: tile, thinset mortar, grout, and possibly cement backer board. The cost may also include essential tiling tools such as a notched trowel, a rubber grout float, a grout mixing paddle, sponges and buckets, and the most expensive purchase: a wet tile saw.

Tip

For small tile jobs, a snap or rail-style tile cutter can substitute for a wet tile saw.

Hiring a professional tile installer, though, helps to eliminate the cost of purchasing specialty tools that may never be used again. Hiring a pro means completing the tile job with accuracy, no damage to the tiles, and with a minimum of wasted tiles or other tile materials.

10 Ways to Save Money on Tile Installation Costs

One advantage of installing tiles is that it offers a number of cost-saving techniques:

• Remove obstacles from the room like a toilet or cabinets by yourself.

• Strip away and dispose of the old tiles by yourself.

• Lay new tile over old tile, as long as the old tile is solid.

• Go for simple layouts that involve less designing and cutting.

• Incorporate less expensive materials to the layout, such as adding wood wainscot to tile walls.

• Shop both online and at local stores for the lowest cost tiles.

• Purchase clearance or discount tiles.

• Use cheaper tiles in out-of-the-way locations.

• Hire a tile installer by the hour.

• Purchase all materials by yourself—but first vet them with the installer.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does it cost to install 1000 sq ft of tile?

The cost to install 1,000 square feet of tile, including all materials and labor, is just over $26,000. The all-inclusive cost to install tile can start as low as $9 per square foot, so 1,000 square feet of tile may start at $9,000.

How much is labor for tile installation?

On average, the labor cost to install tile is $10 per square foot. The total range of labor costs is $4 to $15 per square foot.

Why is tile installation so expensive?

Tile installation is so expensive because tile installation is a skilled trade that costs $55 and even up to $78 per hour. The type of tile that you choose is a major influence on tile installation costs. Time-consuming layouts like diagonals, crosshatch, and herringbone will be more expensive than simple layouts like grid or brickwork.

Read Next: How to Use a Wet Tile Saw

Read the original article on The Spruce.