Am I charging enough to install ceramic tile?

Question

I live in mid mo. I have been laying tile for over 5 years, I think I'm pretty good at it. I currently charge 5.50 a sqft, still, some of my contractor friends get me to do tile for them and won't say what they are charging their customer.
I don't like working for GCs anymore, and I especially don't like them charging more for my work.
Is this normal in remodeling?

Answer 1

I think your pricing is in the normal range. We have had several quotes directly from people who lay tile, and they have all been in the 5.00 to 6.50 per square foot range. (That's with no middleman.)

I know someone who recently told me it was 12.00 per square foot to have their tiling done, but that was from the contractor. I guess that his markup was about 100%. She decided that since the are to be tiled is quite large, and since it is a remodel, she would not have the contractor do it, and would either find someone else to do it and skip the middleman, or figure something else out, as that is out of line with their budget.

I am sorry that I don't know more about remodeling or have more to offer you. That's all I know about it.

I can tell you that if you raise your prices, the contractor will simply pass the higher pricing along to the consumer--I am pretty sure they will just mark it up a bit more and call it good.

Answer 2

Well, yes, it is normal. Think about the GC as a broker of your services. He or she finds work for you and takes $ of the top as a fee. Remember, you charge by the square foot, but the GC might charge the job as a whole. That way they also have some room in case something comes up (repair later, special grout required).
I'm not sure what your installation includes (just labor? materials?) but one way to get an idea of what your GC might be charging, or what the value of installation is is to price it out at a tile or home improvement store. Guaranteed they use Independant Contractors to do the work. You can see what they charge and then adjust your rates accordingly.

Answer 3

Let's face it laying tile isn't that difficult. There is a great book from Home Depot that goes deeply into laying tile. If you don't mind renting a tile cutting machine, get the water assist and a new blade. Laying down one 12X12 tile will take less than a minute and every tile will save you $5 to $12. You will feel good about this. If you have a friend that has done it, talk to them about how easy it is. This is only if you are good at measuring and cutting. I hired a guy and now see that the job I had done before was just as good. Maybe he is a bit faster, the two tile jobs I did came out pretty good.

Answer 4

This Site Might Help You.

RE:
Am I charging enough to install ceramic tile?
I live in mid mo. I have been laying tile for over 5 years, I think I'm pretty good at it. I currently charge 5.50 a sqft, still, some of my contractor friends get me to do tile for them and won't say what they are charging their customer.
I don't like working for GCs anymore, and I...

Answer 5

if you are happy with the amount of money you make doing each job for these contractors, then do the work and walk away, don't look back and see how much they are charging the customers, it will probably just make you angry. trying to up your price wouldn't hurt, the least they can say is no, or why, and you can tell them that is just the rate yo are charging now. but as long as you are happy with the amount you walk away with, that all you should focus on. Think of yourself as a factory worker, factory workers don't receive the entire amount an item may cost, though they probably built the entire item for $6.75 an hour. They don;t go ask their boss to reimbursement for the cost of the finished sold item. Be happy he is getting you business. Now if you feel he is ripping you off, i would approach him, or start charging more. because some GC's will use you. have a Happy Thanksgiving.

Answer 6

We are having our floor done on Mon. by a friend who is starting his Home Improvement business. He's charging us $3.50/sq. foot, a very good deal I think. He's not charging us less because we're friends, that's just his normal charge. I talked to salesperson where we purchased the tile and they said to plan on paying double the cost of the tile as the cost of installation. I think it also depends on the part of the country you are in. I'm sure my friend would charge more if we were living in a more Metropolitan area-- we are in a Midwest city of 200,000 people.

Answer 7

How Much To Lay Tile

Answer 8

Ten years ago in Boston Ma I was charging $5 psf on floors and $6 psf on walls. Your friend is probably making money off your work. Start charging him more and start getting work on your own and charge just a more but not as much as you charge your friend

Good Luck
Moskie 257

Answer 9

Are sure their your friends I thought that to when I didn't relize how much they were making of my back and when I made a mistake I was out the door. There really is no friends when it comes to money. If their getting you to do the work the chances are your pretty cheap and their probably making a bundle of you I might be wrong but that price seems prety cheap labour.

Answer 10

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