Tile Estimating Software for Tile Setters and Installers

Why tile jobs are hard to price

• Prep and waterproofing. Demo, backer board, waterproofing membrane and leveling are often more work than setting.
• Tile size and pattern. Large-format tile, mosaics and patterns change labor and waste.
• Small rooms, many cuts. Bathrooms and showers have lots of edges, niches and corners.
• Setting materials. Thinset, grout, trim pieces and sealer add up.

How Trades HQ helps tile setters

• Price book with tile and stone items. Keep your material prices and reuse them on every bid.
• Measure from blueprints. Measure floor and wall areas right off a blueprint PDF.
• Labor-rate guidance by state. See typical tile and stone setter wages in your state, then set your own rate.
• Proposals customers approve online, then one click to invoice.
• Change orders when the customer adds a niche, a bench or a different tile.
• Live job profit as labor and materials come in.

A tile estimate, step by step

1. Measure every surface: floor, shower walls, backsplash.
2. Add waste: often about 10% for simple layouts and 15% or more for small rooms, diagonals or patterns.
3. Add prep: demo, backer board, waterproofing and leveling.
4. Add thinset, grout, trim pieces and sealer.
5. Estimate labor for prep, setting and grouting.
6. Apply your overhead and profit.

Example (illustrative): a 5 × 8 ft bathroom floor.

Pricing tip: Price prep and waterproofing separately from setting; they're often the bigger part of the job. And remember that markup and margin aren't the same number: a 20% margin needs a 25% markup. The Estimating Basics guide walks through the math, and the free markup and margin calculator does it for you.