Key Takeaways
- Tiling labour is about £50 per m² nationally and £60 per m² in London, which runs 20 to 40% above national (Checkatrade and Bromley Tiler, 2026).
- London tilers charge £30 to £41 an hour against £20 to £30 in the North (MyBuilder and HaMuch, 2026).
- Tiles range from £10 per m² for ceramic to over £400 for mosaic, so separate supply from labour when you compare quotes.
- Preparation changes a quote more than the tile does: stripping old tiles is about £13 per m², levelling compound £6 to £30 per m².
- Wet areas must be tanked behind the tiles to BS 5385-4, using a waterproofing system certified to BS EN 14891.
Tiling is a precise trade where preparation and skill show in the finish. This guide covers what tiling costs in London in 2026, by square metre and day rate, for floors, walls and bathrooms, and what drives the price.
How much does tiling cost in London?
Tiling labour runs about £50 per m² nationally and closer to £60 per m² in London, because London sits 20 to 40% above the national rate. That is an all-in average across walls and floors; plain wall tiling in standard sizes is often quoted lower, which is why our tile ideas guide gives a narrower wall-only labour band. Supplied and fitted in standard ceramic or porcelain, including adhesive and grout, expect roughly £100 to £130 per m².
Two things make London dearer: trade rates, and access. A London tiler charges £30 to £41 an hour against £20 to £30 in the North, and on a terrace with no side access every pallet is carried through the house by hand.
| Item | Typical cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Labour per m² | £50 national, around £60 London | London runs 20 to 40% above national |
| Hourly rate | £30 to £41 in London | £20 to £30 in the Midlands and North |
| Day rate | £200 to £350 | London borough averages of £209 to £229 |
| Output per day | 10 to 15 m² walls, 8 to 12 m² floors | Sanity-check any day-rate quote against this |
| Supplied and fitted per m² | £100 to £130 | Standard ceramic or porcelain, simple layout |
| Adhesive, grout, primer and trims | £10 to £12 per m² | More over underfloor heating |
What do the tiles themselves cost?
Anywhere from £10 to over £400 per m², which is why supply and labour must be quoted separately. A tiler pricing "supplied and fitted" has assumed a tile budget, and choosing marble or mosaic moves the number a long way. Format and material also decide how fast the tiler can work.
| Tile type | Supply per m² | Labour uplift | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ceramic | £10 to £30 | Baseline | Walls and light-traffic floors. Premium ranges reach £150 |
| Porcelain, standard format | £13 to £60 | Baseline | The London default. Dense, low porosity, no sealing |
| Porcelain, large format 600x1200 and up | £20 to £90 | Usually 20 to 30% | Two-person handling and a much flatter substrate |
| Limestone and slate | £25 to £90 | Sealing on top | Seal before grouting and after, then reseal periodically |
| Marble | £45 to £200+ | Sealing on top | Batch variation means dry laying first. Stains and etches |
| Mosaic and sheet | £60 to £430 | Up to double | Slow to set out and grout. Used in recesses and niches |
| Metro and subway | £10 to £42 | 20 to 35% if laid herringbone | The layout, not the tile, drives labour |
What actually changes a tiling quote
In order of impact: the condition of the substrate, the tile format, the number of cuts, whether the area needs tanking, whether there is underfloor heating below, and access. Cuts are the one people underestimate. A small bathroom with a window reveal, a niche and pipe penetrations takes longer than twice the area of open kitchen floor.
Substrate preparation costs
Preparation is where a cheap quote hides, and substrate problems can push labour 40 to 60% higher. Tiles need a flat, sound, dry, primed background, and large format is unforgiving: on a 1200mm tile a small hollow becomes visible lippage across the joint.
| Preparation item | Indicative London cost |
|---|---|
| Strip old tiles, walls or floor | around £13 per m² |
| Prepare the surface for re-tiling | around £6 per m² |
| Self-levelling compound to a floor | £6 to £30 per m² |
| New sand and cement screed, 75mm | £18 to £20 per m² plus £12 to £16 labour |
| Tile backer board or overboarding | £25 to £50 per m², indicative |
| Mini skip for the strip out | from £125, plus a borough permit |
Tanking bathrooms and wet rooms
Tiles and grout are not waterproof, so any shower area must be tanked behind them. This is the most common corner cut in London bathrooms and the most expensive to put right, because the leak shows up in the ceiling below months later.
Budget £250 to £500 to tank a shower enclosure with a liquid membrane and taped joints. Sheet systems run about £18.54 per m² for Schluter KERDI plus £4.62 tape, so the cost is mostly labour. A complete wet room installation, including former, drain, tiling and fittings, runs £5,000 to £13,000 nationally, averaging £9,000, and about £10,000 to £18,000 in London.
Name the standards when you compare quotes. Wet area tiling falls under BS 5385-4, tiling in special conditions, and the waterproofing should be certified to BS EN 14891. Keep membrane, tape and adhesive from one manufacturer, because mixing brands voids the guarantee.
Sources: Checkatrade wet room installation, June 2026; Schluter KERDI pricing at Mandarin Stone, July 2026; standards per The Tile Association, 2025. Enclosure tanking is indicative.The area tiled drives the total: floor only is far cheaper than floor and full-height walls. See our tile ideas and bathroom cost guide, or our bathroom renovation service.
Tiling over underfloor heating
Tile and stone are the best finishes over underfloor heating because they conduct heat rather than insulate against it, but the build-up has to be right or the floor cracks. Electric systems cost £60 to £85 per m² in a renovation, wet systems £95 to £110. On top of that:
- A decoupling membrane, from about £14 per m² for the material alone. It lets the tile and the heated screed move independently, which is what stops cracking.
- Flexible adhesive, S1 or S2 deformable rather than standard, at roughly £28 a bag against £24 for standard. This is where the higher materials allowance goes.
- Commissioning discipline. A new screed must cure fully before any heat goes into it, and after tiling the heating stays off for the period the manufacturers specify, then comes up gradually. Follow their instructions, not a rule of thumb.
Porcelain is the best pairing: dense, stable and quick to warm. Stone works but is slower to heat and carries temperature limits, and thicker stone slows the response further.
Sources: Checkatrade underfloor heating guide, June 2026; Schluter DITRA and Ardex X7 R S1 pricing at Mandarin Stone, July 2026.Worked examples for three rooms
In mid-range porcelain, supplied and fitted, including materials.
| Job | Area | London total |
|---|---|---|
| Bathroom, floor and full-height walls | 16 to 20 m² | £1,800 to £2,600 |
| Kitchen floor, straight lay | 10 to 15 m² | £600 to £2,000 |
| Kitchen splashback | 2 to 4 m² | £150 to £400 |
| Complete wet room installation (national figure) | 10 to 14 m² | £5,000 to £13,000 |
Check whether VAT is in every quote. A tiler turning over less than £90,000 is not VAT registered and charges none, while a larger firm adds 20%. Published cost guides rarely say which they assumed, so two quotes can differ by a fifth for no other reason.
Why the preparation decides the finish
Good tiling is almost entirely preparation: a flat, sound, primed substrate, setting out from the most visible line rather than the wall, full adhesive coverage behind every tile, and proper waterproofing. Poor preparation shows up as lippage, hollow tiles, cracked grout and, in wet areas, leaks found only when the ceiling below stains.
So when you compare quotes, check three things: the tile allowance assumed, the preparation included, and whether tanking is priced. A quote that is £800 cheaper has usually left one out. GS Renovation tiles across London and prices preparation and tanking openly rather than as an extra later. For a free quote, contact us or call 07472 424 226.