Tiling materials per square meter?

SilverSix

I've got about 60 square meters of tiling to do in a new build when it completes in October.

Initially I was planning on paying a tiler to do it all and had estimated £30 per square meter for tiles and the same for labour & fitting materials, generous I know but I like to over budget.

I've decided I'd like to save myself a considerable sum and having read up on what's involved I'm confident this is something I'm quite capable of doing.

Is anybody able to estimate how much the cost of tiling (excluding tiles) per square meter is likely to be?

So for:

Adhesive
Grout
Spacers
Sealant

(Trowels, buckets etc I'm sure won't break the bank and I've a friend who has a tile cutter I can borrow).

I've no idea how much adhesive or grout costs or how many bags/kilo's I'll need in total.

Any guesstimates would be great.

Thanks

Benny

Oldsoak

If you can get a topps trade account or know someone with one, then the following is a rough idea of wahat you will need.
Assuming it is walls being tiled, you will need 5 or 6 tubs at around £5.50 (for tiles upto about 200x250mm in ceramic). if larger tiles in ceramic 5 or 6 bags of single part adhesive £8.50/bag. If on plasterboard it will need to be single part flexible adhesive(SPF). If its porcelain, it will need to contain porcelbond and it starts at about £10/bag.
The grout will cost £14 for Bal Microban per bag.
Silicone is anywhere between £5-10 per tube depending on make etc.
Spacers will cost about £3 for plent (1000+).
All above are rough ideas and can be sourced for more or less depending (remember to factor in running round and petrol. Spend £1 on product or £2 on petrol to get it for £1 less???).
Prices will depend on the surface being tiled as well as the material being used.
If you know the surface, tile material and size and you want more advice you can post on here or PM me.
Hope this helps. Good luck.

SilverSix

Thanks for the reply, very helpful!

I have, most likely, polished ceramic tiles for the downstairs hall, WC, understairs cupboard, kitchen, breakfast area & utility. I'm told this will be bare concrete and will need to be latexed?

Upstairs the bathrooms with be plasterboard walls with chipboard floors. I plan to fully tile the floors and full height tiling to all walls.

Any recommendations or direction as to which adhesives are best would be well received

Edit: I'm unsure on tile sizes at the moment as it is a long way off and also what's available or on offer.

If for example I used something to the similar tune/price of this:

http://www.wickes.co.uk/floor-tile-adhesive/invt/230634/

£15 would cover roughly 5 sq.meters. 1sq meter = £3 * 60 meters to tile = £180ish for adhesive.

http://www.wickes.co.uk/floor-and-wall-tile-grout/invt/230637/

A few bags of grout, spacers, drill mixer attachment, trowels and some buckets and a few other pieces will most like be between £300-400, does that seem like a fair estimate?

The_Blue_Hatter

Alternatively have you thought about trying the walls yourself and getting a pro in to do the floors (walls are easier than floors apparently)? If your not sure what needs to be latexed, havent tiled before and want to use polished tiles it sounds like a pigs ear in the making if im honest.

will-he-payitoff

I would try tiling the toilet first and see how good you are.

cddc

BAL or Mapei are the brands most used by pro tilers. Mapei tends to be cheaper unless you can wangle yourself a trade account with the likes of Topps for BAL. For gods sake don't buy it from Topps at retail price though, the prices are ridiculous.

Wickes tile adhesive is made by Weber and is pretty decent for the price if you want to save a bit of money.

Coverage rates will vary depending on how heavy handed you are with your trowel. Budget on 5sqm per 15kg tub or 20kg bag.

Are you sure that the polished tiles you want to use are ceramic?
They are most probably porcelain which are much tougher and a :eek: to cut if you are not used to it. Ideally hire a pro-cutter or a decent wet cutter if they are.

Toilets and sinks look much better if you remove them first and tile under them as it is really hard to do good curved cuts round pans and pedestals.

There are plenty of good websites and books available full of tips on good tiling practice. Read and digest!

Best of luck!

tpt

Depending what kind of concrete floor your having laid (powerfloated??) you wont need to latex it. but you will need to let it dry. a good rule of thumb is a week an inch of concrete (thickness). the reason is the floor shrinks as it dries, and so will pop your lovely floor tiles back up. same goes for plastered walls (couple of weeks). one very easy way to save money BTW is not to plaster the walls your going to tile. just tile straight onto plasterboard, its a better surface for tiling and can actually stand more weight.

Addy wise, go for Bal or Granfix, please dont use wickes (quality AND price) or topps (Price )

If your thiniking of doing this yourself, it will be easier in a new build property, as you will have a nice blank canvas. Get your self a good cutter, especially if its porcelain and a decent diy water cooled cutter (expect less than £150 for both) and read read read. setting out properly is the big deal.

If you need more advice, please ask me.

I sell tiles for a living, im sure i can help with a good deal on that sort of area and can supply everything you need. or you can just use me for free advice - your choice. i wont post a link to my site as it looks spammy - the name is TradePriceTiles (dot co dot uk)