how much to charge???????????

[marc shunter]

hello...........
ive just recently started doing tiling and hope to make a living out of it,but im not sure how much to charge................is it best to charge a day rate or by metre? and how much is a day rate? and how much by the metre? i live and will be working in the south of england ie.sussex

i would be very grateful if someone could give me there opinion on pricing

thanks

[grumpygrouter]

Whether you charge day rate or per m2 depends on the job. As for rates in your area, I'm afraid I can't help on that one - I'm in the north of Scotland.

Usually, if you have a large easy shape a m2 rate can work out better for you where as a smaller or more complex shape regarding cuts and such may work out better for you as a day rate.

Unfortunately, what you can charge is dictated by the market forces and competition in your area. The quicker you get the more likely that m2 rate will apply as you can lay more in a day and earn more than you would if you just charged a straight day rate.

Grumpy

[Leatherface]

Always a hard one mate.
First as a new tiler you will want to get some jobs under your belt and experience and worry that if you go in too dear that you will not get the job.
Just as a guide here are a few prices :

Plain ceramic tiles, not large format : £18 to £20 per metre plus materials
Large format ceramic tiles ( walls) : £22 per metre plus materials
Porcelain £20 to £28 per metre plus materials - depending upon size, thickness and if they need sealing
Natural stone £30 to £40 per metre plus materials.

Work out a price relating to meterage rate plus materials. Then think about how long it will take you , then work back to convert this into your daily rate. then you can decide if you want to up or lower the price to make your wage.

One word of advice .... don't go in too cheap. This will be no good for your self esteem working for peanuts. The customer will still want a good job doing, so charge to reflect this. Also tilers who work for peanuts and under-cut everyone else are doing the trade a dis-service. I get really annoyed when I hear of tilers working for £80 a day plus materials. If I wanted to earn that I could get a job in a warehouse.

DO A GOOD JOB AT A FAIR PRICE - GET A GOOD REP - AND THE WORK WILL COME

[marc shunter]

thanks for your advice

[brummie tiler]

Just as a ball park figure you should be looking for about £20 m2 for ceramics, but like grumps says prices are not set in stone. depends on area you live, cuts, surface prep etc. many things to be taken into account.

[marc shunter]

thanks for that advice mate, like you say you dont want to quote to cheap and then on the other hand quote too much you scare people off..........

[Leatherface]

Cheers,
don't be scared of giving a realistic price. Going in too cheap can sometimes work against you- customer may think you are a fly by night.
Just quoted a 60 sq m limestone floor , tiles are 600 x 400 x 20mm thick.
Quoted 35 per metre plus materials. Plus self levelling pert of the floor.
Customer is paying for materials and self leveller and sealer up front : £700
They are paying me £1990 cash for tiling and self levelling labour.

Would have been quite easy to go in cheap to get the job - take a gamble and put in a fair and realistic price for your work

[tysfoot]

How long do you rekon it will take you to complete.


Whats the most yourve made if youve worked a job out on a day rate ?

[marc shunter]

the 2 jobs ive got lined up to do, i think one will take 2 days and the other 3 days. the jobs ive done so far have been mates and family so its been cheaper, but is £100 -£130 a realistic day rate to ask???????????

[tysfoot]

Im new to tiling and i dont have enough regular work yet so im starting a new job in two weeks 6pm - 10pm mon to fri pays about £180 so then ive got all day every day, probably put 6 - 7 hours a day in tiling so i will be happy charging £100 - £130 a day rate.


Before xmas i was always underchaging cos i felt bad, i was working on £80 a day. made me feel sick sometimes, got my moral right down....

NOT ANYMORE

[Leatherface]

£750 cash for 2 days - labour only - marble floor
They were long days mind - 12 hrs

[marc shunter]

thanks mate.........................