How much to install 12x12 wall tile?

[HardDrive]

I have a cousin who has been doing some tile work for me. I've been paying her $7 a sq ft for installing floor tile. Above the local rate, but hey, she's my younger cousin, and does great work.

I need to her to install some 12x12 that match the floor in the bathroom, and then a pencil/tile/chair rail detail on top. The 12x12 need to go in before I will have the detail tiles in hand (need to finish my plumbing trim out), so I'm going to pay her for that alone.

Same price as floor?

Any idea how much I should be paying her for the detail on top?

[matt f]

I'm not a contractor, but have had alot of tile work done at my cabin. ( over 5000 sq ft of work)
Detail work was paid at 1.25-1.5x the flat sq ft rate.

[trekkor]

Why pay by the sq ft?

I have never worked by the square foot.



KT

[matt f]

Every contractor that came to quote me a price measured the area of the job. After material was factored in and a price given i would divide the price by the sq ft of the job to give me a dollar cost per sq ft. Perhaps the contractor wasn't figuring price per sq ft but i used my calculation to compare contractor a to contractor b, etc.

[Zeke]

Originally Posted by matt f

Every contractor that came to quote me a price measured the area of the job. After material was factored in and a price given i would divide the price by the sq ft of the job to give me a dollar cost per sq ft. Perhaps the contractor wasn't figuring price per sq ft but i used my calculation to compare contractor a to contractor b, etc.

Not a bad method as long as the area and conditions are exact. Change anything and the per sq ft price will change. So, sq ft prices are fine for airports where area trumps most everything.

$ per sq ft is a guide only. It is very useful to make sure prices calculated are what they are supposed to be. In the end, though, it's the job that is being priced because the same job at another house may cost more or less.

[trekkor]

I've had people call my office many times asking for a square foot price.
I don't have one. I won't ever give one.

I measure the job, determine the cost of materials and construction methods I am going to use and the TOTAL amount of time I am going to spend doing the job.

If you want to come up with a "square foot" price based on that, fine.

I can set 3-400 square feet of ceramic 12x12 floor tile over a flawless, wide open, surface in a day, no problem.
Add surface defects, door ways, hall ways, cabinets, floor registers, walls out of square, diagonal layout, etc, and I may not even get 100 feet down.

Bidding by the square foot is what a production shop will do.
Fast work is usually low quality.


KT

[matt f]

Originally Posted by Zeke

Not a bad method as long as the area and conditions are exact. Change anything and the per sq ft price will change. So, sq ft prices are fine for airports where area trumps most everything.

$ per sq ft is a guide only. It is very useful to make sure prices calculated are what they are supposed to be. In the end, though, it's the job that is being priced because the same job at another house may cost more or less.

The quotes i am comparing are for exactly the same job. I break itdown to sq ft pricing to explain to equally qualified bidders why i chose the contractor i did. Black and white, no fuss.

[john70t]

I thought labor was usually 20-30% of the entire job, so I just guessing this could be close to ballpark pricing if nicer tiles are being used.

Take measurement of the room in feet and multiply by 7 to find labor.

Make absolutely sure the shower floor and ledges are leveled to drain all water into the drain, and that the drain/plumbing is installed and sealed correctly.
Grout has to be complete and sealed.
That stuff can destroy houses.


It's a relatively small job, and a family member doing it right.
What was the question?

[ElmerBento]

Every contractor that came to quote me a price measured the area of the job

[trekkor]

Originally Posted by ElmerBento

Every contractor that came to quote me a price measured the area of the job

Of course we do, but it would absurd to apply a square foot multiplier to produce a price.


A 30 square foot backsplash could take as long as a 60 square foot bathroom floor or a 200 square foot kitchen floor...


KT

[VINMAN]

I'm in the same line of thinking as Trekkor . I give my customers prices based on the work involved, not the size of the job There are always too many variables Especially with bathroom remodeling

[HardDrive]

Thanks guys.