Guide
Cost to tile a bathroom: floor, walls, shower and the prep lines
The cost to tile a bathroom depends on which surfaces get tile, the tile you pick and the prep under it. The lines a tile quote should separate, and what to ask.
Updated November 7, 20267 min readReviewed by BathBudget Editorial Team, editorial review: primary sources checked and independently fact-checked
The cost to tile a bathroom comes down to three things: which surfaces get tile (the floor, the walls, the shower surround), the tile you choose, and the prep under it. The tile is the part you can see and compare. The labour and the prep, from tearing out the old surface to the backer board and waterproofing behind a shower, are where quotes split. We haven't found a government source that publishes a national price for tiling, so this guide sets out what to ask for, line by line, and points you to an estimate for your own scope.
What the cost to tile a bathroom covers: floor, walls or shower
"Tiling the bathroom" can mean a floor of 40 square feet or every wet wall in the room. Before you compare prices, get each quote to say which of these it covers:
| Area | What the work can include | What to ask |
|---|---|---|
| Floor | Removing the old floor, checking the subfloor, levelling, setting and grouting tile | Is the old floor coming up, and what happens if the subfloor is soft? |
| Walls outside the shower | Preparing the wall, setting tile to a stated height, trim pieces at the edges | How high does the tile go, and what finishes the top edge? |
| Shower or tub surround | Tear-out to the studs or backer, new backer board, a waterproofing layer, tile, any niche | Which backer and which waterproofing system, by name? |
The Bureau of Labor Statistics describes the trade plainly: tile setters cut tiles using wet saws, tile scribes, or handheld tile cutters, then "use trowels of different sizes to spread mortar or a sticky paste, called mastic, evenly on the work surface before placing the tiles." Grout goes in after the tiles are set. On remodels, BLS notes, workers may need to remove old flooring and smooth the surface first, because "installing floors and tiles requires a smooth, even base of mortar or plywood."
That prep is the part a quick price per square foot can leave out.
Bathroom tile installation cost: labour, tile and prep
Most tile quotes have three parts. Ask for each one as its own number.
- Labour. Ask whether it's priced per square foot, per area or as a flat figure, and what it includes: removal, prep, setting, grout, sealing, trim and cleanup. Ask too whether the tile size, a pattern or a niche changes the labour price.
- Tile and setting materials. If the contractor supplies the tile, ask for the allowance per square foot in writing, and how much extra tile they're allowing for cuts and breakage. If you supply it, ask how much to buy.
- Prep. Removal and disposal, subfloor repair, backer board and waterproofing. These are the lines most likely to be missing or vague.
For a sense of what the labour is worth, BLS gives a median annual wage for tile and stone setters of $55,690 in May 2025. That's what the worker is paid, not what a contractor charges per hour.
If you want a low, typical and high figure for your own scope, with the line items a real quote has, the estimator does that:
The prep lines that make or break a tile job
These are the lines worth asking about before you compare totals.
Removal and what's under it. Ask whether removing the old tile or flooring is included, and how the debris leaves the house. In an older home, ask first what the old floor is made of. EPA lists "vinyl floor tiles and the backing on vinyl sheet flooring and adhesives" among the products that may contain asbestos, and says that in general, exposure may occur only when the material "is disturbed or damaged in some way." Tearing up a floor is that kind of disturbance. Our bathroom demolition cost guide covers testing and the lead paint rule for pre-1978 homes.
The subfloor. Ask what happens, and what it costs, if the floor under the old tile is soft or wet. The EPA's mold guide says "the key to mold control is moisture control," that mold may be hidden on the back side of drywall, wallpaper or paneling, and that if you clean up mold but don't fix the water problem, the mold problem will most likely come back.
Backer board. Behind shower tile, ask which board goes up. Philadelphia's Department of Licenses and Inspections, in a code bulletin on water-resistant gypsum board (issued 2000, revised 2010), quotes a section of the city's building code as it stood then: glass mat water-resistant gypsum backing panels, fiber-cement substrate sheets or fiber-mat reinforced cement substrate sheets "shall be used as a base for wall tile in tub and shower areas." The same bulletin says green board, the paper-faced water-resistant gypsum board, "is not a waterproof material and will deteriorate if subjected to extended or repeated application of water." Codes differ by place and edition, so ask your building department what applies where you live.
Waterproofing. Ask which system the quote includes, by name, and where it starts and stops. What a bathroom quote should itemise explains why this is the line to press on.
Niches, benches and edges. A recessed shelf in the shower wall, a bench, or a decorative band each adds cuts and waterproofing details. Ask for them as separate lines so you can see what each one adds.
Shower tile cost: why the surround is its own job
A shower surround gets wet every day, so the work behind the tile is part of the price. When you get a shower tile cost, ask whether it includes tearing out to the studs, new backer board, the waterproofing layer, the tile and the niche, or only setting tile on walls someone else has prepared.
If the whole shower is being replaced, our shower replacement cost guide compares tile with prefab and panel walls and lists the lines to get itemised for the base, valve and glass.
How to read a tile line on a quote
When quotes come in, put them side by side and check each one for these:
| Line on the quote | What a clear version says |
|---|---|
| Area | Floor, walls (to what height), shower surround, in square feet |
| Tile | Supplied by whom, the allowance per square foot, and the overage for cuts |
| Removal | What comes out, and whether disposal is included |
| Subfloor and wall repair | How it's priced if damage turns up |
| Backer and waterproofing | The products by name, and where they go |
| Extras | Niche, bench, pattern, trim pieces, sealing |
| Dates | A start and a completion date |
The FTC's home improvement advice says to get multiple estimates, and that a written estimate should include a description of the work to be done, materials, completion date, and the price. It also says not to automatically choose the lowest bidder, not to pay the full amount up front, and to check with your state or county government to confirm a contractor's licence. The quote compare tool puts up to three quotes side by side, with the questions to ask:
Does retiling a bathroom need a permit?
It depends on the place and on what else is changing. Orange County, California's residential bathroom remodel guideline for the 2022 California codes is one example. It says bathroom remodels generally require permits, and counts "removal & replacement of the wallboard" as part of a remodel. Replacing floor coverings "where no other work is included" it treats as a maintenance item with no permit required. So a floor-only retile and a shower rebuilt down to the studs can land on different sides of the line. Ask your building department, and see do I need a permit to remodel a bathroom for the general pattern. The FTC lists a contractor asking you to get the required building permits as a warning sign.
When tile is part of a bigger job
If the tile is coming up because of a leak, or the layout or fixtures are changing too, the tile work becomes one part of a remodel:
The bathroom remodel cost guide explains the scope levels and why allowances explain so many quote differences. In a small room, small bathroom remodel cost explains why tile is one of the few lines that shrinks with the floor area.
Bottom line
The cost to tile a bathroom depends on how much is being tiled, the tile, and the prep underneath, and the prep is where quotes differ most. Get the floor, walls and shower priced on separate lines, with removal, backer board and waterproofing named, and check the area in square feet matches across quotes. Then compare like with like.
Common questions
What decides the cost to tile a bathroom?
Which surfaces get tile (floor, walls, shower surround), how many square feet that is, the tile itself, and the prep underneath: removing the old surface, levelling, backer board and waterproofing. Ask each quote to price labour, tile and prep on separate lines.
Can shower tile go over green board?
Check your local code first. Philadelphia's building department, in a code bulletin last revised in 2010, quotes a section of the city's code as it stood then, requiring glass mat, fiber-cement or fiber-mat reinforced cement backers as the base for wall tile in tub and shower areas, and says green board is not a waterproof material.
Do I need a permit to retile a bathroom floor?
It depends on where you live and what else is changing. Orange County, California's remodel guideline treats replacing floor coverings, with no other work, as maintenance that needs no permit, while removing and replacing wallboard is part of a remodel, and remodels generally require permits. Ask your building department.
How much do tile setters earn?
The Bureau of Labor Statistics gives a median annual wage of $55,690 for tile and stone setters in May 2025. That is what workers are paid, not what a contractor charges you.
Sources
- BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook: Flooring installers and tile and stone setters
- City of Philadelphia, Department of Licenses and Inspections: Code Bulletin B-0001 R1, Water resistant gypsum backing board
- OC Public Works (Orange County, CA): Residential bathroom remodel requirements, 2022 California codes
- EPA: A brief guide to mold, moisture and your home
- EPA: Learn about asbestos
- FTC consumer advice: How to avoid a home improvement scam
By BathBudget Editorial Team. First published November 7, 2026. Advertiser disclosure
Keep reading
