Estimating by trade
Tile estimating software: the tile is the cheap part, price what's under it
Tile bids die on blended square-foot prices. The floor prep, the waterproofing, the mosaic pan that runs four times slower than the field tile, the niche and the bench — that is the actual job. BuiltSum ships those as assemblies priced with your labor rate, burden and markup. The estimator below is live — load the tile pack and price a real bathroom.
Live estimator
Demo & prep
Floors
Walls & showers
Finish
Factors
Pack v2026.08: starting defaults for a mid-market US crew — edit any unit cost or production rate below to your numbers. Save estimates to your account and these become your own price book.
| Description | Qty | Unit | Mat $/unit | Labor hr/unit | Material | Labor | Price |
|---|
- Material
- $0.00
- Labor hours
- 0
- Labor (burdened)
- $0.00
- Cost
- $0.00
- Markup
- $0.00
- Bid price
- $0.00
The chain: this estimate → schedule of values → monthly AIA-style pay applications. All free, and saved in your browser until you put it in an account.
Prep as its own money
Demo and disposal, backer board hung and taped, self-leveling pours, uncoupling membrane and liquid waterproofing — each a line with labor and material, because the tile never shows the work that makes it flat and dry.
Format changes the labor rate
12x24 porcelain, large-format add-on with lippage control, mosaics, natural stone with sealing, subway on running bond, and a pattern factor for diagonal and herringbone. Same room, different numbers — as it should be.
Showers counted, not squared
Sloped mud pans, curbs, preformed niches, benches, full-height walls and electric floor heat are each-count assemblies with real hours attached, so a custom shower stops being a guess with grout on it.
The tile itself rides as an allowance or owner-supplied line, so a client's late slab selection changes one number. For commercial contracts, pair the estimate with the free pay application generator and the schedule of values builder.
Assemblies in this pack
20 assemblies ship in pack 2026.08. Every material cost and labor rate below is a starting default for a mid-market, non-union crew — edit any of them, and your own won jobs become the defaults over time.
Demo & prep
- Demo existing tile & setting bed + disposalSF
- Cement backer board — 1/2", screwed & tapedSF
- Self-leveling underlayment — primer + pour to 1/2"SF
- Uncoupling membrane over slab or subfloorSF
- Liquid waterproofing membrane — wet areas, 2 coatsSF
Floors
- Porcelain floor tile — 12x24, thinset, grouted & sealedSF
- Large-format add-on — 24x48 and up: lippage control, flat-floor prepSF
- Mosaic floor — shower pans, small format on meshSF
- Natural stone floor — seal both sides, tighter jointsSF
- Electric floor heat — mat, sensor & thermostat, under tileSF
Walls & showers
- Tub surround — wall tile to 6 ft above tubSF
- Shower walls — full height, 12x24 stacked or offsetSF
- Subway tile — 3x6 running bond, backsplash or wainscotSF
- Shower niche — preformed, waterproofed, tiled & trimmedEA
- Shower bench — build, waterproof, tileEA
- Shower curb — form, waterproof, tile 3 sidesLF
- Shower pan — sloped mud bed, drain, waterproofedEA
Finish
- Metal edge trim — outside corners, wall terminationsLF
- Movement joints — color-matched silicone at plane changesLF
Factors
- Pattern factor — diagonal, herringbone: layout + cuts + wasteSF
Frequently asked questions
How do you estimate a tile job?
Setting labor by SF and format, prep as its own money, and the shower parts counted each. A 12x24 porcelain floor, a mosaic pan and a herringbone backsplash are three different labor rates on the same job — and the backer board, leveling and waterproofing under them are lines the tile never shows. The assemblies on this page carry that split; enter quantities and your rate, and labor hours, material and price come out.
Should tile be priced by the square foot?
Setting labor, yes — but only per format and pattern, which is why a single blended SF price keeps burning tile setters on Reddit. Large format needs lippage control and a flatter floor, mosaics run four times slower than 12x24, and niches, benches, curbs and pans are each-count items, not square footage. The pack prices them that way, and carries the tile itself as an allowance line you can fold in or keep owner-supplied.
Does it cover shower waterproofing properly?
Yes — as visible lines, because that is where tile bids and tile lawsuits both start. Liquid membrane by SF, sloped mud pans, curbs, preformed niches and benches each carry their own labor and material, so the difference between a surround and a full custom shower is on paper before the demo starts.
Can I bill a commercial tile contract from the same estimate?
Yes. On tenant-improvement and multifamily work the GC wants a schedule of values and monthly G702/G703-style pay applications with retainage. An accepted estimate becomes that schedule of values, and each month rolls forward with change orders on their own lines — no retyping into Excel.
Estimate it once. Bill it every month.
Unlimited projects on every plan. Free field users. 14-day trial, no card.
Start free