How much a tiler can tile in a day

The figures

Checkatrade's tiling cost guide (June 2026) gives 10 to 15 m² of wall tiles or 8 to 12 m² of floor tiles a day for one tiler. Its large format guide gives 10 to 15 m² a day for large tiles too. MyJobQuote's wall tiling guide works on a slower figure, about 5 m² of wall a day. For a whole bathroom, walls and floor, Checkatrade gives three to four days and MyJobQuote about four.

Why the figure varies

Those are tiling days on a prepared surface. Preparation comes first and is often a day of its own: stripping old tiles, levelling a floor, overboarding timber or tanking a shower. Cuts take longer than whole tiles, so a small room with a basin, a WC and a window is slower per m² than an open floor. Small tiles and mosaic have more joints; patterns such as herringbone need setting out and angled cuts at every wall.

Waiting is part of the job

Tiles are usually grouted the day after they are fixed, once standard adhesive has set, so even a small floor is often two visits. Tanking may need curing before tiling, levelling compound needs drying, and new plaster must be fully dry first. These waits are why a quote in days can look long for the area.

How this site estimates days

The tiling job card on this site starts from the wall area divided by 12 and the floor area divided by 10, the midpoints of Checkatrade's figures, adds half a day for every 10 m² of old tiles to come off, multiplies by 1.3 for herringbone or diagonal layouts and by 1.5 for mosaic, and rounds up to the half day. It is a starting point for a conversation with a tiler, not a quote.

Common questions