What should a commercial tiling brief or quotation include?
A commercial tiling quotation is easier to compare when it covers clearly defined surfaces and tasks. A marked-up brief helps reveal gaps in preparation or responsibilities before work starts. Share current drawings, approximate quantities, information about existing surfaces and your proposed access. Ask each contractor to state what is included, assumed or excluded.
This guide is for contractors, project managers, facilities teams and property operators commissioning specialist tiling as part of a wider project. ADKB’s commercial service covers floor tiling, wall tiling, counters, swimming pool surfaces and other confirmed tiled areas. It does not cover complete commercial fit-outs or non-tiling trades. See our commercial tiling service.
Define the commercial tiling scope
Give the project location, building, floor or room, and say whether it is a new build or refurbishment. List each tiled area separately. A café might need floor tiling in its customer area, wall tiling on a feature wall, and a tiled counter front. Calling the job a “café refurbishment” does not show which tiling work is included.
Mark the tiled areas on a plan. Show where they start and stop, including door openings, columns, fixed joinery, thresholds and changes to other finishes. If only part of a room is included, mark the boundary. State which work remains with the main contractor or another trade. A clear plan and short list of surfaces help everyone price the same work.
For a commercial pool project, name the surfaces to be tiled and show where the tiling package ends. Keep pool construction and plant work with the responsible contractor.
Send drawings and approximate quantities
Share the latest plans, elevations and finish schedule available. Mark each tiled area and give approximate quantities by room and surface. Where you can, record the floor area and tiled wall areas in square metres. List floor, wall and counter-front tiling separately. If measurements are provisional, say who will confirm them.
Highlight any potential openings or fixed features that may impact the amount of tiling required or the position of the edges. If you know in advance what tile is going to be used, then state the product reference, tile size and/or finish schedule. If there is still someone who needs to pick or approve, then state who that is and when they will make their decision. You can of course ask for a quote prior to final selection provided that the quote makes its assumptions very clear.
If the tiling job has several sites or phases, keep the drawings and material quantities separate for each one. This makes it easier to compare quotations on the same basis.
Describe existing surfaces and preparation
If you are working on a new build, provide details about the surfaces to be tiled and when the area will be ready. For refurbishments, describe the existing finish, what will be left and what will be removed and note any visible damage or level changes. Photos will show what is visible but won’t show what is underneath the existing finish.
If existing tiles are to be removed, mark the areas and ask whether removal and disposal are included. Ask which preparation tasks are included too. If the surface beneath the tiles cannot be assessed until removal, ask how any extra work will be explained and agreed before it is added. State who is responsible for waste, repairs and work outside the tiling package.
Confirm supply and finishing responsibilities
Who’s supplying the tiles? If you’re going to supply your own then who’s arranging the delivery, where are they to be stored and who’s going to check the quantities prior to tiling commencing? If it’s a product then of course give the reference so that the quote is on the same product.
Check that the quote covers removal of the old tiles, preparation of the area, installation of the new tiles and removal of the old. If it includes tile adhesive, grout, edge trims and the like, find out who supplies them and whether they are included. All other works such as plumbing, joinery, electrical and decorating should remain with the appropriate trades unless otherwise agreed in a separate scope.
Share access and working times
Let the contractor know when the area will be ready and what the site rules are. Cover how they’ll gain access to the site, when deliveries can occur, where the materials can be stored, any security or induction requirements, which areas need to remain open and whether any other trades will be working on site. If it’s phased work then let them know when each phase will be ready and in what order. This will help the tiling work sit neatly within the overall programme.
Ask the quotation to state the access and programme it assumes. We can discuss evening, out-of-hours and weekend tiling, with arrangements agreed for the individual project. If your project is in Birmingham, see our commercial tiling contractor page for Birmingham.
Compare assumptions, exclusions and changes
Ensure each quote is based on the same drawings, tiling areas and quantities. Check what is included in terms of supply, preparation, removal, installation, disposal and finishing. Be very mindful of any assumptions being made as to measurements, surface condition, area readiness, access and working times. Exclusions must clearly state what another trade is responsible for.
If the drawings, quantities or site conditions change, ask how the effect on the tiling work and programme will be reviewed. Agree any change before additional work starts. A total price alone will not tell you whether two quotations cover the same scope.
Examples from commercial tiling projects
At Cornish Bakery in Witney, ADKB’s documented work included a chequerboard floor with geometric borders, terracotta-coloured feature walls and a textured white counter frontage. The tiling included cuts around columns, entrances and fixed joinery. See the Cornish Bakery commercial tiling project.
At Five Guys, ADKB prepared the floor and installed dark grey tiles throughout the dining areas and walkways, carefully cutting tiles to fit around columns and fixed features. Click the link to the Five Guys commercial floor tiling project to view it.
What should a commercial tiling quotation show?
A clear tiling quote should let you see what work each contractor has allowed for. Ask for it to identify:
- The rooms and tiled surfaces, with quantities or measurements marked as provisional where needed.
- Whether floor tiling, wall tiling, counters or pool surfaces are included.
- Who supplies the tiles, tile adhesive and grout, edge trims and other specified materials.
- Whether preparation, removal, installation, waste and disposal are included.
- The access, working times, phasing, assumptions and exclusions.
- How changes to the drawings, quantities or site conditions will be reviewed and agreed.
For advice on planning and selecting tiles for a commercial kitchen floor, see our separate commercial kitchen floor tiling guide. This guide focuses on the brief and quotation scope across commercial tiling.
Discuss a commercial tiling quotation
To discuss your commercial tiling project, send us the location, tiled areas, available drawings and proposed access window. Contact ADKB to discuss the tiling scope and information needed.