How to Bid on Tile Work | eHow

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Renee Miller

Renee Miller has been writing professionally since 2008. Her accomplishments include being featured in Harlots' Sauce online magazine in January 2009, among others. She studied communications at Auburn University. She is currently a designer for an upscale floral design shop. She decorates homes and businesses, designs wedding flowers and is known for her exquisite sympathy designs.

When bidding on tile work there are many things to consider if you are to come out on top. The goal is to make a profit from your hard work without leaving your customer feeling as though he or she has been gouged for money. By taking the time to consider any obstacles that may hinder your progress, you will be ready to place a fair bid with a pleasing outcome for all parties involved.

Know your area. Prices that work in the Midwest won't get you hired in the Deep South. The flip side is that while undercutting the competition with low prices you may find yourself just getting by rather than benefiting from your expertise. A tile job in Mississippi can run as low as 60 cents per square foot while a person in Indiana will be lucky to get the same work done for $1.25 per square foot, not including the price of materials.

Decide if you want to factor in the price of materials. Often it behooves a client to pay outright for materials, then allow you to bid on the labor. If this scenario is easier for you---especially if you don't have a line of credit or rapport with a local vendor---this is the route to take.

Height matters. Ten-foot ceilings can usually be hung with ease and the aide of stilts. Anything higher than that will necessitate building and using scaffolds, taking precious time. The higher the ceiling, the higher your bid should be.

Consider the type of tile. If you are installing flat tile, your job is pretty cut and dried. However, revealed tile requires a lot of cutting and precise measuring to ensure a uniform look across the ceiling. Raise your price by at least 25 cents per square foot if you have to cut it in.

Price according to room shape. A simple square or rectangular room with minimal angles should be priced lower than a room with multiple corners and heights. These factors will once again affect the amount of time you spend laying in the tile, maneuvering around turns and scaffolds, plus the painstaking techniques required to hang the tile in a satisfactory manner.

Bid lower for a replacement job. Often a tile job will already have perfectly reusable grid in place. If you are simply replacing tile you should cut your price by at least a third. This type of job can be done in half the time and bidding it accordingly is not only fair but will probably gain you referrals in the future.

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How to Bid on Tile Work | eHow