The short version
To write a tiling invoice, show the area in square feet with the rate and the tile format priced, put preparation and waterproofing on their own lines, list adhesive and grout, state the waste allowance, and say who supplied the tiles.
What goes on a tiler invoice
Six things, in the order they belong on the page. The invoice generator opens a tiler document with the lines already in place, so most of this is checking rather than typing.
- Show the area and the rate per square foot. It is the unit the trade prices in and the one a customer can check.
- Charge for the format, not just the area. Large format, mosaic and patterned lays take different time on the same wall.
- Put preparation and tanking on their own lines. Boarding, leveling and waterproofing are separate work with separate materials.
- List adhesive, grout and trims. They are supplied goods with real cost and they vary by substrate.
- State the waste allowance. Cuts, breakages and pattern matching consume tiles beyond the floor area.
- Note who supplied the tiles. A customer buying their own changes the warranty, the shortfall risk and the batch matching.
The lines a tiler invoice usually carries
The generator opens with these lines when you pick Tiler. The figures are placeholders to type over, not a going rate.
| Line | What it covers | Qty | Opens at |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tiling (per sq ft) | Set out and fix the tiles, keeping the joints even and the cuts to the least visible edges. | 225 | $4.40 |
| Tile adhesive and grout | Adhesive, grout, spacers and sealant for the area being tiled. | 1 | $120 |
| Waterproofing and prep | Prime and tank the surface where it is going to get wet, before any tile is fixed. | 1 | $180 |
| Labor (per day) | Fixing and grouting time by the day, including setting out and silicone finishing. | 2 | $250 |
Add, rename, reorder or delete any line, and set tax per line where it applies. Priced as they open, that comes to $1,790 before tax.
How to write a tiling invoice, step by step
- Measure the area you tiled and note the format. Open the tiler invoice and enter the square footage with the tile size in the description, such as 12 by 24 inch porcelain. Large format and mosaic take different time on the same area.
- Put the waterproofing on its own line. Priming and tanking a shower wall is work the customer will never see once the tiles are on. Name it, with the area it covered.
- Add adhesive, grout and trims. From the supplier receipt, as one materials line, with the grout color named for the day someone needs to match it.
- Record who supplied the tiles. If the customer bought them, write customer-supplied tiles and your position on breakages and a batch that runs short.
- Add the days, then send. Fixing and grouting days go on with the count. Set 14 days and send it after the silicone is finished, with the waste allowance stated in the notes.
Tiling invoice example, filled in
A bathroom with the shower walls waterproofed and tiled in large format porcelain the customer supplied. The area and format are on the tiling line, and the waterproofing is priced on its own because it disappears behind the tiles.
INVOICE
Bill to
Omar Haddad
29 Beacon Street, Harrow Hill
Work carried out at
Same address, main bathroom and shower
Quote Q-2026-064
| Description | Qty | Rate | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tiling (per sq ft) | 225 | $4.40 | $990.00 |
| Tile adhesive and grout | 1 | $120 | $120 |
| Waterproofing and prep | 1 | $180 | $180 |
| Labor (per day) | 2 | $250 | $500 |
| Subtotal | $1,790 |
| Tax at 10% | $179 |
| Total due | $1,969 |
Tiles and waste. 12 by 24 inch porcelain supplied by the customer. 10% cutting allowance advised in writing at quote. Grout: light gray.
Subtotal $1,790, tax $179, total $1,969. The tiling line shows 225 square feet at $4.40, which a customer can check against the room. The note names the tile format and grout color, the two details that decide both the price and every repair later.
Preparation, tanking and the wall you cannot see
A tiled surface is only as good as what it went onto, and most tiling failures are preparation failures that appear months later.
Bill preparation as its own line: removing old tiles, boarding, leveling, priming. In a wet area, tanking is a separate line again with the system named, because it is a warranty item and because it is the part a customer will otherwise assume was included in the tiling rate.
This also gives you the record you need if a customer declines it. If they chose not to have a shower tanked, the invoice showing it offered and not taken is what protects you when water finds its way through.
Format, cuts and why two identical areas price differently
Six square feet of six hundred by six hundred porcelain and six square feet of mosaic are the same area and completely different jobs.
Reflect format in the rate rather than trying to explain it after the fact, and say on the quote which format the rate was based on. If the customer changes tile choice after quoting, that is a re-price, and it is much easier to have that conversation with the original assumption written down.
Cuts are the same story. Niches, windows, curved walls and a herringbone or brick bond lay all add hours, and where they are significant they belong as their own line so the customer sees the complexity they chose.
Customer-supplied tiles, breakages and the batch that ran out
Tiles bought by the customer are a common source of a stalled tiling job, because the shortfall appears on day two and the same batch is no longer available.
Put the position on the invoice: goods fitted as supplied, breakage and cutting waste at the customer cost, and no responsibility for batch or shade variation. Then advise the ordering quantity in writing at quote stage, including the waste percentage, so the shortfall is visibly not your decision.
Where you supply, the opposite is true and you should say so, because supplying is a service worth paying for: correct quantity, matched batch, replacements handled by you.
Hourly, fixed price or per unit: how tilers price the work
Tiling is priced per square foot and then adjusted for everything the square foot does not know about: the format of the tile, the lay pattern, the number of cuts and the state of the wall behind it. Two identical areas can be a day apart.
| Model | Where it wins | What it quietly costs you |
|---|---|---|
| Per square foot | Straightforward walls and floors in a standard format | A mosaic and a large format porcelain are not the same job at the same rate |
| Per job, fixed | Bathrooms and wet rooms, where the customer wants a single number | Preparation and tanking are unknown until the old surface is off |
| Day rate | Intricate work, pattern lays, restoration, anything unpredictable | It rewards the slow tiler, which is not the message you want to send |
Set the rate against the format you were shown and say so on the quote. When the customer changes tile after quoting, that is a re-price rather than an argument, and having the original format in writing is what makes that a two-line conversation.
Working out what to charge
Tiling prices depend on the format, the substrate and the pattern, so two rooms of the same size rarely cost the same. The cost estimator builds a price from your own materials and fixing time, and the markup calculator sets the margin on adhesive and grout.
Getting paid once it is sent
On wet rooms, take a deposit that covers the waterproofing and materials before you start, and invoice the balance once the silicone has cured and the customer has seen the finished room. If the due date passes, the late fee calculator works out what your terms allow and the due date calculator sets the new date.
Five dates decide whether a tiler gets paid on time, and four of them are set before the work starts.
Mistakes that cost tilers money
- One price for the room. No area, no rate, nothing checkable.
- Same rate for every tile format. Large format and mosaic take different time and it should show.
- Tanking assumed to be included. A wet area failure with nothing on paper about who declined it.
- Waste not advised in writing. The tiles run out on day two and the batch has gone.
- Adhesive and grout absorbed. Materials that vary with the substrate paid out of your margin.
Tiler invoice questions
How do I write a tiling invoice?
Show the area and the rate per square foot, state the tile format the rate was based on, bill preparation and tanking as their own lines, list adhesive, grout and trims, and note who supplied the tiles. The generator opens a tiling invoice with area, preparation, materials and labor already listed.
How should I price tiling?
Per square foot, with the rate set by format and complexity rather than area alone, plus separate lines for preparation, tanking, materials and any intricate cutting.
Should tanking be a separate charge?
Yes. It is a distinct system with its own materials and its own warranty implication, and showing it separately is also what records the customer decision if they decline it.
How much waste should I allow?
Advise the allowance in writing at quote stage and state it on the invoice. The exact percentage depends on the format, the lay pattern and the number of cuts, and the important part is that the customer orders on your figure rather than on the room size.
What if the customer supplies the tiles?
Fit them and state on the invoice that goods were installed as supplied, that breakage and cutting waste are at their cost and that batch or shade variation is not your responsibility.
Why do two rooms of the same size cost different amounts?
Format and cuts. Large format porcelain, mosaic, patterned lays, niches and window reveals all change the hours on an identical area, which is why the rate should reference the format quoted.
What should a tiling invoice include?
Your details and the customer, the property, the area with the rate and format, preparation, tanking where used, adhesive, grout and trims, any complex cutting, the total and your terms.
What does a tiling invoice look like?
Like the example on this page: your business and the client at the top, an invoice number, the issue date and a due date 14 days out, then tiling (per sq ft), tile adhesive and grout, waterproofing and prep and labor (per day) as separate lines, each with a quantity, rate and amount. Below them sit the subtotal ($1,790), tax on its own line and the total due ($1,969), then the payment terms and a note on tiles and waste.
Free tiler invoice template
The free tiler invoice template opens with the lines above already priced, in any of 1 design made for the trade, and exports a print-ready PDF with nothing saved to a server. Opening a design needs a free account.
Invoicing guides for related trades
Everything on this site, set up for tilers
The whole toolkit, with the reason each one matters to tilers rather than in general. The four marked links open with tiler already selected.
Make the document on site
Three of these arrive with tiler already selected, so the first line is tiling (per sq ft) rather than an empty row.
- Invoice Generatoropens set to this trade. The tiler invoice this guide describes, priced and ready to edit.
- Quote Generatoropens set to this trade. Quote first: always, stating the tile format priced. Converts to the invoice without retyping.
- Receipt Maker
- Recurring Invoices
- Purchase Order
- Work Order
- Cost Estimatoropens set to this trade. Build the job up from materials, labor and margin before you quote it.
Templates you can take to the job
The same tiler lines, in whatever file the person paying you expects.
- Tiler invoice template
- 30 invoice designs for this tradein this trade’s colors. Put those lines in any of the 30 and keep the one you like.
- 72 Word templates
- 72 Excel templates
- 72 fillable PDFs
- Google Docs templates
- Google Sheets templates
- Blank invoice templates
- Quote templates
- Estimate templates
- Receipt templates
- Work order templates
Work out the number first
- Markup Calculator
- Profit Margin Calculator
- Break-Even Calculator
- Service Price Calculator
- Sales Tax Calculator
- Invoice Calculator
Get it paid before you are on the next job
Terms of 14 days is the shape this guide assumes. Deposit: on wet rooms, covering tanking and materials.
- Payment links and QR codes
- Late fee calculatoropens set to this trade. Works out what your own terms allow and writes the chasing letter.
- Payment terms guide
- Deposit invoices
- Chasing an unpaid invoice
- Progress billing
- Invoice numbering
- Change orders
Read next
What this is. A guide and template written by Michael Reed. It is not legal advice. Deposit, cancellation and late fee rules differ by state, so have any wording you rely on checked for your state before it goes on a real document.
Last reviewed by InvoiceTools, Houston, Texas, on 18 September 2026.