The tiling quote, wastage included

A 42 m² room never uses 42 m² of tile. The difference is your margin, and it disappears if the quote ignores it.

Wastage calculated
Setting-out priced
Swiss QR-bill

QuoteMr and Mrs Progin
Porcelain stoneware, living room	42 m²	3'318.00
Levelling screed	42 m²	1'050.00
Matching skirting	26 m	390.00
Grout and perimeter silicone	1 pc	240.00
Total excl. VAT		4'998.00 CHF

The area laid is not the area bought

Between cuts, patterns and formats, a job uses ten to fifteen percent more than its area. That share gets its own line instead of being swallowed by the square-metre price, and your margin stops depending on how the cuts fall.

The substrate, which decides everything

Levelling screed, skim, uncoupling membrane: what sits under the tile often costs more than the tile. Every layer takes its line, and the client understands why two quotes for the same room can differ by double.

The setting-out gets shown

A layout photographed on site, placed next to the item it concerns, avoids the argument about joint direction three weeks later. The client saw it and signed.

Linear metres alongside square metres

Skirting, stair nosing, perimeter joints: they count per running metre on the same document as the areas. Two units on one quote, with no spreadsheet in between.

Can I mix m², running metres and pieces on one quote?

Yes, every item carries its own unit. The total adds up amounts, not units, which is the only way to price a tiling job.

How do I charge for wastage without looking petty?

On a named line, with its percentage. Everyone understands that cutting produces wastage; what nobody understands is a square-metre price inflated with no explanation.

Can I save my prices per format?

Yes. A 60 × 60 and a large format have neither the same laying price nor the same wastage rate: each keeps its own entry in your catalogue.

Yours is not the only trade

Every page starts from a real sample quote and the constraints of that trade, not from a copied brochure.