- How much tilers get paid in the UK?
- The skills you need
- How to find work as a wall and floor tiler
- Marketing options
- How to earn more as a tiler
- UK Pro Tiling courses
- How to set-up a tiling business
- How to create a portfolio of your work when you’re just starting out
- How to market yourself as a professional tiler
- How plumbers can using tiling as a new source of revenue
All construction trades are in demand – but that’s especially true for tilers. The UK is currently seeing a mass shortage of wall and floor tilers, which is pushing up prices and creating opportunities.
There are two directions of work for an aspiring wall and floor tiler. One is the domestic market where people remodel their own homes. The other is site work where new homes are being built.
How much tilers get paid in the UK?
Tilers average around £30 – £40 per metre for fitting, or a minimum £200 per day.
That equates to between £50K-£70K per year for experienced tilers.
Professional Tilers will usually charge around £30 per metre square for fitting ceramic tiles or £200-£250 per day (In the north) or around £45 per metre (in the South) for general domestic tiling work, good tilers are usually always in demand. Think of an average bathroom which is roughly 25 square meters on the walls and 8 square meters on the floor ( 3 days work= £900), a conservatory floor tiling job would be roughly 12 square meters, this should take only a day to complete (£360). Kitchen splash backs (£200-£250) for the day, both plus material profits.
In addition to these rates above you can add extra profit by selling all the materials and adhesives the job requires to your customers due to buying with discounts through your trade accounts, so if you are thinking of starting a business this is earnings you could expect once you get established and up to speed, a £1000 – 1500 per week could be achieved.
The skills you need
Basic maths skills are required to calculate areas and materials, both when you create estimates for work and undertake the project.
A keen eye for detail. Tiling is precise work where cuts have to be measured and made accurately
General fitness and good health. Tiling can be quite physical especially if you have to remove old tiles in preparation for starting a job.
Cleanliness. You have to work cleanly to avoid stains and damage from cement adhesives.
Interested in becoming a tiler?
In these unsettled times many people are looking at their career options and considering highly-skilled trades and self-employment as the logical next step.
UK Pro Tiling Training can help. We offer fast-track intensive professional tiling courses ranging between 1-3 weeks.
Courses start from as little as £499 and can set you well on your way to a lucrative career as a tiler.
CTA: Would you like more information about tiling as a career? Contact us today. Courses start from as little as £499 and can set you well on your way to a lucrative career as a tiler.
CTA: Would you like more information about tiling as a career? Contact us today.
How to find work as a wall and floor tiler
The key to any successful business is marketing. To win as many jobs as you can, large and small, you need to network a bit. Get your name out there. Make contact with as many tradesmen and suppliers as you can.
Find the people who work in complementary trades and can tell you where tiling work might be needed.
Here are some effective ways to promote yourself for the different types of tiling work available.
Floor tiling
Introduce yourself to all the conservatory suppliers, including any window fitters that you can find, and pitch your services.
- Consider offering a commission for every job they pass onto you.
- Try and find your local shop fitters who are currently working on shop refurbishments. These projects usually need floor tiling done.
- Introduce yourself to floor screeding service tradesmen, as they do floors that might soon need tiling.
Kitchen Tiling
Visit all the kitchen shops in your local area and pitch your services with cards and flyers.
Make contact with kitchen fitters and joiners. Customers always ask them to recommend a tiler after they have finished installing a kitchen.
Make contact with electricians. They rewire a lot of kitchen sockets and bathroom down lighters, and tiling will always follow this service.
Bathrooms
Bathroom showrooms and plumbers merchants and also the actual plumbing tradesman is how you will get these jobs.
Tile shops
Tile shops obviously sell loads of tiles and will be asked all the time to recommend a tiler, so it is really important that you get in with the sales and counter staff.
Marketing options
- Facebook. Setup a business page and promote yourself with pictures and testimonials. Include your contact details with every post.
- Church parish magazines. Visit your local church and ask them if they do a monthly magazine or newsletter then ask them about advertising in it.
- Estate agents. These are always looking for tradesmen for the property developers on their books, and the properties they rent.
- Insurance companies are always looking for tradesmen to correct damaged properties, fires, floods etc. Ring the insurance companies and ask who to speak to about getting subcontracted work.
- Checked & Vetted services. These work very well. Ask them what and how they charge for getting referrals to customers.
- Vehicle signage. This is essential. Get yourself a van and make sure it displays your business name and contact details.
- Setup Google pay-per-click (PPC) campaigns.
How to earn more as a tiler
If you are self-employed or thinking of going solo then having a strategy to maximise your earnings is vital
There is a lot more to running a tiling business than just having great tiling skills. You need to master the basics of running a business. Understanding basic sales and marketing techniques will help you row your clientele and find projects that pay well.
Courses
Our 1-day business Maximizing Your Earnings course will give you a firm grounding in sales techniques that can help boost your earnings.
You’ll learn how to:
- Win more repeat business
- Sell yourself to potential new customers
- Convert pricing and estimates into active jobs
What the course covers:
- Ways of finding work
- Handling first meetings
- Pitching your services
- Closing a sale
- Handling objections
- Understanding the marketplace
- How not to ‘oversell’
- Reading body language
- Establishing common ground with your customer
- Customer buying modes
- Understanding reciprocation
- Setting goals
UK Pro Tiling courses
At UK Pro Tiling Training we can tutor you on all aspects of running a tiling business. Our lead instructor has over 30 years of successful self-employed experience; NVQ Level 1,2 and 3 Tiling, Assessors and Quality Assurance, as well as teaching qualification. He has personally delivered our tiling training program for more than 15 years.
Courses start from as little as £499 and can set you well on your way to a more lucrative tiling career.
Want to learn more?
For more on these and other key aspects of tiling, sign up for a course with UK Pro Tiling, the fast-track pro tiling course provider.
How to set-up a tiling business
There is a lot more to running a tiling business than simply attending a course and learning how to put tiles on a wall and floor. Being a great tiler isn’t enough. You have to learn effective business skills.
We teach you everything you need to know
UK Pro Tiling Training has been delivering quality fast track career changing courses for over 15 years and have taught thousands of learners from all over the UK and Europe. Our learners travel because of our strong reputation and excellent advice we give.
Our instructors will teach you practical tiling skills at the highest level, including all the product and background information.
Courses cover:
- How to get started
- Choosing a business name
- Bookkeeping basics
- How to pay yourself
- How tax and NI work when you’re self employed
- Marketing your services
- Setting up trade accounts
- Measuring, pricing and estimating jobs
- Keeping ahead of the competition
Darren is the owner of UK Pro Tiling Training and a tiling industry expert with over 32 years of self- employed experience to share.
Contact us today to find out more or enroll in our next business course.
How to create a portfolio of your work when you’re just starting out
Potential customers will be keen to see examples of your work. Yet until you’ve completed projects, there’ll be nothing to show. This isn’t a dead end, though. There are a number of ways to put together a portfolio.
