Ask three installers for a per-square-foot price and you will get three different numbers, and the cheapest is rarely the cheapest by the end. The square footage matters less than what has to happen under and around the tile. Here is what moves it. For a ballpark on your own floor, use our tile cost calculator.
By material
| Material | Install effort | Water absorption | Sealing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ceramic | Lowest | Above 0.5% | No |
| Porcelain | Standard | 0.5% or less | No |
| Large format porcelain | Higher | 0.5% or less | No |
| Natural stone | Higher | Porous | Yes, every 1–3 years |
| Glass and mosaic | Higher | Non-porous | No |
What pushes the price up
Subfloor preparation. A flat, solid subfloor is the cheapest job we do. A slab that is out of level by an inch across a room needs self-levelling compound, which adds material and a full day of drying before anything else can happen.
Demolition. One layer of vinyl comes up quickly. Three layers of flooring over a board subfloor in an older Oshawa or Scarborough home is a different job entirely.
Layout complexity. Straight lay is the baseline. Diagonal adds cuts and waste. Herringbone adds considerably more of both.
Room shape. A square room with one doorway is efficient. A hallway with five doorways, a closet return and a stair nose is mostly cutting.
What the price should always include
- Removal and disposal of the existing floor
- Subfloor assessment for deflection and moisture
- Levelling where required
- Uncoupling membrane over plywood subfloors
- Layout planning, levelling clips and back-buttering on large format
- Grout, transitions, trims and cleanup
A note on comparing quotes
If one quote is dramatically lower, find out what it excludes. In our experience the gap is almost always membrane, levelling, or disposal — all of which you will end up paying for anyway, usually mid-project when you have least leverage.
Get a free estimate
Ultra Renovations Inc has been installing tile across Ajax, Pickering, Whitby, Oshawa and the wider GTA for over ten years. We are a registered Ontario corporation with general liability insurance.
Call (647) 648-8985 or request a free estimate and we will come out, measure properly, look at your subfloor, and give you a written quote for your floors at no cost.