How Much Does It Cost to Tile a Bathroom?

Tiling the floor and walls of a standard bathroom costs about $2,750 to $7,350 with the tiles supplied, or $1,475 to $4,400 for the labour alone, according to What's The Damage (Gold Coast page). Waterproofing is not in those prices. It is a separate line.

Below are the per m2 prices for laying tiles and for the tiles themselves, what it costs to take old tiles off, how waterproofing fits in, and who can tile a bathroom in Queensland. These are market prices from cost guides, checked on 26 October 2026. They are not a quote from us.

How much does it cost to tile a bathroom?

A standard bathroom, floor and walls, typically costs about $4,900 to tile with the tiles supplied and laid. Here is what What's The Damage lists.

Tiling is the biggest line in What's The Damage's breakdown of a typical $27,000 mid-range bathroom: about $5,900, or 22% of the budget. The site says wall tiling around niches and shower recesses is slow work, and takes 2 to 3 days.

The price climbs with the amount of wall you tile, the tile you pick and how flat the floor is. What's The Damage says floor-to-ceiling tiling pushes the cost up its range. Our bathroom renovation cost guide shows what the rest of the room costs.

What does a tiler charge per m2 on the Gold Coast?

Standard floor tiles cost $39 to $88 per m2 to lay, and wall tiles $39 to $98, labour only. The tiles are extra. Prices include GST.

Big tiles cost more to lay than standard sizes. What's The Damage says the floor has to be flatter and each tile is heavier to handle, so ask for the levelling line in the same quote. Mosaics cost the most per m2.

Small jobs, like a splashback or a small laundry, can be charged by the hour or the day instead of by the m2. What's The Damage says that can suit better than a per m2 price.

How much do tiles cost per m2?

Budget ceramic tiles cost $20 to $54 per m2, mid-range porcelain $49 to $120, and natural stone $98 to $245. That is on top of the labour.

Can you save by buying your own tiles? Maybe. At the typical figures, a supplied-and-laid bathroom is $4,900 and the labour alone is $2,950. What's The Damage says the $1,950 gap is what the tiles and setting materials come to in the tiler's price. If you buy your own, add your tile bill to the labour figure.

Either way, buy a box or two more than you need, all from one batch. That way a cracked tile can be swapped later with one that matches.

How much does it cost to remove old tiles?

Taking old tiles off costs $20 to $54 per m2, typically $34, on What's The Damage's Gold Coast page. If the floor under them is uneven, levelling adds another $15 to $49 per m2.

Tiling over the old tiles skips the removal cost. What's The Damage says it only works where the old tiles are firmly stuck and level, and it raises the floor at doorways. Loose or hollow-sounding tiles have to come up anyway.

A shower is different. You cannot check the old waterproofing while the tiles are still on it, so What's The Damage says stripping back is the safer path there. Our guide to tiling over existing tiles covers when it works and when it does not.

One more thing for older homes. The wall sheeting behind old tiles can contain asbestos. What's The Damage says to have it tested before anything is pulled off the wall.

Is waterproofing included in tiling?

Usually not in the tiling price. What's The Damage lists its bathroom supply-and-lay figure without waterproofing, and prices the membrane as a separate line at $34 to $78 per m2, typically $54.

The membrane goes on before the tiles, and What's The Damage says it needs 24 to 48 hours to cure before tiling can start. So the waterproofing and the tiling are two separate steps.

In Queensland, waterproofing is its own QBCC licence class. The wall and floor tiling licence also lists "apply waterproofing for wall and floor tiling" in its scope. So the membrane might be done by your tiler or by a separate waterproofer. Ask which.

When you read a quote, check:

• whether waterproofing is in the price, or a separate line
• which areas get the membrane, and how many m2
• who puts it on, and which QBCC licence they hold

For what the building code says must be waterproof, see our guide to bathroom waterproofing cost in Queensland.

Who can tile a bathroom in Queensland?

For a job worth more than $3,300, a contractor who holds the right QBCC licence. The QBCC says individuals and companies must hold a licence to contract for building work valued over $3,300, and you need the licence class that fits the work. See the QBCC page on when you need a licence.

The QBCC's wall and floor tiling class covers cutting and fixing tiles to floors, walls, spas and pools, and the waterproofing that goes with them. A tiled bathroom at the typical $4,900 is well over the $3,300 line.

Plumbing is different. Plumbing and drainage need a QBCC licence at any value, so moving a drain or a tap is a job for a licensed plumber, even when it is small.

Before you sign, ask for the licence number and check it on the QBCC register. This is a summary, not legal advice.

We do bathroom renovations across the Gold Coast. Brett does the carpentry, like changes to walls and framing, the vanity and the storage, and he books and runs the other trades, including the tiler and the waterproofer. See our bathroom renovations page. If money is tight, our guide to a bathroom renovation on a budget covers what to keep and what to change first.

Where do these prices come from?

Checked on 26 October 2026: What's The Damage (tiling cost Gold Coast page, verified October 2026, and its national bathroom renovation cost page, verified October 2026). What's The Damage builds its city prices with city adjustments on top of marketplace data, so the Gold Coast figures are a guide, not a survey of local quotes. Rules from the QBCC (when you need a licence, and the wall and floor tiling and waterproofing licence class pages). We will check the prices again every three months.

See our bathroom renovations work, or check what your job will cost.