Start with the surfaces you want to change
A quote to retile only the floor and a quote that also covers the walls, a tub surround or a shower are pricing different jobs. Walls add vertical surface, edges and trim. A tub surround or shower adds wet-area work, including the waterproofing behind the tile, which a floor-only update does not include. If one estimate comes in much lower than another, first check whether it leaves out surfaces the other includes.
That is also why the common question about tiling a 10x10 bathroom has no single answer. If it means a rectangular room measuring 10 feet by 10 feet, the gross floor footprint is 100 square feet. That figure says nothing about wall tile, a shower or a tub surround. It is not the amount of tile to order either, because layout, cuts and fixtures on the floor all affect what is needed. Treat it as a rough description of the room, not a material quantity or a basis for a price.
You do not need to measure anything or calculate tile to get started. Describe the update you have in mind: a new floor only, floor plus walls, a refreshed tub surround, a rebuilt shower or some combination. Mention anything you have noticed, such as cracked tiles, loose grout or soft spots underfoot. The contractor confirms measurements, surfaces and quantities when assessing the room.
SIG Tile serves Lakewood, Ocean County, NJ, and offers bathroom tile installation. Lakewood Library on Lexington Avenue in Lakewood appears here only as a point of orientation; it tells you nothing about what a particular bathroom needs. The surfaces you choose and the conditions found underneath set the scope.
Separate old-tile removal from the work underneath
Taking out old tile is a separate job from putting in new tile. Removing the existing tile, the mortar under it and any backing board is one kind of work. Preparing the surface and setting new tile is another. SIG Tile offers tile removal, floor and subfloor preparation and installation, but whether each step is in your price depends on the estimate. Make sure the quotes you compare list the same steps.
The subfloor is the supporting floor beneath the tile. Before new tile goes down, it needs to be clean, flat and solid, and stiff enough to hold the installation without flexing. Self-leveling compound, a pourable material that fills low spots, can make a floor flatter, but that alone does not show the floor underneath is sound. Flatness and soundness are separate conditions, and each may need its own work.
Some problems stay hidden until a bathroom is opened up. Not every bathroom has them, but one customer review on SIG Tile's site describes additional water damage that came to light once their shower was opened. Before work begins, ask how anything newly found would be explained to you and how it would be priced.
Can new tile go over the old? Treat that as a question for the assessment, not a promised saving. The answer depends on how firmly the old tile is attached, whether there is damage underneath, how waterproofing would be handled and what the added thickness would affect. Ask whether removal is needed in your bathroom, and why.
Pulling up tile yourself to lower the bill is not a routine saving either. Older materials may contain asbestos, and disturbed painted surfaces may contain lead. Neither is known without an assessment, so ask what dust precautions the removal will need.
Include the waterproofing behind shower tile
Tile and grout look like a sealed surface, but neither one stops water on its own. Water that gets past the grout reaches the wall and floor behind it. The tile you see is only part of a shower installation, which is why two shower quotes can differ even when the tile is identical.
Waterproofing is the protective layer behind and beneath the shower tile. SIG Tile describes using Schluter KERDI, a sheet membrane with sealed seams and corners, along with sealing at the drain. The right system for a particular shower, how it works with the other materials, the slope the floor needs to drain, and how openings, testing and curing are handled all depend on the contractor's assessment of that bathroom. A quote that mentions only water-resistant backing board does not, by itself, describe a complete waterproof shower.
One plain question covers most of this: what waterproofing work and materials does this shower estimate include?
Extras add to that scope. A niche is a recessed shelf built into the wall, and a bench is a built-in seat. Each needs waterproofing as well as tile. A curbless or low-profile entry depends on whether the floor structure can accommodate it, which SIG Tile checks first.
This is why a single average cost to retile a shower makes a poor yardstick. Two totals may not describe the same job until three things are known: removal of the old shower, any damage found behind it, and the waterproofing scope.
Compare tile choices and what the quote includes
The tile you pick changes the work, not just the look. Large-format porcelain needs a very flat surface underneath, so a floor that would suit smaller tile may need more preparation first. Oversized panels can cut down on grout lines, but the wall or floor still has to be ready for them. Natural stone calls for setting materials suited to stone. Setting materials are simply what bonds the tile to the prepared surface.
SIG Tile also installs mosaic tile. No category is automatically the cheaper or pricier choice. The specific product, the layout and the preparation it needs shape the price, so it helps to have a tile or style in mind when you ask for an estimate.
Before you commit, ask whether the product suits where it is going, especially on a bathroom or shower floor that will get wet. A tile's look, size, or whether it is porcelain or stone does not tell you on its own that it is suitable underfoot in a wet area. If stone appeals to you, ask what care that particular product needs, since it varies from one stone to the next.
SIG Tile charges for installation and, depending on the quote, for preparation, setting and waterproofing materials. Ask whether the tile itself is included or a separate purchase. When two quotes look far apart, one may include these materials while the other leaves them out.
That is also why a single total is hard to judge by itself. Figures online often mix labor-only rates with installed totals that include materials and preparation. Those numbers answer different questions. A fair comparison needs quotes covering the same surfaces, preparation and materials.
Request an estimate that fits the work and your access needs
Start with the quote form on the SIG Tile website. Tell us the result you want, whether that is a new floor only or a retiled shower and walls. Photos are optional, but a few ordinary pictures of the room help, along with close-ups of cracked grout, loose tiles or water stains. You do not need drawings, measurements or tile counts. Renan discusses the project with you and visits when needed to confirm measurements, conditions and scope.
Let us know how the bathroom is used and whether access is limited, particularly if it is the only bathroom or the home is rented and occupied. Scheduling depends on availability, project size, materials and site access, so ask how long the bathroom will be out of use and when it will be safe to use again. It is also fair to ask what assessment and approvals the proposed work needs.
Comparing estimates is easier when each one answers the same few questions:
Is removal of the old tile and backing included, and what preparation is planned underneath? What waterproofing work and materials are covered? What is left out, and how would newly found damage be handled? Are protection of nearby rooms, haul-away and cleanup part of the price?
SIG Tile's tile-focused bathroom remodeling covers the tile work. It does not include general plumbing or electrical work, so if your update needs another trade, confirm who arranges it. A quote request is not a binding estimate; it becomes one only after the project details and scope are confirmed.
If you have not decided which surfaces to change, say so when you get in touch. A short description of what bothers you about the bathroom now, how you want it to look and anything you have noticed, such as cracked or loose tile, is enough to start, and a couple of photos of the room as it looks today help. If tenants or a busy household will affect when the room can be worked on, mention that too. Measurements, quantities and questions about approvals get worked out with SIG Tile from there.
When you are ready to talk through your Lakewood bathroom, you can use the quote form or call SIG Tile at 866-SIG-TILE.
Common questions
What is a fair price for tile installation?
A single total is hard to judge on its own, and online figures often mix labor-only rates with installed prices that include materials. A fair price is one you can compare: quotes covering the same surfaces, removal, preparation, waterproofing and materials. Ask each contractor what is included and what is left out.
How much would it cost to tile a 10x10 bathroom?
If it means a rectangular room 10 feet by 10 feet, the floor footprint is 100 square feet. That says nothing about walls, a tub surround or a shower, and it is not the amount of tile to order. Cost depends on the surfaces, removal, preparation and tile chosen; the contractor confirms measurements.
What should you put down before tiling a bathroom floor?
That depends on the floor you have. The subfloor beneath the tile needs to be clean, flat, solid and stiff enough not to flex. Self-leveling compound can fill low spots, but a flatter floor is not automatically a sound one. The contractor assesses the floor and explains what preparation your bathroom needs.
Is it possible to change bathroom tiles without removing them?
Sometimes new tile can go over old tile, but treat it as a question for the assessment rather than a guaranteed saving. It depends on how firmly the old tile is attached, whether there is damage underneath, how waterproofing is handled and what the added thickness affects. Ask whether removal is needed and why.
What is the average cost to retile a bathroom shower?
A general average makes a poor yardstick. Shower totals change with removal of the old shower, any damage found behind it and the waterproofing scope, such as a sheet membrane and sealing at the drain. Ask what waterproofing work and materials each estimate includes.
