Find a trusted tiler in Melbourne

Tiling period and post-war Melbourne homes

Melbourne’s older houses give tilers some distinctive work. Victorian terraces and villas often have geometric or tessellated tiles on the verandah, the front path or the hallway, and when those crack or lift, a specialist can usually save what’s sound, source matching reproduction pieces and relay them on a new bed instead of covering the lot. The pieces are thin and brittle, so it’s slow, careful work, usually quoted after a site visit.

Weatherboards on stumps raise a different issue: tiling onto a timber floor. Timber flexes and moves, so the floor needs to be stiff enough, with a fibre cement or similar underlay and a flexible adhesive, or the grout and tiles will crack. Where reactive clay has shifted a concrete slab, ask about movement joints, which give the tiles room to move without cracking.

Bathrooms, waterproofing and what hides behind old tiles

A lot of Melbourne bathroom work happens in homes from the 1960s to the 1980s, where lifting the old tiles can expose failed waterproofing, rotten sheeting or water-damaged framing. Keep a contingency in the budget for it. If the house predates 1990, have the wall sheeting and old adhesive tested for asbestos before demolition starts.

The membrane under the tiles is the part that matters most. In showers, bathroom floors and laundries, it has to meet the Australian Standard for wet-area waterproofing, AS 3740. Ask who will apply it, which product they’ll use, and whether you’ll get a certificate once it’s done. Membranes need curing time between coats and before tiling starts, which is one reason a bathroom retile takes days rather than hours.

Does a tiler need a licence in Victoria?

Not for laying tiles on its own: wall and floor tiling has no registration requirement in Victoria at any price. That changes when the same job includes waterproofing or other building work and is worth over $10,000. Then the tiler has to be registered with the Building and Plumbing Commission, typically as a Domestic Builder (Limited) in waterproofing. For a tiling-only job, confirm the business on ABN Lookup and see a current public liability certificate. Our Victorian licence checks page links the BPC search for bigger jobs.

What tiling costs in Melbourne

Laying basic ceramic or porcelain tiles in Melbourne usually costs about $60–$80 per m², and large-format or designer tiles around $80–$120 per m², with the tiles extra. Retiling a standard bathroom typically runs $2,000–$5,500 in labour, waterproofing adds around $30–$70 per m², and removing old tiles $20–$55 per m². Small repairs are often charged at $50–$100 an hour.

Our tiling price guide has the full list. Those figures are indicative; your tiler’s written quote is the real number.

Matching you with one Melbourne tiler

Tell us what you’re tiling and where. One local tiler gets matched to the job, vetted beforehand on insurance, ABN and reviews, and nobody else gets your number.

If water is already coming through the ceiling below, you may need one of our Melbourne plumbers first. Otherwise, see tilers in other cities, browse Melbourne trades, or get a free quote.