Tile quotes in India come in every unit except a comparable one — per sqft with material, without material, with bed, with adhesive, dado separate, removal “extra as actual”. This is the full 2026 rate card, split the way the work is actually done, using the same material bands as our vitrified vs marble guide so the two pages read as one system.
| Tile | Laying Labour | Adhesive + Grout | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vitrified 600x600 (the default) | ₹25–40/sqft | ₹8–15/sqft | Cement bed also acceptable |
| Vitrified 800x800 | ₹30–50/sqft | ₹10–18/sqft | Adhesive recommended |
| Large format / slab (1200x600+) | ₹60–120/sqft | ₹15–35/sqft | Adhesive + flat substrate mandatory |
| Indian marble | ₹35–55/sqft | ₹10–18/sqft | Plus mirror polishing after laying |
| Italian marble | ₹45–70/sqft | ₹10–18/sqft | Specialist masons only |
| Wall dado (kitchen/bath) | ₹35–60/sqft | Adhesive mandatory | Vertical work is slower work |
Supporting rates: old floor removal ₹12–25/sqft (plus debris cartage), skirting ₹15–30/rft, epoxy grout upgrade ₹8–15/sqft, floor levelling/screed preparation ₹20–40/sqft where large formats demand it.
| Layer | Standard Vitrified | Large Format |
|---|---|---|
| Old floor removal | ₹12–25/sqft | ₹12–25/sqft |
| Preparation / levelling | Usually nil | ₹20–40/sqft |
| Tile material | ₹45–90/sqft | ₹80–200/sqft |
| Laying labour | ₹25–40/sqft | ₹60–120/sqft |
| Adhesive + grout | ₹8–15/sqft | ₹15–35/sqft |
| All-in | ₹100–170/sqft | ₹190–420/sqft |
So a 2BHK's main living areas (500–550 sqft excluding bathrooms) redo at ₹55,000–1.2 lakh in standard vitrified — exactly the flooring share allocated in our Mumbai and Pune renovation guides.
Overlaying new tiles on old skips removal and debris entirely — legitimate, common, and safe if: the old floor passes a full tap-test (hollow tiles come up first), you use polymer tile-on-tile adhesive (never a cement bed on a glazed surface), and the household accepts a 15–20mm floor rise — doors trimmed, thresholds stepped. Where not to do it: bathrooms. The rise fights the drainage slope, and an old bathroom floor frequently hides the seepage you are about to tile over — the sequence for that problem is in our seepage repair guide.
Laying labour in 2026: standard 600x600 vitrified tiles ₹25–40/sqft, 800x800 ₹30–50/sqft, large-format planks and slabs (1200x600 and up) ₹60–120/sqft, Indian marble ₹35–55/sqft, Italian marble ₹45–70/sqft. Wall dado (kitchens, bathrooms) runs ₹35–60/sqft because vertical work is slower. Add adhesive + grout at ₹8–18/sqft, or a conventional cement-sand bed at roughly comparable cost for standard floor tiles.
All-in for replacing existing flooring with standard vitrified: old floor removal ₹12–25/sqft + laying labour ₹25–40 + adhesive/bed and grout ₹8–18 + tile material ₹45–90 (standard vitrified) = roughly ₹100–170/sqft, or ₹120–220/sqft with better tiles and large formats. A 700 sqft carpet 2BHK's main areas (500–550 sqft excluding bathrooms) therefore run ₹55,000–1.2 lakh — the flooring share our flat renovation guides allocate.
Often yes, and it saves the ₹12–25/sqft removal plus debris cost. Conditions: the old floor must be sound (no hollow-sounding tiles — tap-test the whole floor), you must use polymer tile adhesive (₹15–35/sqft for tile-on-tile grade), not a cement bed, and you must accept a ~15–20mm floor height rise — doors need trimming and thresholds change. Avoid tile-on-tile in bathrooms: the height rise fights the drainage slope, and old bathroom floors often hide the leak you are about to seal in.
Three reasons: handling (a 1200x1200 tile needs two workers and suction lifters), substrate (large formats demand a flatter floor — self-levelling or laser-screed preparation is often a separate ₹20–40/sqft line), and skill (lippage — edge misalignment — is glaring on big tiles, so you are paying for the better mason). Add higher wastage on cuts. Budget ₹60–120/sqft labour plus mandatory adhesive, against ₹25–40 for standard sizes.
Skirting: ₹15–30 per running foot fitted, using strips cut from your floor tiles (add the tile material consumed). Grouting is normally inside the laying rate with cement grout; epoxy grout — stain-proof, the right answer for kitchen dado and bathroom floors — is an upgrade at ₹8–15/sqft. Spacers, corner beading for dado edges (₹20–40/rft), and threshold strips are small lines worth itemising so they don't appear as surprises.
Standard 600x600 floor tiles: either works — the conventional 40–50mm cement-sand bed is time-tested and similar in cost. Mandatory adhesive cases: tile-on-tile, large formats, wall dado above 4 ft, and any tile over 800x800 (bed-laying big tiles causes hollow spots and cracks). Adhesive also adds only 3–6mm of height vs the bed's 40–50mm — decisive when matching existing floor levels in a renovation.
Laying, removal, dado and skirting rates surveyed from flooring contractors and tile masons in metro and Tier-2 markets, Q2–Q3 2026; adhesive coverage per manufacturer datasheets.
Our methodology →Material bands identical to our vitrified vs marble guide; all-in totals reconcile with the renovation guides' flooring shares. Last refresh: July 2026 (Q3 window).
Vitrified vs Marble Guide →