If you are a contractor and you have to bid a tile job for a customer, there are several steps involved in the process. The job of installing tile is complex. If you overlook anything, it could ruin the job. When bidding a tile job, you have to pay attention to every detail of the area and make sure that you include all of the materials that will be needed to complete it.

Draw a diagram of the room in which the tile will be installed. Using graph paper and a pencil is the best approach for this process. This way, you can change the drawing if you make a mistake. Take the tape measure and get the dimensions of each part of the room and then transport these dimensions to the diagram.

Calculate the square footage of tile that you need to complete the job. Do this by multiplying the length by the width of each rectangular or square area. Write the square footage for each area on your diagram. Add up all of the square footage figures to get the total exact square footage of the space. Then add five percent to that figure to allow for waste. Add another five percent to these figures if the tile will require a patterned installation.

Determine how much grout and adhesive you need for the job. In most cases, you can get about 100 square feet of tile grouted with one bag of grout. You can usually get 70 to 100 square feet of tile laid with one bag of adhesive. Divide the total number of square feet by 100 to get an approximate figure for how many bags you will need. You may want to round up to make sure that you have enough materials.

Determine how much time it will take to complete the job. Every installer can do a different amount of square feet in a day. For example, you may have an installer that can lay 300 square feet of tile on average in a day. If this is the case, take the number of square feet and divide it by 300. This way, you can give your customer an idea of how long the job will take.

Calculate how much you should charge for each product and service. To be profitable, you will have a certain percentage that you need to add to every sale. This will cover the costs of overhead, such as shipping, administrative costs, rent and any other expenses. You can add this percentage to the base cost of the tile, grout and other materials. Also allow enough for profit on each cost.

Calculate the price of the tile, the grout and the installation labor. Multiply the number of square feet of tile required for the job by the square foot price of the tile. Then multiply the square feet of tile by the price of installation that your installer charges. Multiply the number of bags of grout and adhesive by the appropriate price. Total up each cost and then add sales tax if that applies in your area. Write all of this information on a bid sheet to give to your potential customer. A bid sheet is a document that each flooring company will generally produce with the company logo on it and other important information. It is like an invoice except that it only provides the information about the total cost and materials needed for the job.