My contracter has proposed $550 to install 42 sq feet of backsplash tile. (about $13/sq foot) Honestly, I don't know how that compares. The entire remodel he's doing seems reasonable and he was highly recommended by people I trust.

in chicago, we paid 300 for about 18 sq ft. I was getting quotes upwards of 600 though. I grabbed him in a second.

All, do the prices above included the tile? My guys quoted me $500 to install 22 sq feet, not including the tile cost.

In Houston, I paid $7.50/sf to HD just for the install.

No, it doesn't include the tile.

I paid $4 per sq ft for 40 sq ft. My tile was on a diagonal.

I was quoted $812 to install 19 sf. (not including tile) And my pattern isn't particularly complicated! It seemed very high to me, but I didn't know what to compare it to. Thank goodness DH has decided to do it himself.

Well I'm glad I asked. My first estimate came in at $1460 for under 50 sq ft of installation! That's almost $30 per sq ft. The tile itself is $1000, and I had only budgeted $1500 fot the total. So I'm obviously going to get more quotes now and will think $15-20 per ft reasonable installation charge (particularly since this tile is relatively simple to install!)

Love your choice of color, jujybean. Thanks for your input, everyone!

I was just about to say I'll bet none of the prices that people have quoted above were for splitfaced stone. The funny (not ha ha funny) part about it was I was going to quote you 30.00 a foot. So, I'd say your estimate is very much in the ballpark.

And just for the record, it's not as simple as you seem to think.

One thing most of you need to realise-- The installer, even though it may not take all day, has to SET all day aside to install a backsplash, and usually a couple of hours the following day to grout. Just about all installers will have what's called a "daily minimum" for smaller jobs which will range, depending on the area, anywhere from 350.00 to 600.00 a day, and regardless of the square footage, you can expect to pay atleast that much. For something like the splitfaced stone, that's going to be a royal pain cutting it in, especially being that it can NOT be put on a wet saw, unless it's done a piece at a time, otherwise the sheet of tile will fall apart as soon as the water hits the glue on the mounting sheets. This will not be an easy job, and as for the 15-20.00 a foot, that's what I'll charge for the most ordinary backsplash-- simple 4 1/4" ceramic tile wall covering.

But Bill, there is no guarantee that anyone paying 30.00 sq/ft will get the same quality you would do. :)

Sue

Just want to add, when I installed my splitface stone tile, I DID cut the mesh sheets on the wet saw. But as soon as the cut was made, I patted them dry and then immediately set them in the hot sun to finish drying, which only took a few minutes. The mesh backing did separate a little bit around some of the edges, but the whole thing didn't fall apart. However, I think I saw on your link that your tiles are only 1/2" x 3/4"? These smaller tiles well might fall apart more readily if they stay wet too long - I'm talking minutes here, or even seconds. (My tiles were 2 1/2" x 1 1/4".) If you've bought a lot of extra, you might want to test one meshed piece by wetting it and seeing how strong the glue is.

Sue-- Doesn't matter. To most of the people who hire me, I'm just another tile guy, and I'm usually not one to push my "notoriety". :-) I'll talk with them, make my suggestions, listen to theirs, and together we'll work out what would work best for them. Once the decision is made as to what's going to be done, I'll give them a price, and it's no different than anyone else giving them a price. They're taking just as much of a chance on me as they would be on anyone else.

Bill you're right (as if THAT were in doubt) about the daily minimum - but his min is $1,160! On the upside he is willing to do the install for that amount probably because the same shop is doing the granite fab/install. So it brings the cost of install into a more reasonable $25 per foot range.

Sorry about my ignorance on the level of difficulty installing splitface and now I'm glad I didn't decide to do it myself.

I have been learning that with the few different tiles and layouts I have been considering that there really is a difference in the amount of work involved. I also understand about the partial days. So I guess a range of fees is a good guideline but I am sure it is way easier and quicker to do a 4" porcelain tile as compared to the extra steps for the travertine (and do I understand that they are more prone "not cooperating").