Typical pricing of ceramic tile countertops

Ceramic tiles usually cost $11 to $30 per square foot–but these are only tiles. The price of ceramic tile countertops are affected by many factors like the number of tiles, size of the tiles, dimensions of the countertop, and the shape of the countertop. It also depends on the labor cost and cost of labor materials like the grout mortar, the thinset mortar, backerboard panels, tile mastic, and plywood sheets. Of course you can lessen the cost by installing your ceramic tile countertop yourself. However, you can only do this if you are experienced enough to do it and confident that you can do a good job. Otherwise, you should just get professional help because you can end up spending more on re-doing the whole project and wasting a lot of time and energy.

Quality of the ceramic tiles

The cost of ceramic tiles can vary widely because the ceramic tiles cover a broad spectrum of types. Mass-produced ceramic tiles with reasonably good quality and low price are the most commonly available. Imported hand crafted ceramic tiles are also available, but they can be quite expensive at as much as $70 per tile. The more original and detailed artwork the tile has, the more money you are going to spend to pay for it.

Ceramic tiles also vary in size, texture, and shape. You would not go wrong with a ceramic tile that costs around $20 per tile. Cheaper ceramic tiles tend to look faded, fuzzy, or spotty, and are inferior in quality. You can also get vitrified or porcelain ceramic tiles, but the porcelain ones are much more expensive. You can get porcelain ceramic tiles that have an absorption rating of 0.0% to 0.05% that makes them abrasive-resistant and impact-resistant. This kind of porcelain ceramic tiles costs around $30 per tile.

Ceramic tile countertop options

The price of your ceramic tile countertop is affected a lot by the size and shape of the countertop itself. A larger countertop needs more tiles, not to mention, more work. An odd- or irregularly-shaped countertop, even if it is relatively smaller, can also be more expensive. The shape complicates the tiling, and it is more labor-intensive. The shape layout is calculated by the square footage of square, rectangular, circular, triangular, or other special shapes. A regular rectangular or square ceramic tile countertop can cost around $1,000 to $2,000. The more complicated shapes can cost a lot more. Your wood subfloor can also determine how much space you should allocate for your ceramic tile countertop, and this is measured by getting the maximum amount of deflection.

Labor cost

The labor cost of having your ceramic tile countertop installed depends on your geographic location and the labor standards in your area. Installing your own ceramic tile countertop can be a nightmare, so it is still recommended that you get professionals to do the work. The labor cost is usually 18% of the total cost of the project. So for a $2,700-ceramic tile countertop, the labor cost would be $486.