Floor tiling in Toowoomba
Floor tiling for living areas, kitchens and laundries in Toowoomba 4350: tile choices, slab and timber floor prep, movement joints and price ranges.
Floor tiling cost and difficulty depend mostly on what is underneath. A flat, sound concrete slab is the simplest base, while a timber floor or a slab with cracks needs preparation before any tile goes down. Published Brisbane ranges for standard floor tiling labour are $40 to $90 per sqm, and a tiler you pick quotes and lays the floor, not this website.
Why people retile floors
- Old tiles are cracked, chipped or drummy in patches.
- Carpet or vinyl is being replaced with something easier to clean.
- A kitchen or living area renovation is joining two rooms that had different floors.
- Tiles were laid with no movement joints and have started to lift or crack in a line.
- A rental or sale is coming up and the floor looks dated.
Which tile suits which room?
| Tile | Good for | Things to know |
|---|---|---|
| Glazed ceramic | Laundries, toilets, low traffic rooms | Cheaper, softer body, chips show the clay colour |
| Porcelain | Kitchens, hallways, living areas | Dense and hard wearing, cuts are slower |
| Large format porcelain | Open plan living, fewer grout lines | Needs a very flat base and more labour |
| Natural stone | Feature entries, high end rooms | Needs sealing and careful handling |
For large format tiles, published labour sits at $60 to $110 per sqm, because the base must be flatter and two people are often needed to place each tile. Natural stone labour runs at $70 to $150 per sqm in the same guide.
What the tiler checks first
A good tiler will look at the floor before giving a firm price. Expect questions or a site visit about:
- Slab or timber. Raised timber floors on stumps are common in older parts of Toowoomba. Tiles on timber need a stiff floor and a suitable underlay sheet, and some timber floors are too springy to tile at all without extra framing.
- Flatness. High and low spots get ground down or filled. Floor levelling and preparation is listed at $15 to $50 per sqm in the published ranges.
- Existing cracks. A crack in the slab will usually come straight through a tile laid over it.
- Height changes. New tiles plus adhesive can catch doors, dishwashers and the edge of carpet in the next room.
- What comes up. Removing old tiles is priced separately, at $20 to $55 per sqm. Old vinyl in a house built before 1990 should be tested for asbestos before anyone scrapes it up.
Cracks, clay soils and movement joints
Parts of the Darling Downs sit on cracking clay soils, which the Queensland Government describes as brown, grey or black soils that crack open when dry. On reactive ground a slab can move a little between wet and dry seasons. Sites are classed for slab and footing design under AS 2870, and a tiler cannot change that, but they can work with it.
Movement joints are the main tool. These are flexible joints, usually around the edges of the room, at doorways, over joints in the slab and across large open areas. A floor laid hard against every wall with no flexible joints has nowhere to move, so tiles crack or tent up. AS 3958.1, the Australian guide to installing ceramic tiles, gives guidance on preparing the base, fixing and grouting, and a tiler should be able to tell you where the joints will go before work starts.
How a floor gets tiled
- Furniture out, skirting removed or protected, old flooring lifted.
- Slab cleaned, ground and patched, or timber floor stiffened and sheeted.
- Primer and, where needed, a levelling compound.
- Set out from the centre of the room or the main doorway so the cuts are even at the edges.
- Tiles fixed with the right trowel size for full adhesive contact, and levelled.
- Grout, movement joints sealed with flexible sealant, skirting back on.
Allow at least a day before walking on a new floor and longer before heavy furniture goes back, depending on the adhesive and the weather. Cold winter mornings on the range slow curing down.
Licence and warranty
A tiler taking on floor work over 3,300 dollars needs a QBCC licence. Check the licence class on the QBCC find a licensed contractor page and confirm it covers wall and floor tiling. Tiling over that value is also listed as insurable work under the Queensland Home Warranty Scheme, so ask whether the premium has been included in the price.
What a careful tiler refuses to do
- Tile straight over a slab crack without a plan for it.
- Lay tiles on a bouncy timber floor because the owner wants it done quickly.
- Skip perimeter and field movement joints to save time.
- Lay large format tiles on a floor that is not flat enough for them.
- Grind up old vinyl or its backing without checking for asbestos.
Toowoomba floors
Older streets close to the city centre have many timber houses, while growing areas on the edges of the city, such as Westbrook and Highfields, have more recent houses. Old timber against newer construction is the split that shapes most floor quotes here, so tell the tiler roughly when your house was built. Kitchens are often tiled at the same time as a splashback, and the two can be quoted together. The cost guide shows how removal, prep and labour add up.
Next step
Measure the floor in square metres, note whether it is slab or timber, and send your floor tiling job through the quote form with a couple of photos of the current floor.
Frequently asked questions
- Can tiles be laid on a timber floor?
Sometimes. The floor must be stiff enough not to bounce, and most tilers fix a cement based underlay sheet over the boards before tiling. A floor that flexes underfoot will crack tiles and grout. In an older raised house the tiler may recommend extra joists or bearers first.
- Why are there flexible joints in a tiled floor?
Slabs, walls and tiles all move slightly with temperature and moisture. Flexible joints filled with sealant give that movement somewhere to go. Without them, tiles can crack or lift in a ridge, which is called tenting. They usually run around the edge of the room and across larger areas.
- Is porcelain better than ceramic for a kitchen floor?
Porcelain is denser and more hard wearing, and a chip shows less because the colour runs through many porcelain tiles. Glazed ceramic is cheaper and fine for low traffic rooms. For a busy kitchen or hallway, most tilers would steer you towards porcelain.
- How soon can I walk on a new tiled floor?
Light foot traffic is usually fine after the adhesive has set, often the next day, but check with the tiler because it depends on the product and the weather. Wait longer before putting heavy furniture or appliances back, and keep water off fresh grout for the time the maker states.
- Do skirting boards come off for floor tiling?
Often, yes. Removing skirting gives a neater finish at the wall and room for a movement joint. It then needs refitting, and sometimes painting, so check whether the tiling quote includes that or whether you need a carpenter or painter as well.