Cost of swimming pool tiles

Swimming pool tiles are normally sold by the square metre and prices can vary. 
Pool tile supply range from around $60+ per square metre for ceramic tiles to around $97+ per square metre for glass tiles. 
These are an estimated supply price only. Installation costs extra, which varies by state. 

We recommend The Pool Tile Company for all your pool tile supply needs.

How much does it cost to tile a swimming pool?

Cost of tiling pools vary by location

The cost of pool tiling will vary depending on the complexity of the job, but also changes according to the state you are in.

Tiling a swimming pool is difficult and should be carried out by swimming pool professionals. 

Average pool tiling costs across Australia are:
Keep in mind that this is only the price of laying & grouting tiles.

$200-$380 per square metre in New South Wales
$200–$380 per square metre in Victoria
$140-$150 per square metre in Western Australia
$160-$240 per square metre in Queensland

   These prices are for tiling of new pool builds & it does not include the cost of rendering the pool before tiling, these prices do not include the tiling of pool renovations, tiling for pool renovations is normally much higher due to the complexity involved.  

Prices once used to include rendering a pool.

Not any more! Once upon a time pool tilers used to charge a set price for rendering and tiling a pool, times have changed and now the rendering is seen as a seperate job to the tiling, there are few tilers that include rendering as part of the tiling, but due to a rise in pool tilers that don't know how to render pools this has forced many to hire renderers prior to the tiling, as a result the market has shifted to rendering pools prior to tiling as a seperate job all together.

Shape and size of your swimming pool will affect the cost

Normally pool tilers have a minimum square metre charge, meaning, as an example, they will charge for a minimum of 60 square metres, if the pool is smaller than 60 square metres, you are still charged the minimum for their time and expertise. 

Pools with a spa will obviously cost most due to the added work, a spa is normally charged separately to a swimming pool, pool tilers also charge a minimum for a spa, but usually if it’s a standalone spa and no swimming pool work is involved. 

Complex designs & curved pools will generally cost more to tile than rectangular swimming pool with flat walls and a flat floor.
Pools with rounded curves can look amazing when tiled, but you need the right tiler, tiling a pool can require thousands of tiles to be custom cut manually to suit the curvature of the swimming pool, all these details add to the cost of tiling.

Quotes from pool tilers

When getting quotes for swimming pool tiling, ask many questions and get to know the tilers, a professional pool tiler should be able to answer your questions with ease and be comfortable answering all your questions. 

A swimming pool tiler should be knowledgeable about all aspects of swimming pools, not just tiling, they should understand what certain pipes do, they should understand about pool lighting, cabling & concrete etc… knowing how to lay tiles is great, but they should know how to spot a potential problem before tiling & how to work for the prevention of potential future problems. 

There are many tradies offering pool tiling services throughout Australia, however few are true swimming pool tiling professionals, it is vital that pool owners and pool builders try their best to select the right person for the job.

You can also check if they are a registered member of Pool Trades Group

Keep in mind that swimming pool tilers may not require a trade certificate in some states. 

Instead you should be asking for references and doing a check directly on the pool tilers’ history, regardless of what the builders say, request to visit their previous jobs or call former customers, especially from jobs that were not done by your pool builder.

Check the tilers reviews and more importantly do not rely on just photos presented to you, since some might use photos of jobs they laboured in for someone else and maybe didn’t actually do themselves.

If you discuss this first and the builder can arrange it, you could meet the tiler prior to any work commencing, you should be able to trust your pool builder and in turn they should be transparent with you, meeting the tradies they work with is not considered normal, but it should be, after all you are the one paying the bills.

As can be seen in the above images, we come across many of the cheapest quote swimming pools.

Pool Tiles should be for the most part uniform, even in the corners, around steps and bends, while it isn't always possible, you can tell when the pool tiler is a professional or has no idea, the images show what we consider one of the worst pool tiling jobs we have ever come across.

These images show, unnecesarry cuts, tiles not in alignement, tiles falling off and the tiling was done on top of a painted pool surface, everything about that tilers work was just plain wrong. 

Which brings up the next point.

“Cowboy” swimming pool tilers

The swimming pool industry has a history of not requiring certifications, qualifications, or formal apprenticeships / study in many of its trade departments, swimming pool tiling is one of the most affected by what we call cowboys in the pool industry. 

This is why it is so important to ask questions. 

Many swimming pool tilers started off as labourers or house tilers, usually after a short period of time in some cases just a few months, they realise the potential of what they assume they could be earning so they decided to offer a pool tiling service to a pool builder or a swimming pool owner directly. 

Like many people, there are pool owners and some pool builders that want to save money and they decide to trust a cheap quote to tile a swimming pool and save money. 

Once this happens, the cowboy pool tiler gains confidence and decides to keep tiling pools, not realizing the complexity of the jobs and leaving behind a trail of destruction. 

There are many “trades people” that think they can go into the world of swimming pool tiling because they had seen an opportunity to make money and think because they know how to lay tiles that they can do this.

Swimming pools are a very complex and sensitive structure, tradies not knowing enough about swimming pools can ultimately cost the pool builder / pool owner a lot of money and create a lot of headaches. 

Never judge a swimming pool quote by the price, look deeper at who the quote is coming from in order to make the right decision.

Any "pool tiler" that offers to tile your swimming pool ontop of a painted surface or on top of the old existing tiles is not a professional, this is an immediate red flag.

Why is pool tiling expensive?

Pool Tiling is not expensive, knowing how to do things, the exact mix of products, which products & everything else is underestimated, while the monitary value seems high, customers are paying for knowledge, like everything, experience is important & valued, customers can never pay too much for something that in theory should last for almost a lifetime. Yes it does cost a lot do get a swimming fully tiled, which is why it should be done properly the first time around.

Other costs to consider around your pool 

Pool tiling costs may not be all you need to consider when you're installing or renovating a pool. 

You may also need other services, including:
Pool coping (normally done by pool tilers & landscapers)
Paving (normally done by some pool tilers, general tilers or landscapers)
Decking (normally done by carpenters or landscapers)

   A pool tile installer may be able to do more than just tile a pool but you may also have to coordinate with different tradies, ask the pool tiler for their contacts, good tradies know other good tradies, ask them for help in contacting the right people for the jobs you need.

Pool tiling always looks stunning and may add to the value of your home should you decide to sell, but if you don't sell your home, you will be over the moon that you decided to tile your swimming pool, pool tiles need the least maintenance of all pool surfaces and last longer than any other pool interior.

Pool tile colours

Ceramic pool tile colours range from many shades of blue, but the most popular colours in the last 12 months have been White, Grey & Mid Blue.

If you follow this link, you will be able to see tile samples at the bottom of the page.

Ceramic pool tile colour samples

When choosing a pool tile colour, the most important factor to remember is how light or dark the tile is, white tiles give an amazing light sky blue effect, while black tiles give a deep dark aqua / turquoise effect. 

In general, light-coloured pools give a warm inviting feel, very dark pools look very classy but can also look cold, when choosing a tile colour you should be considering the overall effect you wish to give to the backyard as a whole.