How Inflation Is Affecting Your Tile Projects

High Inflation Is Affecting Every Home Project, Including Tile Installation

In 2025, millions of households are facing price increases in everything from groceries and gas, to rent and home projects.

Residential construction costs are up 19% from a year ago. This can translate into higher costs for home improvement projects, including tile projects.

A new survey has found that homeowners plan to spend on average, $15,000 to remodel their homes.

The spending is more obvious for those who purchased property in the past year. These recent homebuyers tend to spend more on renovations than the national median of $15,000.

How much more? Nearly $30,000, which is double the norm.

But no matter how high the price, homeowners are still paying up to make their house more livable. In fact, a survey found that more than half of respondents (55%) are planning to renovate this year despite the cost.

Not all tile projects are created equal

Delaying some tile projects can be risky. For example, putting off a shower floor leak can lead to bigger repair costs later on. Last year, homeowners spent an average of about $4,000 on home repairs.

While it’s wise to have money set aside for maintenance, you can also take steps that may help avoid costly repairs.

Prioritize issues that are known to be costlier to repair such as water leaks and any structural issues around the house. Not all home repairs are created equal, so it’s important to look for signs that a project needs to be addressed quickly.

Kitchen tile projects still come first

SAVU LLC installing mosaic marble tile backsplash in Windham, NH

The kitchen reigns supreme when renovating right now, with homeowners spending 25% more money in this space than in 2024. While this makes sense given how much time we spend cooking here, it makes financial sense, too; because kitchens have the best return on investment. For example, adding tile to your kitchen like a new backsplash.

Best Way To Approach Tile Projects During Inflation

Tip #1: Save money by doing part of the project yourself

You can save a lot of money if you do part of the work on your own. Demolition, installing cement boards or waterproofing can be easy to learn. If you hire a tile contractor for these tasks, your final cost will be higher.

Tip #2 : Save money while buying materials

buy local – look for the closest home improvement store, this way you will save money on gas.
buy from big stores – like Home Depot, Lowe’s or Floor and Decor. Big stores tend to have cheaper prices and better return policies than small tile stores.
avoid buying any materials online – tile suppliers can be tricky if you are an online buyer. The product can look very different in real life than in the pictures. Also, you will have to pay for the shipping. And let’s not forget, shipping can be delayed due to supply chain issues. Overall, buying online is more expensive and inconvenient.

Tip #3 : Hire professionals for tile installation

For tasks that require years of experience, it is best to hire a professional. Tile installation can be tricky if you never did it before. Despite YouTube videos that give the wrong impression that it is easy, we encountered customers who tried and failed. Consequently, they lost more money in the process.

Another trap is to hire the cheapest tile contractor. Looking for “the best price” can be detrimental, as quality is not “cheap”.

We recommend to hire a tile installer that has:

at least 5 years experience
competitive prices
plenty of 5 star reviews on different platforms (like Google, Houzz, Facebook etc.)

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