2023 Kitchen Floor Tile Cost, Installation, Pros & Cons

Installing new kitchen floor tile is one of the most budget friendly ways to boost the aesthetic appeal and functionality of your kitchen.

Because tile is available in such a wide range of materials, sizes and colors, your remodel is only limited by your imagination and budget.

If you are ready to install new floor tile in your kitchen, contact your local remodeling pros for FREE ESTIMATES!

Average Cost To Tile Kitchen Floor

Floors in most kitchens take a lot of abuse. Foot traffic, grease, spills, etc., take a toll on its durability and looks.

Replacing old flooring with tile can instantly breathe new life into your kitchen. When you consider different materials, your priorities should be functionality and longevity.

Below is a chart comparing professional installation charges for the most popular floor tile options.

Cost Of Ceramic Kitchen Floor Tile

Ceramic kitchen tile floors are an economical way to get a new beautiful floor that will last a while, will be easy to clean and will be resistant to moisture.

Ceramic floor tile comes in a wide range of color and design options that replicate the look and feel or real hardwood floors or natural stone, such as travertine or slate.

Ceramic white kitchen floor tiles are very popular because they provide a clean, modern look and can visually expand a small kitchen.

The chart below summarizes how much it cost to install ceramic kitchen floor tiles per square foot.

SIZE (inches)	PATTERN	PRICE
14 x 14 – 24 x 24	straight	$3.80 – $4.00 / Sq. Ft.
	diagonal	$4.00 – $4.40 / Sq. Ft.
8 x 8 – 13.75 x 13.75	straight	$4.40 – $4.90 / Sq. Ft.
	diagonal	$4.90 – $5.20 / Sq. Ft.
6 x 6 – 7.75 – 7.75	straight	$5.20 – $5.70 / Sq. Ft.
	diagonal	$5.70 – $6.30 / Sq. Ft.
2 x 2 – 5.75 x 5.75	straight	$6.20 + / Sq. Ft.
	diagonal	$6.70 + / Sq. Ft.

Cost Of Porcelain Kitchen Floor Tile

Porcelain kitchen floor tiles are a step up from their ceramic counterparts in terms of design options, overall quality and durability.

Similar to ceramic tile, porcelain floor tile is available in a myriad designs that can suit any kitchen style.

The chart below summarizes porcelain kitchen floor tiles prices per square foot.

14 x 14 – 24 x 24	straight	$4.00 – $4.50 / Sq. Ft.
	diagonal	$4.50 – $5.00 / Sq. Ft.
8 x 8 – 13.75 x 13.75	straight	$5.00 – $5.15 / Sq. Ft.
	diagonal	$5.15 – $5.65 / Sq. Ft.
6 x 6 – 7.75 – 7.75	straight	$5.65 – $6.15 / Sq. Ft.
	diagonal	$6.15 – $6.75 / Sq. Ft.
2 x 2 – 5.75 x 5.75	straight	$6.75 / Sq. Ft. and up
	diagonal	$7.25 / Sq. Ft. and up

Marble Kitchen Floor Tile Prices

Marble is a breathtaking stone that can elevate the look of any kitchen floor. Marble floor tiles are often used in high-end kitchens.

Keep in mind that marble tends to be a porous material and needs to be properly sealed in order to be stain and moisture resistant.

Marble can also scratch fairly easily, so if you have pets or heavy foot traffic in your kitchen, marble flooring may not be the best fit.

The table below summarizes marble flooring tiles per square foot.

12 x 12 – 18 x 18	straight	$5.10 – $6.40 / Sq. Ft.
	diagonal	$5.60 – $7.10 / Sq. Ft.

Slate Kitchen Floor Tiles Prices

Slate is truly king of the natural stone tiles, offering deep, rich colors and subtle sophistication ideal for Mediterranean, French or Spanish style kitchen remodels.

Slate is an incredibly durable flooring tile and is ideal if you want to install radiant heat flooring in your kitchen.

Another benefit of slate is that it will boost the resale value of your home and help you get top dollar ROI for your kitchen remodel.

Slate does have a few drawbacks. First, like marble it needs to be properly sealed to avoid staining. In fact, slate stone requires two sealing coats, and if your kitchen has a lot of foot traffic, you will need to reseal your slate floor every year. That is A LOT of maintenance to worry about!

Second, there are cheap slate tiles and its best to avoid them, because cheap slate tends to crumble, which is the last thing you want in your kitchen.

Thirdly, slate its a difficult tile material to install, so expect to pay significantly more for installation.

Pro Tip: Its very important to ensure that before the slate tiles are installed, you prepare the subfloor and underlayment properly to ensure that the slate does not crack after it has been installed.

The table below summarizes how much you can expect to spend on installing slate floor tiles per square foot.

12 x 12 – 18 x 18	straight	$5.30 – $6.70 / Sq. Ft.
	diagonal	$5.70 – $7.25 / Sq. Ft.

Cost Of Granite Kitchen Floor Tile

Real granite is the most popular stone tile among homeowners looking for the luxury look and feel on natural stone tile flooring in their kitchens.

Like all other stone tile, granite needs to be sealed, but it unlike slate it does not need to be resealed very often, every 3-4 years will suffice.

What makes granite floor tiles so popular is the wide array of beautiful colors and patterns available. As such granite is a great match for a much wider range of kitchen designs, compared to slate or marble.

Among granite flooring many advantages are the fact that its heat, moisture and fade resistant tile, which is easy to clean and maintain. Once granite is sealed, it will also be stain resistant; however if not properly sealed granite can stain.

On the downside, keep in mind that if you don’t have radiant heat floors, granite floor tiles, like other natural stone will tend to get cold, especially if you live in areas where temperatures drop in the fall and winter months.

Granite floor tiles are not a DIY friendly flooring option, they are heavy, difficult and time consuming to install, require a lot of special tools and expertise to properly cut and install.

The table below summarizes the cost of granite tile floors per square foot.

12 x 12 – 18 x 18	straight	$5.45 – $7.00 / Sq. Ft.
	diagonal	$6.00 – $7.50 / Sq. Ft.

Prices For Popular Floor Tile Materials

When you start browsing through all the tile options, your head might start spinning. To narrow down your choices, focus on the fact that the tile for a kitchen must be durable, practical and easy to clean.

You should take into consideration how much foot traffic goes through your kitchen on a regular basis, water and food spills, potential for scratches, abrasive dirt, etc.

Here is a quick reference chart that summarizes the average price per square foot for all the popular types of tile.

You will notice that ceramic tile is the cheapest, while glass, mosaic and loose pebble tile are the most expensive.

In recent years, the use of glass tile for kitchen walls and backsplashes has exploded in popularity, so there are a lot more choices than before.

MATERIAL	AVERAGE COST PER SQ.FT. (low to high)
Ceramic	$4.60 / Sq. Ft.
Porcelain	$5.05 / Sq. Ft.
Marble	$6.20 / Sq. Ft.
Limestone	$6.20 / Sq. Ft.
Slate	$6.45 / Sq. Ft.
Pebble(set on 12 x 12€ mesh)	$6.55 / Sq. Ft.
Granite	$6.70 / Sq. Ft.
Sandstone	$6.70 / Sq. Ft.
Travertine	$6.90 / Sq. Ft.
Onyx	$7.15 / Sq. Ft.
Glass(not mosaic)	$7.55 / Sq. Ft.
Mosaic(set on the mesh)	$9.50 + / Sq. Ft.
Loose pebble(or standing)	$17.0 / Sq. Ft.

Additional Kitchen Tile Enhancement Costs

Keep in mind that there may be a number of additional costs involved in this project. Here is what you should budget for:

JOB DESCRIPTION	SIZE	COST
Install tile baseboard	3.5 in x 12 in	$2.5 – 3.5 / Ln. Ft.
Install backer boards	3′ x 5′	$20 – 25 / each
Demolition of existing floor or wall tile		$0.95 – 1.45 / Sq. Ft.
Purchase thin-set or mortar and grout materials		$0.9 – 1.9 / Sq. Ft.
Replace old/broken subflooring (requires hiring a carpenter)		$90 – 135 (for around three hours of labor billed at a rate of $30 – 45 / hr
Remove waste material (dumpster fee)		$150

How Flooring Pros Charge For Kitchen Tile Installs

There are a lot of factors that go into the final estimate for doing tile in your kitchen. Here are some of the things that may increase your total cost.

1. Most prices you will see online (including this post) are for the basic tile patterns (straight and diagonal). More complex patterns and especially mosaics can cost 2-3 times more than what is listed. Only a tile installer can give you a real estimate once he comes to take a look at your kitchen and the design you have in mind.

2. Depending on where you live, installation costs can vary as much as 20-30% up or down, compared to the national average.

In expensive cities and suburbs around US, contractors have the luxury to charge premium rates, where as more modest geographic locations have more reasonable prices.

So don’t be surprised if you live in San Francisco, and your local tile installer will give you an estimate that is much much higher than what you calculated on line.

3. There is always an up-charge for small jobs, because the contractor has to cover his basic set-up, clean-up and overhead costs. Consequently you can get a better deal if you decide to go for a bigger job.

4. Installation of stone tile will cost significantly more than ceramic or porcelain, because it requires greater precision, special cutting tools, and is more time consuming.

5. The total price to install large size tile will be less than for small size.

6. If you want high – end tile, its advisable to hire a professional contractor who has experience with this material. While it will cost significantly more than hiring a handy man, getting a top quality installation is well worth the extra charge.

7. Floor tile must be installed on a sub-floor that is completely smooth, flat, and clean. You may need to pay extra to either fix the existing sub-floor or add a cement backer board.

8. All stone tile will require re-sealing every couple of years, which adds to the total maintenance time and cost. While the initial seal coat will be included in the total price, you need to budget for future re-sealing procedures.