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How much does it cost to lay ceramic or porcelain tile per m² in Panama?

Laying ceramic starts at B/. 10.00 per m² and porcelain at B/. 12.50 per m². The price rises with the format: the bigger the tile, the more levelling the substrate demands.

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Price by format

The prices on this page come from Gallardía's installation rate card: labour, tools and equipment only. They do not include materials or the ITBMS tax, and they are indicative; the final price is confirmed after a free site visit.
ActivityUnitInstallation price
Interior ceramic floor tile, 0.40×0.40 m formatB/. 10.00
Interior ceramic floor tile, 0.60×0.60 m formatB/. 12.50
Interior porcelain floor tile, 0.40×0.40 m formatB/. 12.50
Interior porcelain floor tile, 0.60×0.60 m formatB/. 15.00
Anti-slip ceramic tile for bathrooms and changing rooms, 0.30×0.30 mB/. 10.00
Anti-slip ceramic tile for bathrooms and changing rooms, 0.30×0.60 mB/. 12.50

Why does the large format cost more? Because a 0.60×0.60 m tile does not forgive an uneven substrate. With small formats a level difference is spread across many joints and goes unnoticed; with large formats it shows up as a lip between tiles that you feel underfoot and see in raking light. Levelling properly takes time, and that time is in the price.

Concrete and clay pavers

For outdoors, patios and traffic areas, anti-slip pavers are a different price family:

ActivityUnitInstallation price
Anti-slip concrete paver, "tocho" type, 0.30×0.30 mB/. 10.00
Anti-slip clay paver, "congrani/terrazzo" type, 0.30×0.30 mB/. 12.50
Anti-slip clay paver, 0.30×0.30 m formatB/. 10.00

Wall tiling

Wall tiling is priced separately from the floor, and again depends on format and area:

ActivityUnitInstallation price
Ceramic wall tiling, 0.30×0.45 m formatB/. 10.00
Ceramic wall tiling, 0.30×0.60 m formatB/. 12.50
Ceramic wall tiling in bathroomsB/. 12.50
Ceramic wall tiling in kitchens, laundries or around sinksB/. 12.50

Wall tiling costs more per metre than flooring at the same format because you work vertically, the tile has to be held while it grabs, and there are far more cuts around sockets, taps and corners.

What you almost always have to add

ActivityUnitInstallation price
Removal of interior ceramic or porcelain floor tileB/. 7.50
Removal of anti-slip or industrial flooringB/. 10.00
Interior ceramic skirting, 8–10 cm highmB/. 5.00
Interior porcelain skirting, 8–10 cm highmB/. 5.00
Interior PVC skirting, 8–12 cm highmB/. 5.00
Haulage and final disposal of waste at an approved landfillB/. 45.00
Final clean-up and clearance of the work areaB/. 5.00

Skirting is measured by linear metre of room perimeter, not by m². And the rubble: stripping the floor from a 30 m² living room generates close to 1 m³ of material, so about B/. 45.00 of disposal at an approved landfill. Not a minor detail if you are in a condominium where you cannot leave rubble in the corridor.

Worked example: a 30 m² living-dining room

ActivityQuantityUnit priceLine total
Removal of existing ceramic floor30 m²B/. 7.50 / m²B/. 225.00
Interior porcelain floor tile 0.60×0.60 m30 m²B/. 15.00 / m²B/. 450.00
Porcelain skirting (approx. perimeter)22 mB/. 5.00 / mB/. 110.00
Final disposal of rubble1 m³B/. 45.00 / m³B/. 45.00
Final clean-up and clearance30 m²B/. 5.00 / m²B/. 150.00
TOTAL LABOURB/. 980.00

Stay with 0.40×0.40 ceramic instead of large-format porcelain and the laying drops from B/. 450.00 to B/. 300.00.

Advice before you buy the material

Related questions

How much does it cost to lay ceramic tile per m² in Panama?

From B/. 10.00 per m² for the 0.40×0.40 m format and B/. 12.50 per m² for 0.60×0.60 m, in labour, excluding materials and ITBMS tax.

How much does it cost to lay porcelain tile per m²?

B/. 12.50 per m² in the 0.40×0.40 m format and B/. 15.00 per m² in 0.60×0.60 m.

Why does large-format tile cost more to lay?

Because it demands a far better levelled substrate. With large tiles any unevenness becomes a visible lip between pieces, so the preparation takes considerably longer.

How much does it cost to remove the old floor?

Removing interior ceramic or porcelain floor tile is B/. 7.50 per m², and removing anti-slip or industrial flooring B/. 10.00 per m². Rubble disposal is charged separately at B/. 45.00 per m³.

Is skirting charged separately?

Yes, and it is measured by linear metre. Ceramic, porcelain or PVC skirting is installed at B/. 5.00 per metre.

How much does it cost to tile a bathroom wall?

Ceramic wall tiling in bathrooms is B/. 12.50 per m². A 2×2 m bathroom tiled to 2.40 m comes to about 19 m².

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