Published UK price guides put tiling a shower enclosure at £250–£900 (Checkatrade, June 2026). Tanking the shower area is usually a separate £150–£400 (trade2base, June 2026).
Where your price falls in that range depends on the wall area, the tile, and extras like niches, mitred corners and boarding.
A shower is a small area but slow to tile. Every wall has cuts around the tray, valve, outlets and corners, and it all has to be waterproof behind the tiles. That's why showers are usually priced as a job rather than straight per m².
What published price guides say
| Item | Typical UK price | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Tiling a shower enclosure | £250–£900 | Checkatrade, June 2026 |
| Tiling around a bath | £200–£300 | Checkatrade, June 2026 |
| Tiling labour per m² in a shower | £40–£70 | trade2base, June 2026 |
| Tanking a shower area | £150–£400 | trade2base, June 2026 |
| Recessed niche (tiled shelf) | £100–£300 each | trade2base, June 2026 |
For comparison, a complete walk-in shower installation, including the tray, screen and plumbing, typically costs £2,100–£2,500 (Checkatrade, March 2026). The tiling is one part of that.
What moves the price up or down
- Wall area: a 900 mm tray with two tiled walls to 2 m high is about 4 m². A 1,700 mm walk-in with three full-height walls can be 10 m² or more.
- Tile: large format, natural stone and mosaic all take longer. Published rates for those sit at the top of the per m² range.
- Tanking and boarding: needed in every shower. Price them as separate lines (see tanking prices).
- Niches, mitred corners and trims: each one adds time.
- Strip-out: removing old tiles and repairing the wall behind them.
Pricing a shower: a worked example
A 1,200 × 900 mm tray with three walls tiled to 2.1 m. Walls: (1.2 + 0.9 + 0.9) × 2.1 ≈ 6.3 m².
| Line | Working | Using the published ranges |
|---|---|---|
| Tiling labour | 6.3 m² × £40–£70 | £252–£441 |
| Tanking the shower area | separate line | £150–£400 |
| One niche | if wanted | £100–£300 |
That gives roughly £400–£1,140 in labour before strip-out and materials, which matches the £250–£900 Checkatrade range once a niche is left out. Check the result against your day rate. A shower like this is often 1.5–2 days including tanking, which has to dry before you tile. See tiling labour rates.
Sources
- Checkatrade: How much does tiling cost in 2026? · updated June 2026; shower enclosure, around a bath, labour per m²
- trade2base: Shower installation costs UK · June 2026; tiling labour per m² and tanking a shower area
- trade2base: Wet room costs UK · June 2026; niche prices
- Checkatrade: Walk-in shower installation cost · March 2026; whole walk-in shower installs
Prices change. Figures were checked on 20 October 2026; always check current costs and your own figures before quoting.