This book is a blunt, practical guide to pricing tile and stone work the right way.
It is written for professional installers who already know how to do the work but are tired of guessing at the price. If you have ever finished a job and wondered where the money went, this book was written for you.
Peter J. Stone, a third-generation tile installer, breaks down pricing the same way the work actually happens, on real jobs, with real constraints. No theory. No generic advice. No recycled contractor clichés. Just clear explanations of why pricing fails and how to fix it.
The book covers residential and commercial pricing in detail, including floors, walls, backsplashes, bathrooms, custom work, repairs, and large commercial projects. It explains why stone should always be priced higher than tile, how large-format and stone-look materials change the math, and how geography, access, prep, and risk quietly destroy margins when they are ignored.
You will learn how to calculate real hourly and daily rates, account for overhead most installers forget, price prep work properly, and choose the right pricing model for each job. The book also covers contracts, handling price objections, when to walk away, and when referring work is the smartest pricing decision you can make.
Real-world case studies show how pricing holds up or falls apart on actual jobs, and the appendices provide practical worksheets, regional adjustment tables, and common pricing mistakes to avoid.
This is not a book about charging more for the sake of it. It is about charging correctly so the work supports the business instead of draining it.
If you want pricing that feels calm, defensible, and fair to both you and the client, this book will change how you look at every job before you ever pick up a trowel.
