I think that's very reasonable. Our tile installer ranges from $585 for a smaller, simple job up to $1000+ for a more complicated job.

I recently got a quote for 1000 for 40 sq ft installed, plus an additional 500 to remove the existing backsplash and patch the walls.

Way too cheap. $1200-$1500 is what it takes for two solid half days of skilled tile installer work.

Too cheap? Maybe it depends on where you live. The materials will be $400, and the previous backsplash has already been removed.

She said her husband does the tiling the first day and she goes in and does the grout in just a few hours the second day.

So, an amateur, not a licensed and insured professional. They can sometimes turn out to be the most expensive choice in the end. :-/

Get references

Sounds cheap to me too - I live in a HCOL area though, so I always assume I am paying though the roof no matter who I call.

Yep, way too cheap in my neighbourhood as well.

It's a bargain. I live in a bedroom community of a large city and just had 24 sf ft done for $600 (excluding cost of tile). The demo of the existing tile was $120 of it.

Its nice, convenient, easy, etc to go with the first estimate but in the grand scheme of things you are doing yourself a disservice. Get three estimates. The process of getting three estimates will ensure that you are comfortable you made the right choice. You will have spoken with various parties gotten their number, reasons behind #, and other useful tidbits.

This woman seems competent and the tile store recommended her and her husband but I would still follow through on my due diligence.

Cost depends upon neighborhood. See their work in person if possible. Houzz is not a relable recommendation.

To me it's reasonable, but my bids (in San Francisco) for a 22 sf backsplash ranged from $900-$1800. We went with the $900 and he did a fantastic job (we have recommended him to others). For $600, I probably wouldn't bother with other bids IF you've seen their work and read reviews.

Okay, I called and got references. Long story short, 2 of the tile places I shopped at ONLY use this couple because they've had problems with other installers and these always do a great job and clean up after themselves. I also saw photos of their work on their website (I hadn't noticed the link), and they do really big fancy jobs. Ours is going to be very humble compared to what they usually do.

I did call 2 other guys. They both said they'd send photos to me, but my husband and I feel good about what we learned about this first business (and it's the only one of the 4 actually run like a business with a website and contact form and photos, etc. The rest are just independent guys).

The price will vary based upon the state/location. $600 is relative. I live in NJ, and had a quote for $750 for a similar square footage, but he said he would do it for $600 because he has done several jobs in the past for us. Plus we referred him to other jobs. I would go for it.

I have found out that when working with contractors the amount you pay has noting to do with the quality of the work being done. What I like to do is ask how long will it take? How many guys will you have working?Someone mentioned 1200-1500 if it takes two days for example that would mean $75- $93 per hr considering two 8 hr days. That is a lot more that what a tile guy gets paid per hr. I just purchased New Construction I met some guys that worked for the builder that are all pros I had my a backsplash added to to my Kitchen for $400 for the labor $33.00 per hr took him 12 hrs. You find out the hard way that Contractors often use the fear factor to scare people into paying a ridiculous price. Its true you get what you pay for but you can also find great work from a pro for a good price.

It sounds like you have done some checking and they are reliable. Just make sure someone is home when they work so you can call a halt if things are not looking good. It sounds like that won't be an issue tho. People who know their job and work well together can whip thru something a lot more quickly than an amateur. So they might still make good $$ even with the lower price. We just hired a painter who came in and did a lot of our walls for a pittance compared to what I hear others pay. But he did a beautiful job, 2 coats, all in one day and made $50.00/hr. So he made a decent wage and we didn't go broke. It would have taken me days just to mask all the trim and baseboards etc. He didn't mask a thing and didn't get a speck of paint anywhere it didn't belong. A tile pro will work the same way, fast and efficient.

My tiler came a day in advance, and set up this "clean room" in my great room (we live in a condo) This worked great to keep the place clean.