Standard 600×600 porcelain costs AED 130 to 220 per square metre supplied and laid. Large-format porcelain runs AED 200 to 380. Natural stone runs AED 350 to 900. Engineered timber runs AED 250 to 600. Substrate levelling, where needed, adds AED 60 to 140 per square metre.
The two items that separate quotations
Levelling and movement joints. Large-format tiles are unforgiving — a 1200×600 porcelain will telegraph any deviation in the screed beneath it, lipping at the joints where a small tile would have absorbed it.
Large tiled areas also need properly designed movement joints at the perimeter and across the field. Leave them out and the floor tents or the grout cracks, usually in the second summer.
Ask any contractor quoting you whether their rate includes levelling and movement joints. A vague answer is where the difference between two prices is hiding.
What works in Dubai
Porcelain is the most practical for most of the house: dimensionally stable, unaffected by humidity, and now available in convincing stone and timber effects. Natural stone is the most beautiful but needs sealing and maintenance.
Engineered timber works well in bedrooms and living areas. Solid timber is generally not advisable given the humidity swing between air-conditioned interiors and outside.
What drives the rate
Material, then substrate, then format. Porcelain, natural stone, engineered timber and luxury vinyl sit at different price points, but the preparation underneath often matters more than the difference between them.
Large-format tiles are considerably more expensive to lay than small ones, because the substrate has to be genuinely flat — a large tile cannot follow an uneven floor. Screed levelling is where a flooring budget is most often exceeded.
What is usually excluded
Removing and disposing of the existing floor. Levelling screed. Skirting, thresholds and trims. Moving or re-hanging doors where the floor build-up has changed their clearance. And making good to decoration afterwards.
A rate per square metre for supply and lay is not a flooring price. The difference between that rate and the finished cost is where most flooring disputes live.
Build-up, levels and the doors
Changing from one floor type to another changes the build-up, and that changes the level. Doors stop closing, thresholds between rooms appear, and a step emerges where the kitchen meets the living room.
None of it is difficult if it is anticipated at the drawing stage. All of it is irritating and expensive if it is discovered after the floor is down.
How we arrive at a figure
We do not price from a floor area and a rate. We measure the work and produce a bill of quantities — every element listed, quantified and rated — so that what you are agreeing to is legible rather than implied.
That is also what makes two quotations comparable. A single lump sum tells you nothing about what has been included; a measured breakdown tells you exactly where the difference between two prices sits. For an indicative range before any of that, the cost calculator takes about a minute.
| Material | Notes | Indicative range |
|---|---|---|
| Standard porcelain | 600×600, mid-range, laid and grouted | AED 130 – 220 / sq m |
| Large-format porcelain | 1200×600 or larger, levelling system, movement joints | AED 200 – 380 / sq m |
| Natural stone | Marble or limestone, sealed, honed where specified | AED 350 – 900 / sq m |
| Engineered timber | Quality board, underlay, expansion detailing | AED 250 – 600 / sq m |
| Substrate levelling | Where the slab is significantly out of level | + AED 60 – 140 / sq m |
For the whole property rather than the floors alone, try the renovation cost calculator.
Related Questions
Can new flooring go over existing tiles?
Sometimes — where the existing floor is sound, well bonded and genuinely flat.
You also have to solve the build-up at thresholds, door bottoms and the first stair riser, which is usually where the idea falls apart. In most renovations, removing and starting from a proper substrate is the better decision.
Why do large tiles cost so much more to lay?
Because the substrate has to be far flatter. A large-format tile telegraphs any deviation in the screed beneath, lipping at joints where a small tile would have absorbed it.
The tile itself is not much dearer. Achieving the flatness tolerance it requires is, and that is where the extra cost genuinely sits.
What does flooring cost in Dubai?
It depends on material and on what the substrate needs. The rate for supply and lay is only part of the picture — removal and disposal of the existing floor, levelling screed, skirting, trims and door adjustments are frequently quoted separately or not at all, and together they can rival the flooring itself.
Why is large-format tile more expensive to lay?
Because it exposes any unevenness in the substrate. A small tile can follow a slightly uneven floor; a large one cannot, so the floor has to be levelled properly first. That preparation is real labour, and a contractor quoting the same laying rate regardless of tile size has not accounted for it.
Will my doors still close?
Not necessarily. Changing floor type changes the build-up and therefore the finished level, which affects door clearance and creates thresholds between rooms. It is straightforward to allow for at drawing stage and irritating to resolve after the floor is laid.
Is natural stone a good choice in Dubai?
It can be beautiful and it is more demanding than porcelain — it is porous, it needs sealing and maintenance, and some stones mark readily. Porcelain that convincingly imitates stone has improved considerably and needs none of that. Which is right depends on how the room is used rather than on budget alone.
Do I need to remove the existing floor?
Usually, and it is frequently excluded from a quotation. Laying over an existing floor raises the level further, risks bonding failures if the old floor is loose, and hides whatever condition the substrate is in. Removal and disposal is a real cost and it belongs in the price rather than arriving later.
How long does flooring take?
For a villa, typically one to two weeks for the laying itself, plus time for screed levelling to cure where it is needed. The cure is the part that cannot be rushed, and attempting to is how a floor fails six months later.
Can I lay new flooring over the existing floor?
Sometimes, but it is rarely the saving it appears to be. It raises the finished level further, affects doors and thresholds, and hides whatever condition the substrate is in. If the existing floor is loose or hollow in places, the new one will fail where it is.
What flooring is best for Dubai villas?
Porcelain for most situations — it is dimensionally stable, unaffected by humidity, needs no sealing and now imitates stone and timber convincingly. Engineered timber works indoors with care. Solid timber and some natural stones are more demanding here than they are in a temperate climate.
Do I need underfloor insulation or acoustic layers?
In a villa, rarely. In an apartment, acoustic performance to the unit below is frequently a building requirement, particularly when changing from carpet to a hard floor. It is worth establishing what your building requires before specifying, because retrofitting it means lifting the floor.
How much waste should I allow?
Ten per cent on standard layouts and more on diagonal or patterned work, plus a box kept back for future repairs. Batch variation in tile and stone is real, and a replacement sourced two years later rarely matches. The spare box is the cheapest insurance in the whole project.
Should the floor go in before or after the joinery?
Floor first in most cases, running under where the joinery will sit, so that a future change of layout does not leave an unfinished strip. The exception is a fitted kitchen, where cabinetry usually goes on the substrate and the floor finishes up to it. Deciding this before either is ordered avoids an expensive argument on site.