Wall and floor tiler
Lay precise, beautiful tiling in kitchens, bathrooms, shops and restaurants using ceramics, stone, slate and marble.
- Salary£21,000 – £38,000
- Hours40 to 45 hours a week; occasional evenings and weekends (National Careers Service)
- Working for yourselfSelf-employment is common
What the job is like
Tilers fix tiles to walls and floors in kitchens, bathrooms, shops and restaurants, working with ceramics, slate, stone and marble. It is a trade where careful setting out and accurate cutting make the difference between an ordinary job and a stunning one.
If you like patterns, precision and puzzles, you may enjoy it. With experience you could move into site management, estimating or heritage work, train others, or run your own tiling business.
What you'll do
- Work out the materials needed for a job
- Plan tile layouts and patterns from designs
- Prepare and level surfaces
- Cut tiles to shape by hand or with power tools
- Fix tiles, then apply grout and sealants
- Clear up and dispose of old materials safely
Where you'll work
- Indoors
- In customers' homes
- Construction sites
- In a team
- On your own
Skills and hobbies that help
Weighted by how much they matter in this job, from the official job profile's skills and tasks. Tap one to see other careers that use it.
Key skills
Used a lot
Hobbies that give you a head start
How to become a wall and floor tiler
Apprenticeship
Wall and Floor Tiler – Level 2 apprenticeship (ST0368), typical duration 30 months.
Finishing Trades Level 2 Foundation Apprenticeship for 16 to 21 year olds (or 22 to 24 in some circumstances).
College
Wall and floor tiling or construction skills (tiling) courses; some colleges run short tiling courses you can try first.
Other ways in
Start as a site labourer or tiler's mate and train on the job.
Qualifications, licences and cards
- CSCS card (or equivalent) – most principal contractors expect one before you work on a construction site
- A driving licence helps for some jobs
Where it can lead
- Site management
- Estimating or contract management
- Heritage work
- Training apprentices in further education or running your own business
Good to know
- The work can be dusty, noisy and physically demanding, and you may need protective equipment.
- The Tile Association publishes information on tiling training.
- Tiling pairs well with other finishing trades, and many kitchen and bathroom fitters tile as part of the job.
Courses and training
-
Trade training
Tiling training – The Tile Association
The Tile Association offers training and training support from beginner apprentice to Master Craftsman, and helps experienced tilers gain an NVQ and CSCS card.
-
Apprenticeship search
Find an apprenticeship – GOV.UK
The official GOV.UK service for searching and applying for apprenticeship vacancies in England.
-
Course search
Find a course – National Careers Service
The National Careers Service search for college and training provider courses in England, including Skills Bootcamps.
Official information
Sources
We checked these pages in September 2026. Rules, pay and courses change, so always confirm with the official source.
- National Careers Service: Tiler nationalcareers.service.gov.uk/job-profiles/tiler
- Wall and floor tiler (Level 2, ST0368) skillsengland.education.gov.uk/apprenticeships/st0368-v1-4
- The Tile Association: tiling training tiles.org.uk/tiling-training/
- Go Construct: Wall and floor tiler goconstruct.org/construction-careers/what-jobs-are-right-for-me/wall-and-floor-tiler