Questions to Ask a Tiler Before You Hire One
Most people hiring a tiler are relying on trust more than technical knowledge, which is fair enough. You shouldn't need to become an expert in tiling to get a bathroom done properly. But there are a handful of questions that separate a confident, experienced answer from a vague one, and asking them upfront is one of the easiest ways to know who you're dealing with before any work starts.
Is Waterproofing Included, and How Is It Done?
In any wet area, a shower, a wet room, generally anywhere water is going to hit the floor or walls directly, proper waterproofing (often called tanking) needs to happen before tiling starts, not as an afterthought. A good tiler should be able to explain clearly what tanking involves on your specific job, whether it's included in the quote as standard, and why it matters: in short, it stops water getting behind the tile and into the structure underneath, which is where damp and long-term damage actually come from. If this question gets a shrug, or the answer is that it's "not really necessary" for a shower, that's worth taking seriously as a warning sign rather than brushing off.
What Happens If the Subfloor Isn't Level?
Very few floors, especially in older properties, are perfectly level once you get down to the actual subfloor. A good tiler should expect this as a normal part of the job rather than treating it as a surprise extra once work has started. Ask what their approach is if the floor turns out to be uneven: do they self-level it, and is that priced in or is it a genuine unknown until they can see the floor exposed? An honest answer is usually something like "we won't know the full extent until it's opened up, but here's how we'd handle it and roughly what that could mean for cost", rather than a flat guarantee that ignores the possibility altogether.
Will You See a Setting-Out Plan Before Work Starts?
Tile layout, where the cuts fall, how it's centred in the room, which direction it runs, makes a real visual difference to the finished result, and it's much easier to agree on before tiles are stuck down than to renegotiate afterwards. A tiler who talks you through where cuts will land, especially around visible focal points like a bath, a doorway or a feature wall, is doing the job properly. If layout is never mentioned until it's already done, you've lost your only real chance to have a say in it.
Already sure this is the job you want done properly? Call us directly, no need to read on.
Is the Quote Fixed, or Can It Change Once Work Starts?
It's fair for a quote to include a genuine allowance for the unknown, subfloor condition being the classic example, but you should know upfront what's fixed and what's contingent, and roughly what could trigger a change. A tiler who can explain this clearly, rather than leaving it vague, is generally one who's used to managing it properly rather than one who pads a low quote and adds costs as they go.
What's a Realistic Timeline?
Timelines depend on the size and complexity of the job, and a good tiler should be able to give you a realistic estimate rather than an artificially fast one designed to win the work. It's also fair to ask how they handle sequencing if other trades are involved, plumbers, electricians, a kitchen fitter, since tiling often has to slot in at a specific point in a wider renovation rather than happening in isolation.
Waterproofing in particular comes up constantly in bathroom projects, and it's one of the clearest signs of whether a tiler knows what they're doing. If you're planning a bathroom and want to know exactly what proper tanking involves before you get quotes in, it's worth reading up first. See our Bathroom Tiling page for how we approach this on a real job. Or get a free quote if you already know what you need.
Frequently asked
Questions worth answering upfront.
Not necessarily. A genuinely accurate quote usually needs a site visit, because things like subfloor condition and room layout affect the price and can't be judged from a description alone. Be more cautious of a firm quote given with no visit at all, since that's harder to trust once work is underway.
This varies by tiler and by how busy they are, but a confirmed quote followed by work starting within a couple of weeks is a reasonable expectation to ask about, rather than an open-ended "sometime soon".
Not necessarily, but it's worth agreeing access arrangements and how you'll be kept updated on progress, especially for a multi-day job, before work starts rather than working it out on day one.
A clear breakdown of what's included, materials, waterproofing, any prep work, and what isn't, so there's no ambiguity later. If a quote is a single vague total with no detail, it's fair to ask for it to be broken down before you commit.