Explore by Career/Construction and Extraction
Tile and Stone Setters
Apply hard tile, stone, and comparable materials to walls, floors, ceilings, countertops, and roof decks.
- Median pay
- $52,240
- per year
- 10-year outlook
- +10.1%
- Growing
- Typical entry
- No formal educational credential
Key skills
- Active Listening
- Speaking
- Mathematics
- Critical Thinking
- Coordination
- Complex Problem Solving
- Time Management
- Reading Comprehension
What they do
- Align and straighten tile using levels, squares, and straightedges.
- Finish and dress the joints and wipe excess grout from between tiles, using damp sponge.
- Cut and shape tile to fit around obstacles and into odd spaces and corners, using hand and power cutting tools.
- Determine and implement the best layout to achieve a desired pattern.
- Mix, apply, and spread plaster, concrete, mortar, cement, mastic, glue or other adhesives to form a bed for the tiles, using brush, trowel and screed.
- Study blueprints and examine surface to be covered to determine amount of material needed.
- Measure and mark surfaces to be tiled, following blueprints.
- Lay and set mosaic tiles to create decorative wall, mural, and floor designs.
- Apply mortar to tile back, position the tile, and press or tap with trowel handle to affix tile to base.
- Mix and apply mortar or cement to edges and ends of drain tiles to seal halves and joints.
Majors that lead here
No mapped majors yet.
Sources: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS, Employment Projections) and O*NET, used under CC BY 4.0.