Careers · Explore one path
Tile and Stone Setters
Apply hard tile, stone, and comparable materials to walls, floors, ceilings, countertops, and roof decks.
Other titles employers use
Ceramic Tile Mechanic · Ceramic Tile Setter · Tile and Marble Installer · Tile and Marble Setter · Tile Finisher · Tile Installer · Tile Man · Tile Mason
Inside the work
What you would actually do.
6 responsibilities that define the role, before job titles and workplaces change the details.
- 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.
Who it suits
Would this work hold your attention?
This career often appeals to people drawn to practical and organizing work.
- Practical
- Building, repairing, using tools, or working outdoors
- Organizing
- Creating order, checking details, and keeping work accurate
Skills and strengths
What you would get good at.
Compare the skills the work relies on, the subjects behind it, and the abilities that make it easier to learn.
Core skills
- Active Listening
- Speaking
- Mathematics
- Critical Thinking
- Coordination
- Complex Problem Solving
Subjects to know
- Building and Construction
- Mathematics
- Customer and Personal Service
- Design
Useful strengths
- Visualization
- Near Vision
- Extent Flexibility
- Problem Sensitivity
- Trunk Strength
Working day
Picture yourself doing it.
These measures show how much of the day involves people, movement, conversation, and hands-on work.
| Measure | Out of 5 | What that means here |
|---|---|---|
| Close to other people | 3.4 | Shared rooms, but not shoulder to shoulder |
| On your feet | 4.0 | Standing or moving for most of it |
| Talking face to face | 4.5 | Continuous — the job is conversations |
| Working with your hands | 4.9 | Handling tools, instruments or materials |
Preparation
How people prepare for this work.
Most employers do not ask for a formal credential. Other routes may also lead into the field.
- High school or less 85%
- A certificate or some college 15%
Tools of the work
Technology you may use.
- Spreadsheet software
- Office suite software
- Electronic mail software
- Presentation software
- Word processing software
- Customer relationship management CRM software
- Computer aided design CAD software
- Data base user interface and query software
Opportunity near you
See where this work is growing.
Choose a state to compare the size of the field, annual openings, and expected hiring change.
- People doing this work
- 12,500
- Job openings each year
- 1,090
- Expected hiring change, 2022–2032
- 19.0%
Compare every available state
| State | People doing it | Job openings each year | Expected change |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | 12,500 | 1,090 | 19.0% |
| Florida | 7,940 | 690 | 20.1% |
| New York | 5,870 | 0 | — |
| Utah | 3,510 | 320 | 29.5% |
| Texas | 3,200 | 270 | 12.3% |
| Washington | 2,300 | 220 | 13.3% |
| Arizona | 2,240 | 200 | 19.8% |
| Illinois | 1,800 | 150 | 7.8% |
| Oregon | 1,700 | 150 | 24.1% |
| Nevada | 1,650 | 140 | 16.2% |
| Ohio | 1,620 | 130 | 8.0% |
| New Jersey | 1,550 | 130 | 9.9% |
| Missouri | 1,360 | 110 | 8.8% |
| Pennsylvania | 1,230 | 100 | 8.8% |
| Michigan | 1,200 | 100 | 4.3% |
| Colorado | 1,130 | 100 | 15.3% |
| Virginia | 1,020 | 80 | 5.2% |
| North Carolina | 930 | 80 | 14.8% |
| Wisconsin | 900 | 80 | 18.4% |
| Tennessee | 700 | 60 | 14.8% |
| Indiana | 650 | 50 | 6.6% |
| Alabama | 630 | 50 | 10.5% |
| Minnesota | 560 | 50 | 9.8% |
| Georgia | 460 | 40 | 17.9% |
| Oklahoma | 450 | 40 | 9.8% |
| Iowa | 440 | 40 | 15.8% |
| Kentucky | 440 | 40 | 7.3% |
| New Mexico | 420 | 40 | 16.7% |
| Connecticut | 400 | 40 | 17.6% |
| Kansas | 380 | 30 | 8.6% |
| Maryland | 360 | 30 | 9.1% |
| Idaho | 340 | 30 | 25.9% |
| Montana | 320 | 30 | 28.0% |
| South Carolina | 320 | 30 | 10.3% |
| Mississippi | 280 | 30 | 27.3% |
| South Dakota | 270 | 20 | 17.4% |
| Louisiana | 260 | 20 | 13.0% |
| Nebraska | 250 | 20 | 13.6% |
| Arkansas | 190 | 20 | 11.8% |
| Massachusetts | 180 | 20 | 5.9% |
| Wyoming | 170 | 20 | 30.8% |
| Puerto Rico | 140 | 10 | 27.3% |
| Vermont | 130 | 10 | 8.3% |
| Maine | 110 | 10 | — |
| New Hampshire | 100 | 10 | 11.1% |
| North Dakota | 100 | 10 | 25.0% |
| Delaware | 90 | 10 | 12.5% |
| Rhode Island | 80 | 10 | 14.3% |
| West Virginia | 50 | 10 | 25.0% |
Career to college
Build a path toward this work.
Start with a related major, then compare colleges where students complete that field.
Where to study
Colleges with strong activity in these fields.
Start with program size, admission, and likely cost. Open a college for the full picture.
The University of Texas at San Antonio
- Degrees each year
- 76
- Admit rate
- 88%
- Annual cost after aid
- $9,000
Rowan University
- Degrees each year
- 56
- Admit rate
- 78%
- Annual cost after aid
- $19,000
Tuskegee University
- Degrees each year
- 12
- Admit rate
- 31%
- Annual cost after aid
- $35,000
Thomas Jefferson University
- Degrees each year
- 4
- Admit rate
- 86%
- Annual cost after aid
- $25,000
SUNY College of Technology at Delhi
- Degrees each year
- 2
- Admit rate
- 88%
- Annual cost after aid
- $19,000