20 Questions to Ask Before Hiring a Bathroom Tiler

The hardest part of a bathroom renovation is not the tiling. It is choosing the right tiler. Get this wrong and the best tile in the world will fail. Get it right and a competent tiler will deliver work that lasts decades.

The challenge for homeowners is that you cannot judge tiling competence by looking at a tiler. You judge it by what they say in response to specific questions. This list is what I would ask if I were hiring a tiler myself, drawn from 44 years of seeing what separates the people who do this job well from the people who do not.

Luxury bathroom, Bromley. The visible quality of finished work is the result of dozens of decisions made before any tile goes on the wall. The right questions help you identify whether a tiler understands those decisions. Bathroom tiling service

Questions about qualifications and experience

1. What qualifications do you hold?

The standard UK answer is City and Guilds in Wall and Floor Tiling, NVQ Level 2 in Tiling, or both. Membership of The Tile Association is a positive sign. If a tiler holds none of these, ask about their training and experience — some excellent tilers learned through apprenticeships rather than formal qualifications, and their work speaks for itself.

2. How long have you been tiling professionally?

Experience matters in tiling because the technical knowledge accumulates over years of seeing what works and what fails. A tiler with 20+ years has seen every substrate type, every failure mode, and every technical challenge. A tiler with 2 years is still learning.

3. Do you specialise in domestic or commercial work?

Domestic and commercial tiling are different disciplines. Domestic tilers understand period properties, compact spaces, residential finish quality, and homeowner expectations. Commercial tilers work to different standards and material specifications. For your home, you want a domestic specialist.

Questions about substrate and preparation

4. Will you check the substrate before quoting?

The answer should be yes. A tiler who quotes without inspecting the actual surfaces is guessing. Substrate condition affects everything that follows — the adhesive specification, the time required, the cost of any preparation work.

5. How do you assess if existing plaster is sound?

The answer should mention tapping. Tapping plaster reveals hollow areas where the bond to the wall has failed. Hollow plaster cannot hold tiles and must be replaced. A tiler who does not check for hollow plaster will install tiles over failing substrate and the tiles will eventually de-bond.

6. What if my floor is timber suspended (not concrete)?

The answer should mention decoupling membrane. Timber floors flex with seasonal movement. Without a decoupling membrane between the timber and the tile, the movement transfers to the tile and causes cracking. This is non-negotiable in Victorian and Edwardian properties across South East London. See why tiles crack.

7. What preparation is included in your quote?

The answer should be specific. “Standard preparation” is not an answer — it should specify what work is included (substrate cleaning, primer application, levelling compound if needed, plaster repair if needed, removal of old adhesive). Vague answers usually mean the preparation will be skipped or charged extra later.

Questions about adhesives and materials

8. What adhesive will you use?

The single best question for assessing competence. The answer should name a specific product and explain why. Examples of good answers:

• “Mapei Keraflex Maxi S1 because it is a flexible C2 rated for porcelain on a timber floor.”
• “BAL Single Part Flexible because the tiles are large format and need full adhesive coverage.”
• “Mapei Kerapoxy because the bathroom has underfloor heating and needs an epoxy adhesive.”

A tiler who says “whatever I have in the van” or “standard adhesive” should not be hired for premium work. The adhesive choice is fundamental.

9. Why that specific adhesive?

The answer should mention the tile type, substrate, and environment. Example: “Porcelain on a timber floor with underfloor heating, so I need a C2 flexible adhesive rated for thermal cycling.”

10. What grout will you use and why?

Cementitious grout is standard. Epoxy grout is recommended for showers, wet rooms, and kitchen splashbacks where staining and microbial growth are concerns. The answer should match the application. Epoxy grout in a shower is a positive sign of attention to detail.

11. Will you tank wet areas?

Non-negotiable yes. The answer should mention the product (Mapelastic, BAL Tank-it, Schluter Kerdi, or similar). A tiler who does not tank wet areas is creating a future water damage problem. See what is tanking.

Questions about installation method

12. How will you set out the tiles?

The answer should mention finding the centre of the room, laser level use, and balancing cuts at opposite walls. Setting out before laying is what separates good tiling from amateur tiling. A tiler who starts laying from a corner without setting out will produce visible problems.

13. How will you handle the floor-to-wall joint?

The answer should be silicone, not grout. The floor and wall move independently and a grouted joint will crack within a year. Colour-matched silicone is the correct approach. See why tiles crack.

14. Where will you put movement joints?

The answer should mention the perimeter (against the walls), changes of plane (where floor meets wall, internal corners), and at intervals across larger floors. Movement joints absorb expansion and contraction. Without them, the tile bed has nowhere to flex and cracks form.

15. How long should I expect the work to take?

The answer should be a realistic timeline. A standard bathroom re-tile takes 2-3 days for an experienced tiler. A wet room takes 4-6 days. Pattern work, natural stone, or large format tiles add time. A tiler who says they can do a full bathroom in one day is rushing or inexperienced.

Questions about cost and contracts

16. Will you provide a written quote?

A written quote is essential. It specifies what is included, what materials will be used, the price, and the payment terms. A verbal price is not a quote and provides no protection if the work is disputed.

17. What does the price include?

The answer should specify: scope of work, substrate preparation, materials (or labour-only), tanking, grouting, silicone, clean-up. Anything that “might be needed” should be discussed and either included or quoted separately.

18. What are your payment terms?

Reasonable payment terms are: a deposit of 25-50% to cover materials, balance on completion, or staged payments tied to specific milestones. A tiler who wants 100% upfront is a warning sign. A tiler who works without any deposit is unusual but not necessarily a problem.

19. What guarantee do you offer on workmanship?

A reasonable guarantee period is 1-2 years on workmanship, with the manufacturer warranties on the products (adhesive, grout, tiles). Longer guarantees are possible but check what they cover — some only cover materials, not labour.

20. Can I see photos of recent work and speak to a previous client?

A confident tiler will say yes to both. Photos of recent work show their actual finish quality. A previous client reference (with permission) lets you ask honest questions about the experience: timekeeping, communication, clean-up, problem resolution.

What the answers should reveal

A competent tiler will answer these questions confidently and in detail. They will not be defensive about being asked. They will use specific product names, explain their reasoning, and reference relevant experience.

A weak tiler will give vague answers, change the subject, claim “standard practice”, or push back on the technical questions. These are warning signs.

The point of asking is not to interrogate. The point is to identify whether the person you are about to invite into your home has the skills to do the work properly. The investment of an hour asking questions can save you thousands in remedial work.

For a free site visit and detailed quote in Bromley or South East London where you can ask all of these questions and more, get in touch. I will give you straight answers to all of them.

See also: how to choose a tiler | 10 bathroom tile mistakes | tile installation guide