Also known as
- Apprentice Tilesetter
- Ceramic Tile Installer
- Marble Setter
- Terrazzo Polisher
- Terrazzo Worker
- Tile Installer
Your duties | Work conditions | Essential Skills | Apprenticeship | Certification | Where to study | Salary ranges | Building your career | Job prospects
Do you enjoy working with your hands? Are you precise? Do you have an eye for detail? Are you creative and artistic? Then Tilesetter could be the career for you!
What the work is like
Tilesetters cover interior and exterior walls, floors and ceilings with ceramic, marble and quarry tiles, mosaics or terrazzo.
They are employed by construction companies and masonry contractors, or they may be self-employed.
Tilesetters work in the New Home Building and Renovation, and Institutional and Commercial construction sectors. To learn more about the construction sectors, check out Inside the industry.
Your duties
As a Tilesetter, your duties may include the following:
- laying and setting tiles to create decorative wall, mural and floor designs
- cutting and fitting tiles around obstacles and openings using hand and power cutting tools
- preparing, measuring and marking surfaces to be covered
- mixing, applying and spreading cement, glue or other adhesives using hand tools
- aligning and straightening tiles using levels and squares
- applying plaster between tiles and removing excess plaster
- cutting, polishing and installing marble and granite
- removing and replacing cracked or damaged tiles
- preparing cost estimates and orders
Work conditions
The standard work week for tilesetters is 40 hours (8 hours a day, 5 days a week). As with many careers in construction, there are peak periods that will require you to work overtime. The number of additional hours you work each week depends on the construction sector and region you work in, and will vary from one job to the next.
As a Tilesetter, you may work indoors and outdoors, alone or with a team of other construction professionals. The job is physically demanding – you may have to bend and kneel for long periods of time, and often have to lift heavy materials.
As with all careers in the construction industry, safety is the top priority. Tilesetters are trained to work safely and take special precautions to protect themselves from injury.
Essential Skills
Human Resources and Skills Development Canada (HRSDC) has identified nine Essential Skills that are necessary to succeed in the workplace. These skills provide the foundation for learning all other skills and apply to most construction careers. Best of all, you can learn and improve on these skills in school, on the job and during your everyday life.
The most important Essential Skills for tilesetters are the following:
- Document Use – reading and interpreting documents to extract information
- Job Task Planning and Organizing – working independently to plan and organize daily tasks
- Problem Solving – coming up with solutions to challenges
Click here to see how these skills are applied on the job. You can also click here to learn more about Essential Skills.
Apprenticeship
Apprenticeship is one way of starting out in the construction industry. It involves both classroom studies and on-the-job training under the supervision of a certified Tilesetter, called a journeyperson.
As an apprentice, you earn while you learn and are paid by the hour while working on the job site. Wages start at about 60% of a journeyperson’s hourly rate and increase during your apprenticeship until you reach the full rate.
Entering an apprenticeship program
Requirements for tilesetter apprenticeship programs vary across Canada. In most provinces and territories, you must be at least 16 years old and have a Grade 8 education to enter the program. You may find it helpful to have courses in English and math.
Some provinces and territories offer secondary school apprenticeship programs that allow high school students to work towards a career as a Tilesetter.
For more information, check out the Apprenticeship section.
Program length
Apprenticeship training programs for tilesetters vary across Canada, but generally involve three 12-month periods, including at least 4,800 hours of on-the-job training, two eight-week blocks of technical training and a final certificate exam.
Related work experience or completion of a tilesetter program at a college or technical institute can reduce the time required to complete your apprenticeship.
Certification
Certification is required in Quebec, and is available but voluntary in most other provinces and territories. Where certification is not available, it may be possible to study as an apprentice through your local labour organization. Check out Related links to find out who to contact. Even where certification is voluntary, it is still recommended. Certification tells employers and other workers that you are a skilled professional. It also helps you get jobs.
To be certified as a Tilesetter, you usually need to complete a three-year apprenticeship program. Once you successfully complete the required on-the-job training, technical training and exams, you are awarded a journeyperson certificate.
You may be eligible for certification in some provinces and territories if you have more than three years of on-the-job experience and some high school, college or industry courses in tilesetting.
To keep your skills current, you have to keep up with new technological developments by reading and talking with other tilesetters.
Where to study in Canada
In addition to the Canadian schools listed below, many employer and labour organizations offer training. For more information, check out Related links.
Alberta
Southern Alberta Institute of Technology
Ontario
Terrazzo Tile & Marble Trade School
Specialty programs
In addition to the schools listed above, NorQuest College offers a transitional program for new Canadians with experience as tilesetters.
Salary ranges
Tilesetter hourly wages vary depending on the contract, the company, collective agreements, and local and national economic conditions. Typical hourly wage ranges for tilesetters (based on national or regional averages) are as follows:
Junior apprentices
| Region | Typical hourly rate |
|
National average |
$12-$18 |
Based on national averages, junior apprentices can earn annual salaries ranging from $25,000 to $37,000 per year, not including overtime.
Journeypersons
| Region | Typical hourly rate |
|
National average |
$17-$24 |
Based on national averages, journeypersons can earn annual salaries ranging from $35,000 to $50,000 per year, not including overtime.
Highly experienced journeypersons
| Region | Typical hourly rate |
|
National average |
$22-$33 |
Based on national averages, highly experienced journeypersons can earn annual salaries ranging from $46,000 to $69,000 per year, not including overtime.
Construction work can involve overtime, so your total annual salary will vary depending on the number of overtime hours you work.
In addition to the hourly rate, many construction workers receive statutory holiday and vacation pay. Depending on the contract, you may also receive benefits such as group insurance for health, dental, and vision care, as well as retirement packages and training benefits up to 30% of your hourly rate. If you are self-employed, it is up to you to arrange your own benefits.
Building your career
With additional training you could transfer your skills to other construction trades. You can also move into more senior positions, including supervisory roles such as foreman or superintendent. Another option is to become self-employed and contract your services for smaller renovation projects.
As with most careers in the construction industry, your skills are portable. If you want to move, you can take your skills with you.
Job prospects
Construction careers across Canada are booming! To learn about the forecast for tilesetters, check out Job prospects. There you’ll find information on their expected demand by province for the next nine years.
The Construction Sector Council accepts no responsibility or liability connected with the use or reproduction of the information contained on this website. It is provided “as is” and is intended for informational use only without warranty, express or implied.
