How to become a floorer or wall tiler
Official title: Floorers and wall tilers
Also called: Floorer, Cork tiler, Wall tiler, Floor tiler, Glaze tiler, Range tiler, Ceramic tiler, Tiler and plasterer, Floor and wall tiler, Wall and floor tiler, Tile fixer, Felt layer
Floorers and wall tilers lay composition mixtures (other than mastic asphalt) to form flooring, plan, fit and secure carpet, underlay and linoleum and cover and decorate walls and floors with terrazzo and granolithic mixtures, tiles and mosaic panels.
Main tasks
- Examines drawings and specifications to determine job requirements
- Cleans floor surface, fixes wooden laying guides and mixes, pours and levels granite and terrazzo mixtures, bitumen, synthetic resin or other composition mixtures to form flooring
- Examines premises to plan suitable layout and cuts, lays and secures underlay, carpet and linoleum
- Finishes covering by rolling, smoothing, grouting or polishing
- Mixes cement screed or other adhesive, cuts and positions floor and wall tiles and checks alignment of tiling with spirit level
How to become one
There are no formal academic entry requirements, though GCSEs/S grades are advantageous. Entry is typically through an approved apprenticeship programme or college course in conjunction with on-the-job training, leading to a NVQ/SVQ level 2/3 qualification, or through building up work experience supplemented with short courses.
Ways in
- Apprenticeship (England): Floorlayer - textile and resilient (level 2). England. Typically 30 months. Skills England standard ST0504.
- Apprenticeship (England): Wall and floor tiler (level 2). England. Typically 30 months. Skills England standard ST0368.
Pay · Outlook
- Median full-time pay: £32,861 a year The middle half earn £26,501 to null.
- About 45,300 people work in this job now, and about 42,600 are projected by 2035. (-6.1%)
Related jobs
Not sure this is for you? Take the 2-minute career quiz
Questions people ask
How do I become a floorer or wall tiler?
There are no formal academic entry requirements, though GCSEs/S grades are advantageous. Entry is typically through an approved apprenticeship programme or college course in conjunction with on-the-job training, leading to a NVQ/SVQ level 2/3 qualification, or through building up work experience supplemented with short courses.
How much does a floorer or wall tiler earn in the UK?
Median full-time pay is £32,861 a year (Office for National Statistics).
Is a floorer or wall tiler a growing career in the UK?
Employment is projected to fall 6% by 2035, from about 45,300 to about 42,600 people (Department for Education).
Sources
- Office for National Statistics: SOC 2020 Volume 1: structure and descriptions (2026-08-27 edition), OGL v3.0, retrieved 2026-10-03
- Department for Education: Skills Imperative 2035: employment projections by occupation (2021 to 2035 (Warwick IER / Cambridge Econometrics)), OGL v3.0, retrieved 2026-10-03
- Office for National Statistics: Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, Table 14 (2025 provisional), OGL v3.0, retrieved 2026-10-03
- Office for National Statistics: Annual Population Survey: employment by occupation (April 2025 to March 2026), OGL v3.0, retrieved 2026-10-03
Updated 2026-10-03