Tile installation: a guide for pros
What customers ask, how to win the job, and what to put on your profile.
Offering tile installation
Tile work is judged on flatness, even joints and clean cuts at the walls, and most callbacks come from a substrate that was not checked. Win the job by testing the base, planning the layout and showing the tile in the room before the first piece is set.
What customers ask
- Will the tile crack if the floor moves?
- How do you keep the joints even across the room?
- What happens at the walls and the doorways where the tile does not fit cleanly?
- How long before I can walk on the floor and grout it?
- What grout do you use, and will it stain?
How to win the job
- Check the floor with a straightedge and a level on the first visit, and note the high and low spots with the leveling needed in the quote.
- Snap the layout lines and dry-fit a row on the visit, so the customer sees the cuts at the walls and the doorways before the install.
- Name the thinset, the backer or membrane and the grout in the quote, with the rating for the room and the tile size.
- Show a tile sample laid on the actual floor in the room, with the grout color shown next to it.
- Quote the leveling, the backer and the membrane as separate lines, so the customer sees what goes under the tile.
- Explain the cure time for the thinset and the grout, and state the date the room can take foot traffic and furniture.
- Include the sealer and the seal schedule in the quote, and explain when the customer needs to reseal.
What to put on your profile
- Before and after photos of tile floors and walls with the layout lines and the grout joints visible
- Close-up photos of the trim pieces and the edges at the walls and the thresholds
- Photos of the substrate prep, including leveling and backer board before tile is set
- A list of tile formats and sizes you install, including large format and mosaic
Follow-up that helps the customer
- A care sheet for the tile and grout, with the cleaning products and the reseal schedule
- A check visit after the first few months to look at grout lines and any hollow tile
- A quote for a shower, backsplash or second room, offered only if the customer asks
Licenses and permits
Tile installation commonly does not need a license, but wet-area waterproofing, subfloor repair and structural work may require a permit or qualified contracting. Confirm your business registration and insurance in your state and locality before you take the job.
Questions
Should I warranty tile against cracks?
Warranty your installation and state that cracks caused by the substrate, a structural movement or a heavy impact are outside the warranty. Pass through the tile manufacturer's warranty for the tile itself.
What do I do when the substrate is not flat enough?
Show the customer the measurements and quote the leveling as a separate line. Do not set large-format tile over a surface that will show lippage at the joints.
About this guide
This national guide is written and checked by infinibell. Rules and conditions differ by place, so local pros are credited on guides for the cities they serve, not on national ones.
Edit history
- Oct 29, 2026: Drafted by infinibell to our content guidelines.
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