About This Career

Applies hard tile, stone, and comparable materials to walls, floors, ceilings, countertops, and roof decks.

This career is part of the Architecture and Construction cluster Construction pathway.

A person in this career:

• Aligns and straightens tile using levels, squares, and straightedges.
• Finishes and dresses the joints and wipes excess grout from between tiles, using damp sponge.
• Cuts and shapes tile to fit around obstacles and into odd spaces and corners, using hand and power cutting tools.
• Determines and implements the best layout to achieve a desired pattern.
• Mixes, applies, and spreads plaster, concrete, mortar, cement, mastic, glue or other adhesives to form a bed for the tiles, using brush, trowel and screed.
• Studies blueprints and examines surface to be covered to determine amount of material needed.
• Measures and marks surfaces to be tiled, following blueprints.
• Lays and sets mosaic tiles to create decorative wall, mural, and floor designs.
• Applies mortar to tile back, positions the tile, and presses or taps with trowel handle to affix tile to base.
• Mixes and applies mortar or cement to edges and ends of drain tiles to seal halves and joints.

Working Conditions and Physical Demands

People who do this job report that:

• You would often handle loads up to 20 lbs., sometimes up to 50 lbs. You might do a lot of lifting, carrying, pushing or pulling.
• Work in this occupation involves bending or twisting your body more than one-third of the time
• Work in this occupation involves use of protective items such as safety shoes, glasses, gloves, hearing protection, a hard hat, or personal flotation devices
• Exposure to pollutants, gases, dust, fumes, odors, poor ventilation, etc.
• Work in this occupation involves using your hands to hold, control, and feel objects more than one-third of the time
• Work in this occupation involves kneeling, crouching, stooping, and/or crawling more than one-third of the time
• Sound and noise levels are loud and distracting
• Work in this occupation involves making repetitive motions more than one-third of the time
• Work in this occupation involves standing more than one-third of the time

Working in this career involves (physical activities):

• Identifying color and seeing differences in color, including shades and brightness
• Bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching
• Seeing clearly at a distance
• Seeing clearly up close
• Speaking clearly enough to be able to be understood by others
• Identifying and understanding the speech of another person
• Exerting oneself physically over long periods of time without getting out of breath
• Lifting, pushing, pulling, or carrying objects
• Using abdominal and lower back muscles repeatedly or over time without tiring

Work Hours and Travel

• Regular working hours and limited travel