Duties of a Tiler

• Laying tiles symmetrically is physically demanding. PHOTO 24/Brand X Pictures/Getty Images

  A tiler is a worker who lays tiles on floors and walls of various types of structures. These could range from domestic living rooms to offices in commercial complexes and restaurants and hotels. The tiles in use could be of a large range of materials, such as granite, marble and ceramic. He also would be working with adhesives specific to the surfaces in contact. In effect, he would be 'decorating' the floor and walls of the project.

Requirements of a Tiler

• A tiler needs to be physically strong and tenacious in approach. When working on floors, she bends over most of the time, straining her back and knees. She also carries relatively heavy tiles over initially unknown distances. She acquires the requisite experience painstakingly. She displays dexterity and improves her speed at work, while maintaining better than desired standards. She becomes methodical and possesses a strong sense of discipline, because her work is basically repetitive and monotonous, whether she is laying tiles in a swimming pool or a classroom. As most tiles tend to be decorative or with a motif, she develops an aesthetic sense and is able to visualize what the pattern would look like when finished.

Tasks of a Tiler

• If a tiler is working on his own, he has a number of tasks to complete before getting down to the manual labor part of his job. He needs to measure the area which requires tiling, whether on the floor or on the walls, or both. He then consults with the owner and finalizes the size of the tiles, their quality, cost and design. He has to be able to do some number crunching and procure the required number of tiles, with about 10 extra, to cater for breakages. The next item on his agenda will be to select the appropriate adhesives in the right quantity. He then adds his labor charges and submits an estimate to the owner. Once approved, he gets down to work.

Finishing the Task

• The tiler has to satisfy herself that the job at hand does not require restoration work. If it does, she will have to repair the damaged area with matching tiles. She may even be required to remove a number of tiles, level out the affected area and then commence work. Next, she cuts tiles to the size and shape desired. This generally happens as she nears the walls when tiling the floor or nears the ceiling when working on walls. She now uses either hand cutters or a power-driven machine cutter. She finally applies the grout before finishing the area with waterproofing. She needs to put on gloves when working with the adhesives as a measure of caution.