How much does a tile and stone setter make?

The median pay is $26.77 per hour — roughly $55,500 a year, with the real range running from about $17.86/hr (10th percentile) to $41.40/hr (90th percentile). Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Do you need a degree to be a tile and stone setter?

The typical entry-level education is: Less than high school. Overall preparation level: some preparation (Job Zone 2 of 5).

What does a tile and stone setter actually do all day?

Align and straighten tile using levels, squares, and straightedges. Finish and dress the joints and wipe excess grout from between tiles, using damp sponge. Cut and shape tile to fit around obstacles and into odd spaces and corners, using hand and power cutting tools.

Construction & Trades

Tile and Stone Setters

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

What it pays
Tile and Stone Setters earn a median of $26.77/hr — about $55,500 a year. The lowest-paid 10% earn $17.86/hr; the top 10% earn $41.40/hr. (Annual figures are approximate: hourly × 2,080.)

What you'd actually do

Align and straighten tile using levels, squares, and straightedges.
Finish and dress the joints and wipe excess grout from between tiles, using damp sponge.
Cut and shape tile to fit around obstacles and into odd spaces and corners, using hand and power cutting tools.
Determine and implement the best layout to achieve a desired pattern.
Mix, apply, and spread plaster, concrete, mortar, cement, mastic, glue or other adhesives to form a bed for the tiles, using brush, trowel and screed.
Study blueprints and examine surface to be covered to determine amount of material needed.

How you get there

Typical entry-level education: Less than high school. Overall preparation: some preparation (Job Zone 2 of 5).

The feel of the work

Much of the day is spent working solo; precision matters — small details carry weight. (Compared against the other 818 careers in the guide.)

Working for yourself

About 25.7% of tile and stone setters are self-employed.

Who it tends to fit

This work tends to fit people who are hands-on and organized and detail-focused.

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Related careers

Quick questions

How much does a tile and stone setter make?: The median pay is $26.77 per hour — roughly $55,500 a year, with the real range running from about $17.86/hr (10th percentile) to $41.40/hr (90th percentile). Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Do you need a degree to be a tile and stone setter?: The typical entry-level education is: Less than high school. Overall preparation level: some preparation (Job Zone 2 of 5).
What does a tile and stone setter actually do all day?: Align and straighten tile using levels, squares, and straightedges. Finish and dress the joints and wipe excess grout from between tiles, using damp sponge. Cut and shape tile to fit around obstacles and into odd spaces and corners, using hand and power cutting tools.

Wages: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS. Tasks & interests: O*NET. Career pathways shown in the app are draft archetypes — verify before relying on them. Trailhead is a free career guide for students — honest numbers, no hype.

Trailhead is operated by FLEXVermont LLC. It is intended for high-school students age 13 and older, and the educators and families who support them, and is not directed to children under 13. Trailhead is provided for general informational and educational purposes only. It does not offer professional, financial, or career advice, and its wage figures and pathways are estimates that may not fit your situation — they should not be relied on as the sole basis for any decision.