Construction and Extraction · Holland code RCA

Tile and Stone Setters

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

Also called: Tile and Marble Installer, Tile Installer, Tile Mechanic, Tile Setter, Ceramic Tile Mechanic, Ceramic Tile Setter, Tile and Marble Setter, Tile Finisher.

O*NET 47-2044.00

At a glance

US median annual pay: $55,690; Middle half earn $45,200 to $70,220. BLS OEWS, May 2025.
Most common education: High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED); 48% of workers surveyed by O*NET report this level.
Preparation needed: Job Zone 2 of 5; Some preparation. Zone 1 is little or none; zone 5 is graduate-level.

What the work involves

The tasks workers in this occupation rate as most important, from the O*NET survey.

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.
Measure and mark surfaces to be tiled, following blueprints.
Lay and set mosaic tiles to create decorative wall, mural, and floor designs.

Skills and knowledge it leans on

Skills

Active Listening3.1 / 5
Speaking3.0 / 5
Mathematics3.0 / 5
Critical Thinking3.0 / 5
Reading Comprehension2.9 / 5
Monitoring2.8 / 5

Knowledge areas

Building and Construction4.0 / 5
Mathematics3.4 / 5
Customer and Personal Service3.0 / 5
Design3.0 / 5
Administration and Management2.6 / 5
Mechanical2.6 / 5

Importance ratings on O*NET’s 1 to 5 scale. Higher means the occupation depends on it more.

Who tends to enjoy it

How strongly this occupation draws on each of the six Holland interest types, which is the same profile the career interests test compares you against.

Realistic100
Investigative8
Artistic25
Social6
Enterprising0
Conventional44

The same work abroad

Other countries classify jobs differently, so these are the closest matches through the international ISCO-08 standard, not exact equivalents.

European occupation titles (ESCO)

terrazzo setter supervisor · DE Polier Fußbodenlegearbeiten/Polierin Fußbodenlegearbeiten · FR superviseur de carreleurs spécialisés en terrazzo/superviseuse de carreleurs spécialisés en terrazzo
tiling supervisor · DE Polier Fliesen-, Platten- und Mosaiklegearbeiten/Polierin Fliesen-, Platten- und Mosaiklegearbeiten · FR superviseur de carreleurs/superviseuse de carreleurs
bricklayer · DE Maurer/Maurerin · FR maçon/maçonne
stonemason · DE Steinmetz/Steinmetzin · FR maçon pierre/maçonne pierre
terrazzo setter · DE Terrazzomacher/Terrazzomacherin · FR carreleur spécialisé en terrazzo/carreleuse spécialisée en terrazzo
hardwood floor layer · DE Parkettleger/Parkettlegerin · FR parqueteur/parqueteuse

Closest UK occupation groups (SOC 2020)

Floorers and wall tilers (5322)35,600 employed
Plasterers (5321)38,800 employed
Construction and building trades supervisors (5330)53,100 employed

Employment is the UK Annual Population Survey for April 2025 to March 2026, all workers in the group, which can be broader than this one occupation.

Pay across Europe, for the whole group

Median annual earnings of all employees in “Craft and related trades workers”. This is the broad ISCO group this occupation falls in, not the occupation itself, so treat it as context for the wage level, not as a salary for this job.

Median annual earnings, Craft and related trades workers, by country
Country	Median pay
Belgium	€40,086
Germany	€38,638
Austria	€38,194
Sweden	€37,856
Netherlands	€37,077
Ireland	€36,098
France	€27,145
Italy	€26,488
Spain	€22,817
Portugal	€11,142
Poland	€10,099

Eurostat Structure of Earnings Survey, businesses with ten or more employees outside public administration, in euro and not adjusted for the cost of living. Reference years differ between sources: the US, Japan and Europe figures on this page come from different survey years, so compare them as rough levels, not to the euro or yen.

Exposure to AI

This occupation sits in the lower third of the 774 occupations scored, with an exposure score of -1.23. The scores are standardized across those occupations, so 0 is the average and a score of 1 is about one standard deviation above it.

Our note on reading it: the dataset links AI applications to the abilities that occupations require, so the score reflects overlap between the two. It is a comparison between occupations, not a forecast about jobs. It does not say whether exposure means tasks are replaced or workers get more done with the tools, and it says little about one employer or one role.

Source: Felten, E., Raj, M., & Seamans, R. (2021). Occupational, industry, and geographic exposure to artificial intelligence: A novel dataset and its potential uses. Strategic Management Journal, 42(12), 2195-2217. Matched to this page by 6-digit SOC code (47-2044).

Is it a fit for you?

Interest is one input, alongside ability, pay and what is hiring near you. The career interests test takes about thirteen minutes and ranks occupations by how closely their profile matches yours.

Take the career interests test