Tile Selection Conversation Preparation Checklist

Note exactly which surfaces are being tiled and which are not, including whether wall tiling runs to the ceiling or stops at a line partway up.

The stopping height is a design decision that changes the quantity, the trims and the appearance of the whole room.

Note where the door, window, radiator and fixed items sit in the room, since these are what interrupt a tile pattern and force awkward cuts.

Pattern interruptions are decided by the room, not by the tile, and they are visible for as long as the tiling lasts.

Say whether the room is used barefoot, in shoes or both, and whether it gets wet across the whole floor or only immediately around a fixture.

Wet-room use and occasional splashing are very different conditions, and suppliers need to know which applies.

Note whether you intend to use the same tile on walls and floors, and ask whether that is appropriate in this room.

Many wall tiles are not intended for floors, and the reverse is sometimes true too.

Whether a tile is appropriate for floor or wet-area use must be confirmed with the manufacturer and a qualified professional.

Describe the ventilation this room has, since a space that stays damp behaves very differently from one that dries quickly after use.

Persistent moisture affects grout, sealant and the background behind the tile more than it affects the tile itself.

Note whether any existing tiled surface is staying anywhere in the room and how the new work would meet it.

Differences in tile thickness at a junction with existing work are a frequent late problem.

Ask where the setting out begins, because a tiler starting from a different point changes entirely where the narrow cuts end up.

Setting out is a judgement with several defensible answers, and the owner rarely realises it was a choice at all.

Decide which wall, line or feature matters most visually and say so, since something in the room has to absorb the fact that it is not square.

Rooms are rarely square, and choosing where the discrepancy goes is better than letting it fall somewhere prominent.

Check whether the room is visibly out of square, for example where a wall meets the bath or where a door frame meets the floor, and mention what you noticed.

An owner observation gives the tiler a starting point, and it explains why a perfect grid may not be achievable.

Find out what happens where a large-format tile meets an uneven wall or floor, since larger tiles are considerably less forgiving of surface variation.

Format and background preparation are directly linked, and the preparation is often the larger part of the work.

Request a dry layout of the pattern before any fixing begins, and agree that you will look at it in the room before the work continues.

A dry layout is the last easy moment to change a decision about pattern direction or cut positions.

Consider whether the pattern you like needs cutting at every edge, and ask what that means for how the room will read.

Strongly patterned tiles can look very different once the perimeter tiles are all partial.

Decide how visible you want the joints to be, since grout colour alters the appearance of a tiled surface more than the tile itself in some schemes.

A contrasting grout emphasises the grid while a close tone reads as a continuous surface, and both are legitimate choices.

Ask what joint width this tile needs and why, and treat the answer as the tiler's judgement rather than as a matter of personal preference.

Joint width relates to how the tile is made and how much it varies in size, not only to appearance.

Joint width and adhesive choice are decisions for the tiler and the manufacturer, not something to specify from a preferred look.

Find out how the grout colour will look once it has been in use, particularly on a floor and around a shower where it is wetted repeatedly.

Pale grout on a floor and dark grout in a shower both attract comment for opposite reasons.

Check whether the grout needs sealing and what happens over time in this room if that upkeep is not carried out.

Grout maintenance is usually the first thing forgotten and the first thing noticed when a tiled room looks tired.

Look at grout samples held against the actual tile rather than choosing from a colour card on its own.

Grout colours read differently beside a glazed or textured surface than they do on a card.

Ask where movement joints would be needed and how they would look, since they are often overlooked until they appear in the finished work.

Movement joints have a visible material in them, and their position is a technical decision rather than an aesthetic one.

Where movement joints are needed is a matter for the tiler and a qualified professional, and should be raised before fixing begins.

Decide how external corners are finished, whether with a trim, a mitred edge or an overlap, and ask what each option involves.

Corner treatment is highly visible and differs in both appearance and the skill it requires.

Discuss what happens at the top edge where wall tiling stops, and whether a trim, a shaped tile or a plastered edge is intended there.

An unresolved top edge is one of the most common complaints about otherwise good tiling.

Note where tiling meets a bath, shower tray or basin, and ask how that junction is sealed and which trade is responsible for it.

Sealed junctions between tiling and sanitaryware fall between trades and are where water most often escapes.

How a junction with sanitaryware is sealed, and by whom, should be agreed with the installer and a qualified professional in advance.

Ask how the tiling meets the door frame and the flooring in the next room, since thresholds are almost always decided later than they should be.

Threshold details involve two trades and two materials, which is why they are so often improvised.

Consider whether a trim in a different material would read as a deliberate feature or as an apology, and make that choice knowingly.

Trims are unavoidable in many situations, and choosing one deliberately produces a much better result than accepting a default.

Note any window reveal that is being tiled and ask how the tile turns into it and what happens at the frame.

Reveals involve several small cuts and an edge condition, and they take longer than their size suggests.

Ask a qualified professional about the slip characteristics of any floor tile that will get wet, and record what they advise rather than judging from the sample.

How a surface behaves when wet cannot be assessed by touch, and it depends on the specific tile and situation.

Slip characteristics must be confirmed with qualified professionals and the manufacturer for the specific tile and the specific use.

Note whether this floor will be walked on wet and barefoot, or in shoes carrying grit from outside, and give that description to the supplier.

These two conditions point towards different surfaces, and the description matters more than the room name.

Find out how a textured tile is cleaned, since the same texture that helps underfoot also holds dirt and cleaning products.

Textured floors in bathrooms and utility rooms need a different cleaning routine from smooth ones.

Note whether anyone in the household has mobility difficulties now or may have in future, and raise floor surface questions with a qualified professional.

This affects the surface, the thresholds and the level changes, and it is far easier to consider before tiling.

Any decision about floor surfaces where mobility is a factor belongs with a qualified professional assessing the specific situation.

Ask whether the tile you like is intended for floor use at all, since a great many attractive wall tiles are not.

This question is easy to ask and it prevents one of the more painful mistakes made in tile selection.

Ask how much shade variation this tile has and whether the variation is deliberate, then look at several tiles together rather than at a single one.

Deliberate variation is a feature when expected and a complaint when it is not.

Check whether the tiles supplied will all come from a single production batch, and what would happen if they do not.

Tiles from different batches can differ noticeably in tone and sometimes slightly in size.

Ask what overage the tiler advises for cuts, breakages and future repairs, and order it at the same time rather than afterwards.

Ordering spares later usually means a different batch, which defeats the purpose of holding spares at all.

Ask whether this tile is a current line, because sourcing a small quantity later is often impossible once a range is withdrawn.

Discontinued ranges are a common reason an otherwise minor repair turns into retiling a whole area.

Establish whether tiles are sold by area or by box, and how that affects what is actually delivered against what was calculated for the room.

Rounding up to full boxes changes the quantity and is worth understanding before agreeing an order.

Note where spare tiles will be stored and tell the household what they are for, so they survive long enough to be useful.

Spare tiles are heavy, awkward and frequently discarded by someone tidying a garage.

Ask what the tiles would be fixed to and whether that background needs work first, without deciding the answer yourself.

Backgrounds vary enormously between properties and rooms, and the preparation is often the larger part of the job.

Whether a background is suitable for tiling, and what preparation it needs, must be established by a qualified professional.

Ask a qualified professional whether the floor structure suits the tile being considered, and record what they tell you before ordering anything.

Movement in a floor affects tiling and grout directly, and it is not something an owner can assess.

Floor structure and its suitability for a tiled finish is a matter for a qualified professional, never an assumption made during selection.

Note whether underfloor heating is present or planned, and ask how it affects the choice of tile, adhesive and grout.

Heating beneath a tiled floor influences several decisions that are otherwise made independently.

Work through with the tiler how the tile thickness and its bedding would affect the finished floor level at doorways and against existing flooring.

Level changes at doorways are difficult to correct afterwards and affect how doors operate.

Ask what waterproofing arrangements are intended behind and beneath tiling in a shower area, and which trade is responsible for them.

This is the part of the work that is completely hidden once tiling begins, which makes it the part to ask about first.

Waterproofing arrangements must be specified and carried out by qualified professionals; nothing here describes what any situation requires.