Tile Installation Checklist
Tile is the one trade where being slightly short on material is not a small problem. Tile is manufactured in batches, and two boxes from different production runs are usually a visibly different shade. If we run out mid-wall, the fix is often to take the wall back down and start over with a single lot.
Download the printable PDFWe do not start until your materials are here
Every finish material on this list has to be physically at your home before we begin. Not ordered. Not shipped. Not out for delivery. Delivered, and checked by us.
We give you a completion timeframe and we hold to it. The only way we can do that is to control what is in the house on day one. A material that is still in transit has too many ways to fail — backorder, freight delay, shipping damage, wrong color, wrong quantity, wrong dye lot — and every one of those lands on your finish date instead of the supplier's.
So if the materials are not here, we do not start. Your project does not become a slower job. It becomes a later start. That is exactly what protects the timeframe we promised you.
Your shower glass is the one exception, and there is nothing for you to do up front. Once the tile is complete the glass company comes out, measures, and brings you the style and hardware finish options to choose from right there. Figure another two to three weeks from that visit.
So the most important thing on this list is quantity. Buy the full square footage plus the overage, in one order, and have it delivered to the site two days before we start so we can count it, inspect it for damage, and confirm every box is the same lot while it is still fixable.
How to use this checklist
- Tick the box once the item is bought and the spec sheet or model number is sent to us — not when you have decided on it. A decision we cannot see is not a decision we can build from.
- Send specs to Tony.KVIConstruction@gmail.com. A photo of the model sticker or a link to the product page is enough.
- Anything marked "On site before we start" has to be at the house before day one. Anything marked "Before we start" is a decision we need from you by then, not something you deliver.
- If a line does not apply to your scope, cross it off with us at the pre-construction walkthrough so nothing is left looking unanswered.
What you purchase, and when it is due
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The tile itself
All of it at the house and inspected by us before day one. We do not begin a tile job around a partial order.
| Done | Item | What we need from you | Due by |
|---|---|---|---|
| Full product name, size and finish, and the quantity: your square footage plus 15%. Make it 20% for herringbone, diagonal, or large-format tile | On site before we start | ||
| Confirm with the supplier that the entire order ships from one production run, and check the lot number on every box | At purchase | ||
| For niches, borders, or a feature wall, with overage | On site before we start | ||
| Bullnose, pencil, or chair rail. Many modern tiles have no matching bullnose — if you do not want a raw edge, pick a metal profile instead | On site before we start | ||
| Schluter or similar, plus the finish, if you are not using bullnose | On site before we start | ||
| Usually marble or a solid surface, sized to your opening | On site before we start |
Full product name, size and finish, and the quantity: your square footage plus 15%. Make it 20% for herringbone, diagonal, or large-format tile
Due by: On site before we start
Confirm with the supplier that the entire order ships from one production run, and check the lot number on every box
Due by: At purchase
For niches, borders, or a feature wall, with overage
Due by: On site before we start
Bullnose, pencil, or chair rail. Many modern tiles have no matching bullnose — if you do not want a raw edge, pick a metal profile instead
Due by: On site before we start
Schluter or similar, plus the finish, if you are not using bullnose
Due by: On site before we start
Usually marble or a solid surface, sized to your opening
Due by: On site before we start
Grout and setting materials
| Done | Item | What we need from you | Due by |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chosen from our sample board held against your actual tile in the actual room. Grout color changes how a tile reads more than people expect | Before we start | ||
| Sanded, unsanded, or epoxy. Epoxy resists staining and is the right call in a heavy-use shower, but it costs more and installs slower | Before we start | ||
| Matched to the grout. Every change of plane gets caulk, not grout | Before we start | ||
| Required for natural stone, optional for porcelain. Confirm which you want | After grout |
Chosen from our sample board held against your actual tile in the actual room. Grout color changes how a tile reads more than people expect
Due by: Before we start
Sanded, unsanded, or epoxy. Epoxy resists staining and is the right call in a heavy-use shower, but it costs more and installs slower
Due by: Before we start
Matched to the grout. Every change of plane gets caulk, not grout
Due by: Before we start
Required for natural stone, optional for porcelain. Confirm which you want
Due by: After grout
Layout decisions
We will lay the room out and walk it with you before we set anything. Tell us now what matters most to you.
| Done | Item | What we need from you | Due by |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stack, running bond at a third or a half offset, herringbone, or diagonal. Pattern changes both the overage and the labor | Before we start | ||
| What you want prioritized — a full tile at the entry, centered in the niche, a symmetrical back wall. We cannot make all of them happen at once, so tell us the priority | At layout | ||
| How many, what size, and roughly what height | Before we start | ||
| Mat sized to the room and the thermostat model. It goes down under the tile | On site before we start |
Stack, running bond at a third or a half offset, herringbone, or diagonal. Pattern changes both the overage and the labor
Due by: Before we start
What you want prioritized — a full tile at the entry, centered in the niche, a symmetrical back wall. We cannot make all of them happen at once, so tell us the priority
Due by: At layout
How many, what size, and roughly what height
Due by: Before we start
Mat sized to the room and the thermostat model. It goes down under the tile
Due by: On site before we start
What comes after the tile
| Done | Item | What we need from you | Due by |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nothing to buy or pick up front. After the tile is finished the glass company measures and shows you the style and hardware finish options then, and it runs 10 to 21 days from there | Chosen at the measure | ||
| Model numbers and finish for every fixture, on site for finish day | On site before we start | ||
| Towel bars, hooks, shelves — so we can set blocking and place them before grout rather than drilling into finished tile | On site before we start |
Nothing to buy or pick up front. After the tile is finished the glass company measures and shows you the style and hardware finish options then, and it runs 10 to 21 days from there
Due by: Chosen at the measure
Model numbers and finish for every fixture, on site for finish day
Due by: On site before we start
Towel bars, hooks, shelves — so we can set blocking and place them before grout rather than drilling into finished tile
Due by: On site before we start
Order these first, they decide when we can start
- The tile itself, with the full overage, in a single order and a single dye lot. This is the whole job.
- Trim pieces or a metal edge profile. People consistently order beautiful field tile and forget how the edges get finished.
- The heated floor mat, if you want one. It goes under the tile, so there is no adding it later.
- Shower glass is the exception — nothing to order up front. It is measured after the tile is finished and adds two to three weeks at the end.
The order the work actually runs in
A tile installation is short, but it is unforgiving about order. The substrate has to be right before waterproofing, the waterproofing has to be proven before tile, and the tile has to cure before grout.
Most failed tile jobs are not failed tile. They are failed substrates — a floor that flexes, a wall that is out of plane, or a shower pan that was never flood tested. We do not skip those steps, which is why the prep phase is longer than people expect.
Every phase below assumes your materials were already at the house on day one. That assumption is what the whole schedule rests on.
| # | Phase | Typical time | What must be settled or on site first |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Selections, ordering and delivery | 1–6 weeks | Whatever your tile’s lead time is. This is the whole front end of the job |
| 2 | Tile received and inspected on site | Before day one | We count it, check every box for the same dye lot, and check for damage. This happens before we start, while a problem is still fixable |
| 3 | Protection and demolition | 1–2 days | Room cleared. On older homes, expect to find something behind the old tile |
| 4 | Substrate preparation | 1–3 days | Subfloor repair, backer board, leveling, and a flatness check. The most important phase and the one you will never see |
| 5 | Waterproofing and flood test | 1–2 days | In a wet area we seal the assembly and hold water in it to prove it before any tile goes on |
| 6 | Layout and dry-fit | A few hours | Your sign-off on where the cuts land. Once we set the first tile, the layout is locked |
| 7 | Setting the tile | 2–6 days | All tile, trim and any heat mat on site |
| 8 | Cure | 24 hours | Thinset has to cure before grout. Nothing happens on site |
| 9 | Grout, clean and seal | 1–2 days | Grout color confirmed against the installed tile |
| 10 | Caulk and final clean | Half a day | Caulk color matched to grout |
| 11 | Shower glass measure and order | 1 hour | Only after grout is done and cured. The installer measures, shows you the options, and orders from there |
| 12 | Shower glass fabrication | 10–21 days | Nothing happens on site. The tile is finished and the shower is not yet usable |
| 13 | Glass install, trim and accessories | 1 day | Plumbing trim and accessories on site |
| 14 | Walkthrough | 1 hour | You available to walk the job with us |
1. Selections, ordering and delivery
Typical time: 1–6 weeks
Whatever your tile’s lead time is. This is the whole front end of the job
2. Tile received and inspected on site
Typical time: Before day one
We count it, check every box for the same dye lot, and check for damage. This happens before we start, while a problem is still fixable
3. Protection and demolition
Typical time: 1–2 days
Room cleared. On older homes, expect to find something behind the old tile
4. Substrate preparation
Typical time: 1–3 days
Subfloor repair, backer board, leveling, and a flatness check. The most important phase and the one you will never see
5. Waterproofing and flood test
Typical time: 1–2 days
In a wet area we seal the assembly and hold water in it to prove it before any tile goes on
6. Layout and dry-fit
Typical time: A few hours
Your sign-off on where the cuts land. Once we set the first tile, the layout is locked
7. Setting the tile
Typical time: 2–6 days
All tile, trim and any heat mat on site
8. Cure
Typical time: 24 hours
Thinset has to cure before grout. Nothing happens on site
9. Grout, clean and seal
Typical time: 1–2 days
Grout color confirmed against the installed tile
10. Caulk and final clean
Typical time: Half a day
Caulk color matched to grout
11. Shower glass measure and order
Typical time: 1 hour
Only after grout is done and cured. The installer measures, shows you the options, and orders from there
12. Shower glass fabrication
Typical time: 10–21 days
Nothing happens on site. The tile is finished and the shower is not yet usable
13. Glass install, trim and accessories
Typical time: 1 day
Plumbing trim and accessories on site
14. Walkthrough
Typical time: 1 hour
You available to walk the job with us
Shaded rows are stretches where little or nothing happens on site. They are part of the schedule, not a sign the job has stalled.
The three most common delays on a tile installation
- Tile arriving short, damaged, or in mixed dye lots. This is the single most common tile problem and the reason we inspect the whole order two days early instead of on the morning we start.
- Substrate problems found at demolition. A flexing subfloor or a rotted wall has to be fixed before tile, and we will not set over it. We flag it the day we find it.
- Shower glass lead time. It cannot be measured until we are completely finished, and then it is two to three more weeks. The room will look done well before you can use it.
Typical lead times
These are ranges we see in the Columbus market. Confirm the real number with your supplier when you buy, and tell us if it is longer than what is shown here.
| Item | Typical lead time | Order it by |
|---|---|---|
| In-stock porcelain or ceramic | 3–7 days | 2 weeks before start |
| Special order tile | 2–6 weeks | As soon as the job is booked |
| Imported or handmade tile | 4–12 weeks | Before we set a start date |
| Natural stone slab or tile | 2–8 weeks | As soon as the job is booked |
| Schluter or metal edge profiles | 1–3 weeks | With the tile order |
| Heated floor mat and thermostat | 1–3 weeks | 2 weeks before start |
| Custom shower glass (after tile) | 10–21 days | Cannot be ordered early |
| Epoxy grout | 1–2 weeks | 2 weeks before start |
In-stock porcelain or ceramic
Typical lead time: 3–7 days
Order it by: 2 weeks before start
Special order tile
Typical lead time: 2–6 weeks
Order it by: As soon as the job is booked
Imported or handmade tile
Typical lead time: 4–12 weeks
Order it by: Before we set a start date
Natural stone slab or tile
Typical lead time: 2–8 weeks
Order it by: As soon as the job is booked
Schluter or metal edge profiles
Typical lead time: 1–3 weeks
Order it by: With the tile order
Heated floor mat and thermostat
Typical lead time: 1–3 weeks
Order it by: 2 weeks before start
Custom shower glass (after tile)
Typical lead time: 10–21 days
Order it by: Cannot be ordered early
Epoxy grout
Typical lead time: 1–2 weeks
Order it by: 2 weeks before start
The other planning checklists
Lead times and durations on this page are typical ranges for the central Ohio market and are not a quote. Your project is scheduled from your own scope, selections and supplier confirmations.