How to Choose a Tiler in Australia (and Avoid the Horror Stories)

Tiling looks simple from the outside, which is exactly why it attracts operators who are quick and cheap rather than careful. The tiles you can see are only half the job. Underneath a bathroom sits a waterproof membrane, under a floor sits a substrate that has to be sound and level, and behind every neat wall is a layout that was planned before the first tile went up. When one of those hidden steps is skipped, the failure often does not show up until months later.

The most expensive failure is water. A shower that was not waterproofed correctly can let water into wall framing and the room below, and by the time a stain appears on a ceiling the damage is well advanced. The most common cosmetic failure is a drummy or cracked tile, which usually means the surface underneath moved or was not properly prepared. Neither is really about the tile itself, and both trace back to the parts of the job you cannot see once it is finished.

Slow down, or walk away, when you notice any of these:

• No mention of waterproofing. On any bathroom or wet-area job, a good tiler will bring up the waterproofing membrane and the standard AS 3740 without being asked. Silence on it is a warning.
• Cash only, large deposit up front. A modest deposit to hold a booking or order materials can be fair. Half the job in cash before anything starts is not.
• No written quote or ABN. If you cannot identify the business or pin down what is included, you cannot hold anyone to the result.
• No insurance answer. Ask directly for a certificate of public liability insurance and watch how the question lands. Professionals expect it.
• A price that seems too good. The cheapest quote often leaves out waterproofing, surface preparation or rubbish removal, and those reappear later as extras or as a failed job.
• Tiling straight over problems. An operator who wants to tile over cracked tiles, a soft floor or old waterproofing without checking what is underneath is buying themselves a quick job and buying you a future repair.

Australian wet areas are meant to be waterproofed to the standard AS 3740. The membrane is applied to the floor and up the walls to a required height, left to cure, and only then tiled over. It is the single most important part of a bathroom job and the one most often cut to save a day.

Ask two simple questions: who does the waterproofing, and is it certified. Some tilers do it themselves and some subcontract it, and either can be fine, but you want to know the work is done to the standard and documented. In Queensland waterproofing is a licensed activity in its own right, so ask to see the licence. Keeping any certificate or documentation matters if you ever sell the home or need to make a claim.

Licensing for tiling is not the same across the country. Queensland licenses wall and floor tiling and waterproofing through the Queensland Building and Construction Commission (QBCC), so in Queensland you can and should check the licence. Other states are less consistent: waterproofing and higher-value building work are often licensed, for example through NSW Fair Trading or the Victorian Building Authority, while general tiling frequently is not. Check the building authority in your own state so you know what applies.

Because there is not always a licence to check, insurance and reputation do a lot of the work. Public liability insurance protects you if the tiler damages your property, and an ABN lookup confirms the business exists and how long it has traded. Google reviews tell you whether a crew turns up, cleans up and comes back to fix problems, and it is worth reading how the business responds to the occasional bad review.

A short, direct conversation sorts the careful tilers from the rest. Worth asking:

• How will you waterproof the wet areas, and is it done to AS 3740 and certified?
• What preparation does the surface need, and is levelling or new sheeting included?
• Who supplies the tiles, adhesive, grout and membrane, and roughly how much extra should I order?
• How will you set out the tiles, and where will any cut tiles end up?
• Do you use silicone rather than grout in the corners and the floor-to-wall joint?
• Can you show me photos of recent jobs like mine, and do you offer a workmanship warranty?

You do not need a technical answer to all of these. What you are listening for is whether the tiler talks confidently about the hidden parts of the job, or brushes them off.

Get at least two or three written quotes for anything beyond a small repair. A good quote names the business and ABN, describes the area and the work, and states clearly what is included: surface preparation, waterproofing, materials, and rubbish removal. Vague one-line quotes lead to disputes, while detailed quotes prevent them.

Compare like with like. The cheapest number is often the one that leaves out waterproofing or preparation, and the gap shows up later as a variation or a failed job. Asking each tiler the same few questions, about waterproofing, preparation and what is included, makes the comparison honest.

Finally, pay in a way that leaves a record, and keep the quote, the invoice and any waterproofing certificate together. If a wet-area job ever leaks, that paperwork is what lets you get it put right.