A tile business can be bathrooms and showers for homeowners, floors and backsplashes, or subcontract setting for remodelers and builders. Showers pay the most and carry the most risk, because a leak shows up months later. Many setters start with floors and backsplashes and add showers once their waterproofing is proven.
- Contractor licensing often applies to tile work above a dollar amount.
- Cutting tile and stone throws silica dust. OSHA's silica rule applies once you have a crew.
- Price prep and waterproofing on their own lines.
- Count the trips: a shower with cure time between steps is several visits.
1. Decide what you will offer
| Work | Who asks | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Shower walls and floors | Homeowners, remodelers | Waterproofing is the job |
| Tile floors | Homeowners | Flatness and layout |
| Backsplashes | Homeowners, kitchen shops | Quick jobs, set a minimum |
| Tile repair and regrout | Homeowners, property managers | Small, steady work |
| Stone and large format | Homeowners, designers | More handling and two people |
Tile stores and kitchen showrooms get asked for installers every day. Leave them your card.
2. Check the license and permits
Tile setting often falls under contractor or home improvement licensing above a dollar amount, and bathroom remodels can need a permit when plumbing moves. Our general contractor licensing guide covers each state.
3. Control the dust from cutting
OSHA's silica standard for construction lets employers follow the dust controls in Table 1 or measure exposure and choose their own. Covered employers must keep a written exposure control plan and name a competent person to carry it out. Wet saws and vacuum-equipped grinders are the usual controls for tile and stone.
4. Register the business and set up taxes
The SBA lists the launch steps in this order: pick a location, choose a structure, choose a name, register, get federal and state tax ID numbers, apply for licenses and permits, open a business bank account, and get insurance. For a tile installation business working out of a truck, the location is usually your home address and the area you will serve.
- Structure. A sole proprietorship is the simplest. An LLC keeps the business separate on paper. Ask an accountant which fits your state and your plans.
- Tax ID. The IRS gives out an employer identification number (EIN) online, and says you never have to pay a fee for one. Websites that charge for an EIN are not the IRS.
- Self-employment tax. The IRS lists the self-employment tax rate as 15.3%: 12.4% for Social Security and 2.9% for Medicare. Income tax comes on top, so set money aside from every job.
- Bank account. Open it before the first payment lands, so every dollar in and out is easy to find at tax time.
5. Pick a name customers can say and find
Your name goes on the truck, the invoices, the Google profile and the yard signs, so pick it once. The free tile name generator gives 36 ideas for your town and style, each with a domain idea, and lists the checks to run before you commit: your state's business name search, a federal trademark search and the domain itself.
6. Get insured before the first job
The SBA describes general liability insurance as cover for financial loss from bodily injury, property damage, medical expenses and defending lawsuits. It says businesses with employees are required to carry workers' compensation, unemployment and disability insurance, and some states ask for more.
Tile claims are leaks into the room below, cracked tile and damage to finished floors. Ask your agent about general liability with completed work, commercial auto, and workers' compensation once you hire.
7. Gear up and add up your startup costs
No total here on purpose. What you spend depends on what you already own, new or used, and how much work you plan to take on. Price your own list with a local supplier, then put the numbers in the startup cost table of the free business plan generator, which adds them up for you.
- Wet saw, angle grinder with a vacuum shroud and a tile cutter
- Mixing drill, buckets, trowels and floats
- Levels, laser, leveling clips and spacers
- Waterproofing membrane tools and a moisture meter
- Knee pads, sponges and floor protection
Hand tools are inexpensive. A good wet saw and dust control are the larger items, and pay off on stone and large tile.
8. Set your prices
Price demo, prep, waterproofing, setting and grout from your hours, then check the square foot number. Our guide to pricing tile jobs walks through a shower, and the free square footage calculator and flooring cost calculator help with the takeoff.
9. Find your first customers
- Tile stores and showrooms. They get asked for installers.
- Remodelers and plumbers. They need setters they can trust.
- Homeowners with photos. Koira drafts the estimate from the photos.
- Your site. Koira builds it with photos of finished showers.
10. Get paid and keep the customer
Take a deposit before you order tile, bill demo, set and grout as stages with invoices, and ask for the review after the final clean.
11. Grow past one truck
A helper who mixes, cuts and cleans keeps the setter setting. Read how tile installers run on Koira.
Sources
- SBA: Launch your business (the launch steps), checked October 8, 2026
- SBA: Get business insurance, checked October 8, 2026
- IRS: Get an employer identification number, checked October 8, 2026
- IRS: Self-employment tax (Social Security and Medicare taxes), checked October 8, 2026
- OSHA: Silica, construction, checked October 8, 2026
Last checked October 8, 2026. This page is general information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change and differ by state and city, so confirm with the agency named before you act.