HOW TO HIRE · HOME REPAIRS & HANDYMAN

How to hire a tiler in the UK
The checks, the questions and the paperwork.

No register applies to regrouting. Check how deep the old grout is raked, which grout goes in, and whether tiles are loose.

  • Search and compare — no account needed
  • Nearest to you first
  • One score from Google, Trustpilot and Locufy reviews

THE 60-SECOND VERSION

Hiring a tiler in five steps

  1. Tap the tilesHollow-sounding tiles need refixing first.
  2. Pick the grout colourMatching old grout is never exact.
  3. Grout or silicone?Silicone at corners and the bath, grout between tiles.
  4. Plan the curing timeShower out of use until cured.
  5. Clear the bathroomToiletries, mats and screens out.

BEFORE YOU BOOK

Check before you book

No register applies

Nothing licenses tilers in England, Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland, so the quality of regrouting lies in the preparation and the materials, which a cheap quote tends to leave out. What matters is depth, product and dry tiles.

Ask for a written scope of the regrouting: preparation, materials and finish, item by item.

Solvents and COSHH

HSE's COSHH rules on hazardous substances apply to self-employed people who take hazardous products onto other people's premises. The solvents, lacquers and strippers used in regrouting are that kind of product.

Ask what products the regrouting uses, and how the room will be ventilated. hse.gov.uk →

Public liability insurance

No law requires a tiler to carry insurance, but paint on a carpet or a damaged piece is the routine claim. The Consumer Rights Act 2015 gives you regrouting done with reasonable care and skill; cover is what pays when it is not.

Ask the tiler for the insurer and the cover limit before the regrouting begins.

Hidden leaks and your rights

If water has got behind the tiles, regrouting will not stop it. Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 the regrouting must be done with reasonable care and skill — which includes telling you when the problem is a leak, not the grout.

Ask the tiler to check for loose tiles and damp before the regrouting is priced.

VAT

Regrouting is standard-rated at 20% when the tiler is registered, silicone work included. A trader whose taxable turnover passes £90,000 must register, charge it and show it as a separate line; one below that threshold adds none.

Ask the tiler for a VAT number before you accept a quote with VAT on it. gov.uk →

“How deep will the tiler rake out the old grout before grouting?”

A good answer: Deep enough for the new grout to grip, by a tool, not a scrape.

“Which grouting product will you use?”

A good answer: Standard, anti-mould or epoxy, named.

“Will you reseal the movement joints?”

A good answer: With silicone, not grout.

“What if tiles are loose — will the tiler refix them?”

A good answer: Refixed first, priced.

“How long before I can shower?”

A good answer: A stated curing time.

“Are you insured for tiling work?”

A good answer: Public liability, insurer named.

Getting the quote right

  • Area to be regrouted
  • Grout type and colour
  • Silicone at movement joints
  • Tile refixing priced separately
  • Who actually attends to rake out and regrout — the tiler you met, or a subcontractor
  • The VAT number, and VAT at 20% on its own line

Walk away if

  • Grouts over old grout without raking
  • Grout in the bath corner instead of silicone
  • Ignores hollow tiles
  • No curing advice
LOW
£80
TYPICAL
£250
HIGH
£285

What a tiler costs: £80–£285 per job

Regrouting is priced per job by the tiled area and how hard the old grout is to remove. Grouting & Re-Grouting price guide →

Guide prices compiled by the Locufy team from published Irish and UK provider price lists and 2026/27 cost guides. Updated 2026.

KNOW WHAT TO LOOK FOR? NOW FIND ONE

Tilers near you, with the badges that matter shown

ID checked, trader status and one score from every review — on the card, before you message anyone. Nearest first. No account needed to look.

Or post the job free and let them come to you.

  1. Rake outOld grout removed to depth.
  2. CleanJoints vacuumed and dried.
  3. GroutNew grout pressed into every joint.
  4. SiliconeMovement joints sealed.
  5. Clean downHaze removed, sealer if wanted.

Grout
The filler between tiles.
Epoxy grout
A hard-wearing, stain-resistant grout.
Movement joint
A flexible joint where surfaces meet.
Grout haze
The film left on tiles after grouting.
Raking out
Removing old grout.
Hollow tile
A tile no longer bonded to the wall.

AFTER

When the job is done

Leave it to cureShower unused for the stated time.
Check the linesFull, smooth and no gaps.
Keep the grout nameFor future repairs.
Say how it wentYour rating of the regrouting sits on the tiler's Locufy profile for others to read. Something wrong? Use make-it-right first and we follow it through.

STEP 1Complain to the tiler firstContact the tiler first, in writing, and keep a copy. Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 the regrouting must be done with reasonable care and skill; you can ask for the faulty part to be done again free of charge, and if that fails, for some or all of the money back.
STEP 2Use the make-it-right stepRate the regrouting below four stars and you are asked whether the tiler should see the complaint first; we keep it moving until it is answered, then you review.
STEP 3Trading Standards, through the helplinesA tiler who will not engage can be reported through the consumer helplines, which pass cases to Trading Standards — Citizens Advice (0808 223 1133) in England and Wales, Advice Direct Scotland (0808 800 9060), Consumerline (0300 123 6262) in Northern Ireland.
STEP 4Small claims, if money is owedIf money is still in dispute over the regrouting, the small claims routes need no solicitor: up to £10,000 in England and Wales on the small claims track, £5,000 in Scotland under simple procedure, and £5,000 in Northern Ireland's small claims court.

Hiring a tiler: questions people ask

No. No licence or register applies.

Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 you can ask for the regrouting to be redone at the tiler's cost if it was not done with reasonable care and skill.

Not if water is already behind the tiles; that needs finding and fixing first.

£80–£285 per job, with about £250 typical for a bathroom. For what moves the figure, see the grouting and re-grouting price guide, and search your town above to find tilers nearby.

Silicone, because corners move.

A few hours for a shower; one to two days for a bathroom.

MORE GUIDES

More hiring guides in home repairs & handyman

How to hire: Sealant & CaulkingHow to hire: Painter & DecoratorHow to hire: Wallpaper HangingHow to hire: HandymanHow to hire: Odd JobsHow to hire: Spray PaintingHow to hire: French PolishingHow to hire: Upholstery RepairAll 701 hiring guides →

Tilers near you

Tilers in LondonTilers in ManchesterTilers in BirminghamTilers in GlasgowTilers in BelfastAll tilers on Locufy →Do it yourself: regrouting tiles →

Sources — checked October 2026

  1. HSE — does COSHH apply to the self-employed?
  2. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 49 — reasonable care and skill
  3. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 55 — repeat performance
  4. Citizens Advice — more help with a consumer issue (England)
  5. Buildings and construction (VAT Notice 708) — 2.1 Construction services: work to an existing building is normally standard-rated
  6. GOV.UK — VAT rates
  7. GOV.UK — Register for VAT: when to register