Career Mirror -- by Mark Sproxton

Illustration by Kathy Lycka

Arriving on site at the new commercial building at 6:45 a.m., the tilesetting crew quickly organizes to begin the job. A new ceramic floor needs to be installed, and this crew has only five days to do get it completed. The foreman and trades people set out to discuss how they'll approach the job, its design and begin to snap lines and square up any unusual angles to keep the tiles straight.

Meanwhile, the apprentices and helpers are organizing the tiles, taking them out of the packaging and sorting where they should go. They'll also begin to prepare glues for the trades people and move larger tools, such as saws, into an appropriate place. Once the tiling process has begun, the helpers and apprentices will follow with grouting and continue on until the late afternoon when everyone will determine how they'll approach the job the next day. Every floor installed must also be washed, cleaned and sealed before the job is complete.

"It's a good trade," explains Wayne Juke, a tilesetter who has moved up to manage Flesher Marble & Tile. "You never do the same thing repeatedly and you always install a finished product. Each job has different technical aspects, for example expansion and control joints or stairways with special fittings. There's quite a bit of pride in this trade."

And a lot of hard work too. Tiles are heavy, regardless of whether they're made of ceramic or marble, and they have to be hauled and moved regularly. And there's lots of bending and twisting and kneeling too, especially when installing a floor. "It's a trowel trade," Juke said. "Whether you're a cement finisher, or tilesetter, or a drywaller, it's heavy work."

That never bothered Juke who followed his father into the trade 32 years ago. While he graduated from the tilesetter program at the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT), he found most of the "real" learning occurred on the job. And learn he did. So much so, that after 15 years on the floor plying the trade, he moved into management with a watchful eye for talent, be they graduates, apprentices or helpers. (Tilesetting is an apprenticeship consisting of three 14-month terms.)

"In the field, sometimes you don't have time to train, so you look for skilled people," Juke said. "They're out there (tilesetters), but it's tough. There is always a need as people retire and go on." Tilesetters not only need a thorough understanding of the different materials they'll work with on a daily basis, but have to supply some of their own tools as well including trowels, setting tools, knee pads, clothing, hard hat, safety glasses and sometimes steel-toed boots.

Flesher crews will install in commercial, residential and industrial locations and have people who specialize in marble and some who specialize specifically in commercial work. Like many construction related jobs, there are drawbacks. "When you're busy, you're putting in a lot of hours," Juke said. "When the market's tight, things quiet a bit but there's also out of town work." Working shifts through the night are also common, especially in locations such as malls or restaurants.

Those starting out in the industry will earn about $10 an hour, while certified tilesetters will earn about $25 an hour. Apprentices earn a specified percentage of a certified tilesetter's wage each year while in training. Juke said the tilesetting crew at Flesher average about 45 hours a week.

Juke offers this advice for anyone considering a career in tilesetting: "I've been in this trade for 32 years and have never been out of work. There is residential and repair work, and a lot of small maintenance work that can be done."