Knees first, then everything else
Ask any experienced floor tiler where it hurts and they will point at their knees. Hours kneeling on hard floors can cause swelling, bursitis and long-term joint wear, even with good pads. Lifting boxes of large-format tiles and bags of adhesive adds to the strain on the back.
Wall tiling brings more reaching and stepladder work. Wet cutters and grinders create dust and the occasional nasty cut, and adhesives and grouts can affect sensitive skin. A careful tiler can still find one body part simply wears out.
Work that arrives in batches
Tilers often follow kitchen and bathroom fitters, builders and developers, so work can come in bursts. A big new build contract might be followed by a gap filled with small domestic jobs. As a sole trader, there is no sick pay when you stop.
If you cannot kneel or grip for a couple of months, you need something to keep the bills paid. Income protection gives you a share of your normal earnings after your chosen waiting period.
If your partner earns enough to cover the essentials for a while, a longer waiting period may be fine. If you are the only earner, you may prefer payments to start sooner and accept a higher premium for it.
- Count your monthly household and business costs
- Decide how long savings could keep you going
- Choose a waiting period that fits that buffer
- Think about short-term cover if budget is tight
How insurers view tiling
Insurers rate occupations by risk class. Tiling is generally treated as manual work, though different insurers place it differently. Your class affects the premium and the definition of incapacity. Own occupation cover pays if you cannot work as a tiler. Suited occupation cover asks whether you could do other work that fits your experience.
If you also design bathrooms, quote or manage other tilers, say so. Duties beyond the tools can help your rating.
Life cover for tilers
A life policy gives your family a lump sum if you die while it is in force. Tiling makes little difference to life cover terms, so your health, age and smoking status matter far more. Many tilers use life cover to protect a mortgage and a family's day-to-day budget.
Writing the policy in trust can help the payout reach your family quickly and outside your estate.
How Hi Tomorrow helps tilers
We ask about the balance of floor and wall work, any knee or back history and how your income has moved, then search our panel for terms that suit. We explain the definitions in plain words and help with the application.
Tilers who work alongside a regular kitchen or bathroom fitter sometimes ask whether both should be covered. Each of you needs your own policy, based on your own earnings, and we are happy to look at both. If you claim, we can help you put your case to the insurer.