What does this tile and stone final checklist cover?

14 items across 4 sections, covering surface and joints, movement and penetrations, bond, protection and closeout. Each item spells out what the person walking the job is actually looking for, not just a box to tick.

Who should run this inspection?

The GC's superintendent with the tile foreman, walking finished rooms before the owner's punch walk.

When in the schedule should this walk happen?

After grouting and initial cleaning, once grout has set enough to walk, before turnover walks and before sealer is applied on stone.

Why do these items ask for a photo?

10 of the 14 items call for photo evidence, 14 photos in all. A checklist answer without the photo is a claim; the photo is what makes the record worth something in a dispute and lets a reviewer approve work without re-walking the job.

What most often fails a tile and stone final inspection?

Lippage acceptable in good light but obvious under grazing light along a corridor, caught only after the owner points at it. Movement joints grouted solid instead of left as soft joints, so the field cracks at the first thermal cycle. Hollow-sounding tiles noted but never opened, so the debond spreads under foot traffic after occupancy.

Can I use this checklist in RTI?

Yes. Start a free RTI workspace, build this list as a checklist, and the Photo Gate holds the submit button until every mandatory item is answered and its photos are attached. Approved inspections roll into a branded turnover package with a tamper evident audit trail.

Free checklist

Tile and stone

Tile and stone final inspection checklist

Tile and stone final inspection is where the punch list is either short or expensive. This checklist walks the finished work the way an owner or AHJ will see it: devices on, systems running, everything labeled. Each item gets the photo that closes it instead of reopening it. Work is commonly verified against ANSI A108 / A118, TCNA guidance. Confirm the edition your authority having jurisdiction has adopted.

Start free with this checklist Download as PDF

The checklist

Every item, and the photo evidence it needs

The photo count on each row is what RTI would require before the item can be submitted. Work the list here and watch the gate hold, or load it into RTI and let it enforce the real thing.

Surface and joints

Lippage within tolerance under raking light
Edges of adjacent tiles checked by feel and under grazing light along the run, lippage within the tolerance for the tile size and joint width.
Grout joints full, uniform and consistent in color
Joints packed full with no voids or pinholes, consistent width and depth, no color variation from inconsistent mixing or early washing.
Layout and cuts match the approved plan
Module and pattern carry through as laid out, perimeter cuts balanced, cuts at outlets and fixtures clean and not chipped.
Grout color matches the approved selection
Cured grout photographed beside the approved color sample or chip, same color in every room that shares the selection.
Exposed edges and outside corners finished with trim
Bullnose, trim profile or finished edge the drawings show at every exposed tile edge and outside corner, no raw cut edge or unglazed body showing.
Thresholds and transition strips set with no trip edge
Where tile meets another floor finish, the transition piece is set tight and secure, height difference as detailed with no lifted or sharp edge.

Movement and penetrations

Movement joints honored as soft joints
Soft joints left open of grout at perimeters, plane changes and marked substrate joints, filled with the specified sealant rather than grout.
Penetrations sealed at changes of plane and fixtures
Sealant instead of grout where the tile meets tubs, curbs, thresholds and pipe penetrations, tooled and continuous.
Finished wet-area floors drain with no ponding
Water run across each finished shower or wet-area floor flows to the drain, with no puddles left on the tile or held against the curb.
No photo

Bond

Hollow-sound spot check across the field
Field sounded with a tap tool on a sample per area, hollow or drummy tiles marked for repair rather than left in place.
Mortar coverage checks from setting on record
Tiles pulled during setting to check back coverage logged by room with the result, and any low-coverage area noted as reworked.
No photo

Protection and closeout

Finished tile covered against construction traffic
Protection board or breathable cover laid over finished floors and taped at the edges, grout left to cure before heavy traffic or rolling loads.
Stone and grout sealer product and timing confirmed
Where sealer is specified, product checked against the submittal and application scheduled after the grout cure period on its instructions.
No photo
Attic stock of tile and grout set aside by lot
Spare tile and grout from the installed lots counted against the contract quantity, labeled by room and stored where the owner directs.
No photo

What usually sends this back

The failures are almost always the evidence, not the work

Lippage acceptable in good light but obvious under grazing light along a corridor, caught only after the owner points at it.
Movement joints grouted solid instead of left as soft joints, so the field cracks at the first thermal cycle.
Hollow-sounding tiles noted but never opened, so the debond spreads under foot traffic after occupancy.

Verified against

ANSI A108 / TCNA tile standards

Common questions

6 answers

What does this tile and stone final checklist cover?: 14 items across 4 sections, covering surface and joints, movement and penetrations, bond, protection and closeout. Each item spells out what the person walking the job is actually looking for, not just a box to tick.
Who should run this inspection?: The GC's superintendent with the tile foreman, walking finished rooms before the owner's punch walk.
When in the schedule should this walk happen?: After grouting and initial cleaning, once grout has set enough to walk, before turnover walks and before sealer is applied on stone.
Why do these items ask for a photo?: 10 of the 14 items call for photo evidence, 14 photos in all. A checklist answer without the photo is a claim; the photo is what makes the record worth something in a dispute and lets a reviewer approve work without re-walking the job.
What most often fails a tile and stone final inspection?: Lippage acceptable in good light but obvious under grazing light along a corridor, caught only after the owner points at it. Movement joints grouted solid instead of left as soft joints, so the field cracks at the first thermal cycle. Hollow-sounding tiles noted but never opened, so the debond spreads under foot traffic after occupancy.
Can I use this checklist in RTI?: Yes. Start a free RTI workspace, build this list as a checklist, and the Photo Gate holds the submit button until every mandatory item is answered and its photos are attached. Approved inspections roll into a branded turnover package with a tamper evident audit trail.

Related checklists

Tile and stone Rough-inTile and stone rough-in inspection checklistSubstrate, setting-bed system and dry layout confirmed before the first tile is set14 items13 photos Tile and stone Pre-coverTile and stone pre-cover inspection checklistWaterproofing continuity, slope to drain and the flood test observed before tile hides them14 items14 photos Tile and stone PunchTile and stone punch checklistCloseout walk for cracked or loose tiles, grout haze and sealant at plane changes9 items8 photos

Run it with the Photo Gate

A checklist nobody can submit half-finished

Load this list into RTI, stick a QR tag on the area it covers, and the submit button stays locked until every mandatory item is answered and the 14 required photos exist. Approved walks roll into a branded turnover package with a tamper evident record behind every line.