What does this tile and stone rough-in checklist cover?

14 items across 3 sections, covering substrate readiness, setting-bed system, layout. 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 tile foreman checking each room ahead of the setters, or the GC's superintendent releasing wet areas floor by floor.

When in the schedule should this walk happen?

After the substrate is in and cured, before any thinset goes down, while a flatness problem can still be corrected with a patch or float coat.

Why do these items ask for a photo?

10 of the 14 items call for photo evidence, 13 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 rough-in inspection?

Substrate accepted for a small mosaic tolerance, then a large-format tile is set on it and every edge lippage shows. Backer board fastened on the wrong spacing or over a subfloor that still deflects, so grout joints crack within a season. Layout started off a wall that isn't square, pushing all the cuts to one corner where they read worst.

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 rough-in inspection checklist

Tile and stone rough-in is the last time the work is fully visible. Once the cover inspection passes and the walls, ceilings and slabs close, every defect left behind becomes a demolition bill. This checklist walks the rough-in in the order the work goes in, with the photo each item needs before it gets buried. 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.

Substrate readiness

Substrate flatness checked for the tile size being set
Straightedge run across the floor and walls, gaps measured against the flatness the tile size requires, high and low spots marked for correction.
Backer board or subfloor fastening and joints verified
Fastener type and spacing per the board manufacturer, board joints staggered and set off the framing joints, subfloor solid with no springy spots underfoot.
Substrate clean of curing compound, dust and residue
No curing compound, sealer, paint, drywall mud, oil or dust film left on the surface that would break the mortar bond; scraped or ground where found.
Slab cure and moisture results on file
Slab age confirmed with the super and any moisture test the setting-material manufacturer requires recorded with its result before thinset goes down.
No photo
Substrate cracks treated per the crack-isolation detail
Where the slab or board shows cracks, each one routed, filled or bridged with the crack-isolation product the approved detail names.
No photo
Room and substrate temperature within the setting range
Thermometer reading of the room and the substrate photographed, within the application range on the thinset and grout instructions, space enclosed.

Setting-bed system

Mortar bed or bonded system matches the specified assembly
Setting method matches the specified assembly for the location, uncoupling or crack-isolation layer where called for, no mixing of incompatible products.
Thinset and grout bags match the approved submittal
Bag labels photographed and matched to the submittal for product and type suited to the tile size and location, date codes within shelf life, bags stored dry.
Tile cartons checked for lot, shade and caliber
Carton labels photographed showing one lot, shade and size code per area, or boxes pulled from several cartons and blended before setting.
Tile checked for warpage before the pattern is fixed
On large-format or rectangular tile, sample pieces checked edge to edge on a flat surface for bow, result used to set the offset and joint width the tile manufacturer recommends.
No photo

Layout

Dry layout struck from control lines, cuts balanced
Working lines snapped square to the space, tile dry-laid to balance perimeter cuts and carry the module across thresholds and into adjacent rooms.
Finished floor height worked out at doors and transitions
Tile plus setting-bed build-up measured against adjacent floor finishes and door bottoms, so each transition meets the height the drawings show.
Layout placed around drains, fixtures and outlets
Floor drains, fixture centerlines and outlet boxes land on a full tile or a centered cut in the dry layout; conflicts raised with the super before setting.
Pattern, joint width and start point confirmed
Pattern, orientation, joint width and starting point checked against the finish plan and approved drawings with the super before the first tile is set.
No photo

What usually sends this back

The failures are almost always the evidence, not the work

Substrate accepted for a small mosaic tolerance, then a large-format tile is set on it and every edge lippage shows.
Backer board fastened on the wrong spacing or over a subfloor that still deflects, so grout joints crack within a season.
Layout started off a wall that isn't square, pushing all the cuts to one corner where they read worst.

Verified against

ANSI A108 / TCNA tile standards

Common questions

6 answers

What does this tile and stone rough-in checklist cover?: 14 items across 3 sections, covering substrate readiness, setting-bed system, layout. 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 tile foreman checking each room ahead of the setters, or the GC's superintendent releasing wet areas floor by floor.
When in the schedule should this walk happen?: After the substrate is in and cured, before any thinset goes down, while a flatness problem can still be corrected with a patch or float coat.
Why do these items ask for a photo?: 10 of the 14 items call for photo evidence, 13 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 rough-in inspection?: Substrate accepted for a small mosaic tolerance, then a large-format tile is set on it and every edge lippage shows. Backer board fastened on the wrong spacing or over a subfloor that still deflects, so grout joints crack within a season. Layout started off a wall that isn't square, pushing all the cuts to one corner where they read worst.
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 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 FinalTile and stone final inspection checklistFinished tile checked for lippage, joints, honored movement joints and hollow-sound spots14 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 13 required photos exist. Approved walks roll into a branded turnover package with a tamper evident record behind every line.