If you're buying tools to tile, spend on the cutter, the level, and a proper trowel — and don't waste money on gadgets that promise to replace skill. That's the short version. The longer version is this: here's the actual kit I carry, ranked honestly by what earns its keep, so you put your money where it counts.
This is the tools hub — it pulls together every tool guide and review on the site. Use it as the map, then click into the deep-dive on whatever you're buying.
Key Takeaways
- Spend first on the cutter. A good one saves tiles; a cheap one wastes them.
- A manual cutter + an angle grinder covers most domestic jobs.
- A laser level is the upgrade that pays back fastest on bigger jobs.
- Match the trowel notch to the tile — too small and the tile won't bond.
- Skip the gimmicks. No gadget replaces a steady hand and a set-out.
Buy now: the core kit
These are the tools you can't tile without. Buy these well.
Tile cutter
The single most important tool. A manual tile cutter scores and snaps straight cuts cleanly and fast. Buy a good one — a weak cutter cracks tiles, and especially struggles with porcelain. For choosing, see how to choose a tile cutter, the head-to-head in Sigma vs RUBI, and the decision on whether you also need a wet saw in tile cutter vs wet saw.
Angle grinder
The cheap workhorse that fills the gap the cutter can't reach — curved cuts, L-shapes around sockets and pipes, and notches. Fit a diamond blade. A manual cutter and a grinder between them handle most domestic tiling.
Notched trowel
Spreads adhesive in even ridges so the tile beds properly. The notch size has to match the tile — too small and the tile won't get full contact and bond, too big and you waste adhesive. Match it to your tile, and step up the notch for large format. The tile adhesive buying guide covers trowel-to-tile sizing.
Spirit level
Non-negotiable for setting out level and plumb. A decent 1.2m level minimum for walls and floors.
Spacers and levelling clips
Spacers keep your joints consistent; levelling clips keep adjacent tile edges flush and stop lippage on bigger tiles. Which you need depends on the tile — tile spacers buying guide and tile levelling clips explained cover both.
Mixing kit, grout float, sponge, silicone gun
A bucket and a slow-speed paddle mixer for adhesive and grout (don't mix by hand on anything but the smallest job), a grout float and a proper grout sponge for finishing, and a silicone gun for the movement joints. None of it glamorous, all of it needed.
Buy later: the upgrades that earn their keep
You can start without these, but they make you quicker and more accurate as the jobs get bigger.
Laser level
The upgrade that pays back fastest. A laser sets your datum and checks plumb in seconds, and it transforms floor and large-format work. A spirit level gets you going; a laser makes you quick. See laser levels for tiling.
Wet saw
A water-cooled, diamond-blade saw for big porcelain, thick tiles, and lots of angled or L-shaped cuts. Most domestic jobs don't need one — but when the tile or the pattern demands it, nothing else will do. The picks are in best wet saw for tiling, and the buy-or-not decision is in tile cutter vs wet saw.
Knee pads, suction lifters, and the comfort kit
Decent knee pads (your knees will thank you in ten years), suction lifters for handling large-format tiles safely, and the bits that make a long day less brutal. Buy them when the work warrants them.
Never bothered: skip these
- Bargain-bin own-brand cutters. A cutter that cracks tiles costs more in wasted tiles than a good one costs to buy.
- Single-use gadgets that promise to do one niche thing — most end up in a drawer.
- Anything that promises to replace skill. Set-out, a steady hand, and patience aren't sold in a box.
Where to start, by budget
The right kit depends on whether you're doing one bathroom or building a trade setup. The best-of guides set out real picks at each level:
- Best budget tiling tools UK — getting a solid kit together without overspending.
- Best professional tiling starter kit — the full setup if you're going to do this properly.
- Best tools for large format tiles — the extra kit big tiles demand.
- Best wet saw for tiling — when you need to cut what a manual cutter can't.
Buy the core tools well, add the upgrades as the jobs come, and skip the gimmicks. That's how you end up with a kit that works and money still in your pocket.