Lippage
Lippage: the vertical face-level difference between adjacent tiles or stone panels. Excessive lippage is a tiling defect assessed at practical completion against HIA tole
Ask Chalkline about this →Lippage
Lippage is the vertical difference in face level between two adjacent tiles or stone panels at their shared joint. It is measured by running a straightedge across the joint and noting the offset between the tile faces.
Lippage is one of the main workmanship defects assessed at practical completion for tiled and stone-clad surfaces. Causes include substrate unevenness, insufficient adhesive coverage, back-buttering omitted on large-format tiles, tiles installed without consistent spacers, or movement while the adhesive was still wet. Acceptable numerical lippage limits for residential stone cladding are sourced from the HIA Guide to Materials and Workmanship and the relevant state Guides to Standards and Tolerances; refer to HIA-092 in the pending-verifications tracker for current status.
Also known as: tile lippage, lipping.
Category: Tiling, stone installation, workmanship defects.
Related
See also
Last updated: 2026-05-10. Verified: 2026-05-10. Quarterly review for currency.