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Laser level for tiling

Updated: 22 October 2026

You are about to set the first course off the bath rim, and the rim only looks level because the bath was packed that way. A laser level for tiling puts one level datum round the walls. It is not the grout joint, and it does not flatten the floor. You mark the middle of the beam, then a gauge rod places the joints. The [laser spirit level comparison](/hub/measuring-and-marking-tools/laser-spirit-level) is the full set of listings. Peter F. used amazon.co.uk listings and public UK sources on 20 October 2026, with no lab test of these lasers. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

You are about to set the first course off the bath rim, and the rim only looks level because the bath was packed that way. A laser level for tiling puts one level datum round the walls.

Our top picks

CIGMAN CIGMAN CM-701

Best overall

CIGMAN CIGMAN CM-701
8.4/10about £139.99
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Nikotek Nikotek green cross-line

Preis-Tipp

Nikotek Nikotek green cross-line
8.0/10about £18.69
View offer
CIGMAN CIGMAN CM-S03

Alternative

CIGMAN CIGMAN CM-S03
7.6/10about £129.99
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.Set the datum, not the first tile on the bath
  2. 2.360° or a cross-line
  3. 3.Mark the middle of a thick line
  4. 4.Put the laser away and use a staff

Set the datum, not the first tile on the bath

Bromley Tilers set a horizontal datum off the lowest point or the bath, then a batten and a gauge rod, with the cuts at the bottom last. In a home bathroom you want one level line, set so a full tile plus a joint still fits above the lowest point you care about. You do not start the first tile against a rim that falls towards the trap. The UK Tiling Forum method is one line round the room, then a staff marked with tile plus spacer, then the laser goes away. A cross-line draws the wall it faces. A 3×360° carries the line round the corner. That shape split is the laser spirit level buying guide.

360° or a cross-line

One splashback you can see from one stand can be a cross-line. The Nikotek at £18.69 is that shape: a self-levelling green cross, no tripod, and a line on the wall in front. A small bathroom where the datum must continue behind the laser wants planes. The room-line pick in this set is the CIGMAN CM-701. The CM-S03 is the 3×360° listing that prints ±3 mm at 10 m. TileFlow's ±1 mm at 10 m is their buying bar, not a test these ASINs passed. The CM-701 bullets do not state a millimetre figure. Skip the Semlos and the Prexiso: they do not self-level. Skip the Normodic, which has no review text. A Bosch tile laser around £199 is not one of these ASINs.
CIGMAN CIGMAN CM-701

Testsieger

CIGMAN CIGMAN CM-701
8.4/10about £139.99
View offer

Mark the middle of a thick line

CM-701 reviews mention a thick line, gaps and blind spots when tiling. Mark the middle of the beam the same way each time, or the joints walk by the width of the glow. A gap is not automatically a broken diode: the housing can shadow a 360° plane. Move your head, or shift the tool, before you decide it has failed. The CM-S03 can switch groups of lines when every plane is too much light. Chasing the bright edge is how a 3 mm spacer turns into a taper.

Put the laser away and use a staff

Set the datum, transfer tile-plus-spacer marks onto a staff or a gauge rod, and fix a batten to that height. Then switch the laser off. Each course comes off the rod. If you leave the laser running, you will be tempted to correct a joint that was already right on the staff. If a level datum still leaves slivers, or a bed you cannot pack, the laser is finished. Call a professional if the fall is specified, on a wet-room former or a drain. Do not open the tool to improve a line that failed a reverse check.

Common questions

Do I need a 360° laser to tile a bathroom?
You need 360° when the same datum has to continue on the walls behind the tool. A shower enclosure or a small bathroom usually works that way. One splashback you can see from a single stand can be a cross-line, such as the Nikotek at £18.69. The CM-701 is the room-line pick here, and reviews mention blind spots and a thick line. A 360° tool does not remove the gauge rod.
Where does the horizontal line go?
Set it from the lowest point you must clear, often the bath rim or the lowest floor point, so a full tile plus one joint fits above that point. Bromley Tilers then batten that height and leave the cuts at the bottom. The line is a datum, not the top of the first tile. If the bath falls, do not follow the rim in manual mode and call the courses level.
What is a gauge rod?
A gauge rod is a straight batten marked with your tile size plus the spacer, repeated up the wall. Take that spacing off the laser datum once, then put the laser away and work off the rod. A 600 mm tile with a 3 mm joint is a different set of marks from a small wall tile.
The line misses part of the wall. Is it broken?
Not always. CM-701 reviews describe gaps and blind spots, which fits a housing that shadows a 360° plane. Shift your eye, or move the tool a few centimetres, and see if the line returns. A cross-line also misses the wall behind it, because it never threw a plane there. If a section stays dark after you move the tool, and a reverse check fails, stop using it for the datum.
Can I use a manual laser spirit level?
Not as the tiling laser. The Semlos, the Prexiso and the Bosch in this set have vials and no pendulum. You would be following a bubble you set by hand, with a short beam that reviews often describe as faint. A manual tool can check one tile in your hand. It will not carry a datum round a bathroom.
When is the floor a tiler's problem?
When a level datum still leaves tiles that would need a huge bed, a sliver cut, or a fall you are not allowed to invent. Specified falls to a drain or a wet-room former are that point. The laser can show you the room is out. It cannot decide how much adhesive is safe, or whether the floor needs levelling compound.

Related pages

Best laser spirit level

How to use a laser spirit level

Laser spirit level

Laser spirit level buying guide: which shape to buy

Spirit level vs laser level: which tool does the job

Sources

Sources are the public UK pages listed in the research digest for this comparison. Listing prices and review counts are amazon.co.uk figures from that batch, not a live re-check.

  1. GOV.UK laser radiation safety advice (retrieved October 2026)
  2. HSE lasers (retrieved October 2026)
  3. Control of Artificial Optical Radiation at Work Regulations 2010, regulation 3 (retrieved October 2026)
  4. Citizens Advice, faulty goods (retrieved October 2026)
  5. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 19 (retrieved October 2026)
  6. Homebuilding, how to use a laser level (retrieved October 2026)
  7. Toolden, spirit level versus laser level (retrieved October 2026)
  8. Leica Lino technology (retrieved October 2026)