CTEF Blog - About Tile Education and Installer Certification

If you've spent any time in the tile industry, care deeply about quality tile installation, and embrace installing tile according to industry standards, you will have heard of Scott Carothers, director of certification and training for the Ceramic Tile Education Foundation (CTEF).

And, if you follow the CTEF Blog, you’re surely familiar with the ‘Ask Scott’ article series. 

However, if you're new to tile and just exploring tile installation certification, Scott is someone you will soon encounter and quickly appreciate for his deep knowledge, high standards and intense passion. Not to mention his firsthand involvement in certification, both for the Certified Tile Installer (CTI) program and the Advanced Certifications for Installers (ACT) program.

>> See What Types of Tile Certification Does CTEF Offer?

Should tile installers become certified? 

If you are serious about your calling as a tile installer, yes, you should become a Certified Tile Installer (CTI).

If you aren't, chances are high that you aren't reading this article or even asking yourself the question.

If you're hiring a tile installer, you are probably looking for a ceramic tile installation professional who will take the beautiful tiles you painstakingly selected and transform them into the floors or walls of your dream-come-true space.

>> See  Timeless Tile Installations That Delight the Senses

In other words, you want someone who has experience and knowledge of how to install tile correctly, without taking shortcuts, while ensuring that the final installation looks beautiful and performs as it should long after that installer is gone.

Have you encountered situations where a tile installation called for a 50% offset and credit card grout joints? And, then, once installed it led to lippage problems, misaligned grout joints, and/or an unhappy customer?

I'm pleased to inform you that you can officially find guidance - and justification for avoiding a 50% offset - in the TCNA Handbook.

Ready to learn more?

Did you experience Hidden Oasis at Coverings 2019? It was one of the three stunning installations featured in the newly expanded Installation & Design Experience incorporated into the National Tile Contractors Association Booth. 

Brad Denny, vice president and COO of  Nichols Tile & Terrazzo Co, Inc.,  a Five Star Contractor of the National Tile Contractors Association (NTCA) located outside of Nashville, TN,  led the installation team behind this vignette. Brad is also Certified Tile Installer #1190 and intensely active in the tile industry:

We've all seen it: that really ugly white powder that grows on cement grout and also tile, stone, brick and concrete, particularly when it's installed someplace with moisture (i.e., in a basement or outdoors). That white residue is called efflorescence.

This article goes into detail about efflorescence, including situations that readers have shared with us since the article originally published in September 2016.

Do you build a tile installation mockup for your customers? If you don't, we strongly encourage you to consider doing so.

Here's why.

Are you a tile contractor? Do you have at least two years of experience as a full-time lead tile installer? By experience we mean that you have full responsibility for substrate prep, layout, along with properly installing underlayment, tile, grout and sealant materials. If yes, consider becoming a Certified Tile Installer (CTI).

Do you know how to correctly install glass tile? After all, it's beautiful and on trend which usually means that customers will ask you about it for kitchen backsplashes, bathrooms, and showers. As you might imagine, this stunning product, when installed correctly, provides years of enjoyment.