CTEF Blog - About Tile Education and Installer Certification

When you're hiring a tile contractor, you expect to have the work done right the first time. Unfortunately, you don't always have the benefit of seeing the contractor's work beforehand and realizing what you need to avoid (see How Not to Install Tile on Floors, Walls, and in Showers).

That's why we've put together these warning signs to help you avoid hiring a tile contractor who is poorly qualified and more of a tile "placer." (Definition: tile placer - a person who does not have the skills, knowledge, and experience to install the job correctly.)

That way, you can rest assured that the beautiful tile installation in your mind's eye has every opportunity to become reality and bring you delight for years to come.

Special thanks to Sal DiBlasi for basing a video on this article. ♥

As you might imagine, knowing how to hire the right tile setter is a big deal for homeowners and commercial owners. That's why we developed the homeowner's guide to hiring qualified tile installers, and we'll soon have one geared toward architects, designers, and other tile installation project specifiers. 

In fact, it's such a big deal that it regularly comes up as a blog article topic - for example, Mark Heinlein  NTCA Training Director and Presenter shared with us how to Qualify Your Tile Installation Contractor With These 5 Questions - as well as in comments and conversations. That's why we put together this blog article about two questions to ask.

What does it take to ensure that you have a quality tile installation? Based on our experience, knowledge, and work with the Tile Council of North America (TCNA) Handbook, we have identified ten requirements. 

Note that these aren't all industry requirements. However, they all contribute to a quality tile installation.

Here they are.

Wondering how to best protect your marble tile? Consider a sealer and more specifically a penetrating sealer to keep your stone flooring looking beautiful.

To illustrate why here's a tile installation situation Mark Heinlein CTI #1112 and National Tile Contractors Association Training Director and Technical Trainer / Presenter recently addressed with the help of Scott Carothers.

A question that frequently comes up is how to become a tile installer.

It can come from someone looking to change fields or someone who wants to become a Certified Tile Installer and isn't sure what the steps are.

Unfortunately, there isn't yet an easy, set, defined career path for becoming a tile installer other than through a tile apprenticeship program or a vocational school, and that's why CTEF has expanded its tile installation training and education for 2023.

Happy New Year! Are you ready to make tile installation resolutions for 2023?

If you're already in the know, think of these resolutions as a refresher. And, if you're new to the Ceramic Tile Education Foundation and the Certified Tile Installer Program, then consider this your introduction to a bold, new standards-based, methodical approach to installing ceramic tile.

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, and layout, along with properly installing underlayment, tile, grout, and sealant materials.

If yes, consider becoming a Certified Tile Installer (CTI).

If you're curious about tile installation certification and the benefits it offers homeowners, specifiers as well as tile installers, you'll want to watch "Certification in Action," a 6-minute video embedded at the end of this article.

The video answers questions such as:

• How do you choose a tile installer or contractor?
• How can you be sure the job will be done correctly?
• Why should you hire a certified tile installer?

Are you a CTI? If you've not completed the Certified Tile Installer program, you should reconsider. Don't take it from CTEF. Instead, we invite you to learn from Chris Osterritter CTI #1800 in this article from the Qualified Labor Series.

Are you on the fence about whether to become a Certified Tile Installer? In this article, Eric Tetreault CTI #708 offers you seven reasons for not looking back and validating your skills as a tile setter.