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CTEF Blog Team
Recent Posts
Do You Know About the '100 in 100'?
It's a wonderful program that the Floor Covering Education Foundation recently announced. If you're new to tile installation, you can benefit from it.
You'll find details below, including CTEF training programs that are eligible.
If you've been installing tile for a while, you've certainly encountered situations where you were asked about tiling over an existing tile installation rather than taking up the tile and/or underlayment and starting from fresh. How did you respond?
Here are two situations Mark Heinlein CTI #1112 and National Tile Contractors Association
Training Director to help explore possible responses.
Fred Hueston, President and Founder of Stone Forensics, recently published Why It Is Important to Hire a Certified Tile Installer, Including CTEF Certification. Have you read it?
The article is so powerful that - with Fred's permission - we are sharing highlights with you here.
Horrified about subpar tile installation? Become a Certified Tile Installer. That's according to John Trent CTI #277, a former tile installer, and former territory manager for Schluter Systems since 2012. He was one of those subpar installers who now encourages all installers he meets to become Qualified Labor.
John is next in the CTEF Blog series about Qualified Labor based on an article in TileLetter.com titled John Trent: Certification - fighting the good fight against sub-par installations.
Note that this article is part of the CTEF classics, capturing valuable insights from the first CTIs.
Tile is a natural for radiant heating.
However, installing tile with radiant heating can get overwhelming when you realize that the Tile Council of North America (TCNA) Handbook includes multiple methods that address this type of installation. The details vary somewhat depending on the structure you are working on and which type of heat source your radiant system uses - hydronic or electrical.
- On ground concrete
- Above ground concrete
- Wood subfloor/joist system
Fortunately, Mark Heinlein CTI #1112 and National Tile Contractors Association Training Director, Technical Trainer / Presenter shares his expertise in this article.
An NTCA Experience is genuinely priceless. That's why it's included in the CTEF Auction. It allows you to experience what makes the tile industry special.
Are you wondering how to elevate your reputation in the marketplace? If you install tile, the ideal way is through the CTEF tile certification programs.
Martin Brookes is the owner of Heritage Marble & Tile in Mill Valley, California. He's involved in the National Tile Contractors Association (NTCA) including as past president, is a Five Star Contractor, and is a strong supporter of the CTEF tile certification programs.
He has seen firsthand how certification affects the entire ethos of his business. Certification has enabled Heritage Marble & Tile to stand out not only as highly reputable and expert but also as the San Francisco Bay Area Premier Tile Installation Company.
We caught up with Martin to learn more.
Did you attend Coverings 2023? If you did, we hope you visited the CTEF booth where tile installation education and certification were prominently displayed! More specifically, CTEF demonstrated Sealants, Mosaics, and Troweling for Coverage, and Walked Through Gauged Porcelain Tile Panel Test for Advanced Installer Certification (ACT).
Why should a tile installer consider becoming a Certified Tile Installer (CTI)? We asked the community to weigh in on Facebook, so you can read about some of their reasons - in their own words - for becoming certified and Qualified Labor.
This is a classic from 2018 that is as relevant now as it was then. You'll find the responses organized into 10 themes.
