So, you're ready to hire a tile installer for that stone-glass mixed mosaic decorative border that will look perfect with the large format wall tile and wood plank floor tile you selected. What are your next steps? Follow this roadmap.
We've put it together for you based on years of experience ensuring that tile gets installed correctly the first time because your tile installer is truly considered Qualified Labor.
Did you know that tile is an ideal sustainable building material for the home? Not only is it beautiful, practical, intensely visual and long-lasting, but it's eco-friendly, too! Talk about the perfect design solution for floors and walls especially when combined with expert installation and Certified Tile Installers.
To explain what makes tile such a natural choice, the Tile Council of North America (TCNA) has developed three powerful resources - not to mention the WhyTile.com site. Let's explore them.
Here we have a pyrite wall failure. What do you think it teaches about proper tile installation?
On this blog, you read about best practices for quality tile installations and how Certified Tile Installers (CTIs) go about installing tile. You've also heard them refer to having their work taken apart and inspected as part of the CTI hands-on test.
That same approach is how Mark Heinlein CTI #1112 and Robb Roderick CTI #727 troubleshoot tile installation issues in their role as National Tile Contractors Association (NTCA) Technical Trainers. In this article, they respond to a failed installation of pyrite tile on a wall.
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How addicted are you to quality tile installation?
As you might imagine, at the Ceramic Tile Education Foundation (CTEF), we are completely addicted to quality tile installations. In case you aren't sure what that is, it's the kind of work that takes beautiful ceramic materials and transforms them into spectacular and useful kitchens, bathrooms, floors and walls that delight and perform as promised and expected indefinitely into time.
Chanel is next in the CTEF Blog series about Qualified Labor based on two articles published in TileLetter.com: Passion and Ability - Not Gender - Make a Stellar Tile Contractor and Chanel Carrizosa CTI #1380: Promote Qualified Labor First.
In addition to considering Tile Apprenticeships and Vocational Schools, have you thought about using your expertise and local knowledge to help get tile setting included in the SkillsUSA competitions?
Are you familiar with the Global Monumental Hand-Print Tile Industry Mural Project?
It's a massively big project, conceived by the Tile Heritage Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to research and the preservation of ceramic surfaces. The mural honors all who participate in and contribute to the tile industry; it also supports Tile Heritage's vital tile industry archiving work.
Will you participate?
Are you familiar with Total Solutions Plus (TSP)? It's a yearly event that brings together the ceramic tile industry to network and learn from one another. It's also a testament to the high level of collaboration that exists within the entire industry.
No wonder you see "Partners in Progress" prominently highlighted!
Are you familiar with Tile Money? Created by tile contractor Luke Miller, this podcast/YouTube channel is all about helping other tile contractors run a successful and profitable tile business:
"Tile Money is the source of business knowledge and advice for today’s Tile Contractor."
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.
Certified Tile Installer Mike Corona says,
You don't become a tile installer or a business owner overnight. It takes time, enthusiasm, pride, reliability, respectfulness, a willingness to learn, and dedication. No two jobs are the same; each one has its own unique nuances. As a qualified installer, you need to be able to communicate how to deal with those nuances and qualify yourself to not only meet but exceed expectations. Being qualified will exponentially increase your value and you will have endless opportunities.
Mike Corona CTI #923 Corona Marble and Tile
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The Ceramic Tile Education Foundation (CTEF) provides education and installer certification for professionals working in the ceramic tile and stone industry.
The CTEF Certified Tile Installer (CTI) program is the only third-party assessment of installer skill and knowledge that is recognized by the tile industry.