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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).
CTEF's Goal for Coverings 2023
CTEF aimed to bring attendees hands-on experiences with sealants, mosaics, and troweling in a 70'-long booth, and that goal was absolutely met.
The large space allowed for demonstrations and discussions from the Understanding and Installing Ceramic Tile training class in the front and, with the International Masonry Training and Education Foundation, an Advanced Certification for Tile installers Gauged Porcelain tile Panel test demonstration in the back.
Getting the CTEF Booth Set Up
Every Coverings show starts with getting the booth set up in an otherwise empty space with the help of many wonderful people.
In the image below, you see Amber Hunter, CTEF Executive Director Brad Denny's sister and co-owner of Nichols Tile, and Heather Wilbur, Office Manager with Nichols Tile. Both were incredibly helpful in getting the CTEF booth into final form for the show.
Demonstrating GPTP Handling and Advanced Certifications for Tile (ACT)
Coverings 23 kicked off with the Tile Nation guests doing a vanity glue-up with GPTP (Gauged Porcelain Tile and Gauged Porcelain Tile Panels/Slabs) in the middle of the booth. Leading the group were 2023 Coverings Rock Star Chris Rachel with partners Adam Christiansen and Craig Harimon. All three engaged those interested with tips and techniques for fabricating GPTP.
Throughout the week, passers-by locked in to watch the ACT demo. You could even witness crowd participation for the “GPTP shuffle” over the top of a clear acrylic panel to fully grasp what proper coverage looks like underneath gauged porcelain tile panels.
CTEF CTI and ACT certification holder Eric Tetrault worked alongside BAC representatives Dean Gottschalk and Mike Spatz to walk through a flawless installation on the ACT GPTP module, while CTEF Evaluators Stephen Belyea and Matt Blood assisted with troweling.
CTEF Academic Director, Scott Carothers, and IMTEF Regional Training Director, Lupe Ortiz, displayed their professional knowledge and strong friendship during the engaging, and entertaining presentation of ACT GPTP.
Attendees learned about the test’s critical points and many valuable techniques to make the experienced installer more capable.
GPTP is only one of nine overall ACT certifications, and the program is key to identifying qualified labor in both union and open shops.
Hands-On Demonstrations and Volunteers at Coverings 23
Matt and Steve also demonstrated troweling and coverage with smaller acrylic panels to simulate standard and large-format tile coverage. Salvatore DiBlasi, famous YouTuber and CTEF friend, shared his knowledge and skills with the crowd through different sheet-mounted mosaic demonstrations.
Note - Sal has documented the following about CTEF on YouTube:
>> Grading the Toughest 25 Square Feet of Tile You'll Ever Install (Video)
>> Video Details Hands-on Certified Tile Installer (CTI) Test
The ringleaders under the CTEF tent were the knowledgeable and personable tag team of CTEF Evaluators Tom Cravillion and Jason Montgomery, with Jason’s son Logan pulling double duty to greet people and help prepare the demonstrations. These two families traveled to represent CTEF, just as they do throughout the year at CTI tests.
The 2023 Dan Hecox Service Award Presented to Jason Montgomery
During Coverings 23, CTEF's Brad Denny and Scott Carothers presented the Dan Hecox Service Award to Jason Montgomery for his selfless hard work and dedication to CTEF.
>> See Coverings sees attendance swell by 50% in 2023 as industry flocks to Orlando show
Donations to CTEF During Coverings Booth Selection Process
This year, the Coverings show management inaugurated a new campaign whereby exhibitors could opt-in to support CTEF during the booth selection process. That donation represents an investment in the future of CTEF and the tile industry.
This program will be offered for the 2024 show in Atlanta and we all hope to see it grow. Without efforts like this, and the continued support from CTEF's annual sponsors, CTEF could not exist.
Additional Coverings 23 Thank Yous!
Thank you to these organizations for their contributions during Coverings 23:
- Laticrete provided all the prep setting materials for the booth.
- Schluter provided substrates for the demos.
- Gundlach and Montolit provided the GPTP tools in the back.
- Cortag provided the work tables and hand tools up front.
- Crossville provided all the gauged porcelain tile panels.
- Icon Protection provided the floor covering.
- Nichols Tile provided the mosaics for the demonstrations and candy for the guests.
If you attended Coverings 23, let us know what you most enjoyed.
Thanks for reading!
