CTEF Blog - About Tile Education and Installer Certification

Have you wondered what goes into specifying ceramic tile, stone and glass for kitchen and bath installations - especially if you want those installations to be successful? That's what Scott Carothers focused on in his NKBA presentation, using stunning installation examples.

Here's a summary with highlights and the actual presentation included at the end of the article.

Have you heard? CTEF's “Fundamentals of Thin-Bed Knowledge” - otherwise known as the FTBK Guide - is now available at no cost to anyone associated with the tile industry. That's right no cost.

Furthermore, if you'd like to use your newly-found tile industry knowledge from this guide to complete an online test, you can earn a Certificate of Completion as a Fundamentals of Thin-Bed Knowledge industry professional for a $99 fee.

When it comes to successfully completing kitchen and bath installations, Qualified Labor matters. It helps ensure that the tile installation will perform as expected and look as designed for years to come in spaces that demand a great deal from proper performance. 

Given how demanding these spaces are, there's a tremendous benefit to ensuring that designers and installers collaborate as Dan Hecox showed us in Dan Hecox Inspires Designers, Tile Installers to Aspire to Higher Standards. The more designers understand the requirements of tile installations that perform and the better tile installers communicate with designers, the more likely success is all around.

You've probably noticed that this blog focuses heavily on proper tile installation methods and techniques. At the same time, all of us involved in the CTEF Mission intensely admire timeless tile installations that truly delight the senses.

We abhor tile installation failures and encourage every opportunity to celebrate greatness in design and execution.  That's what you regularly experience during the yearly Coverings show, the premier United States exhibition of ceramic tile and stone.

>> See Coverings Elite CTEF Sponsor

As beautiful as tile is when it is first created, the end result must also delight the senses, perform functionally while doing so beautifully, and generally withstand the test of time and usage.

To that end, this article celebrates a few of those inspiring timeless tile executions, including ones highlighted during Coverings 2020.

Would you agree that mortars and grouts matter to a successful tile installation project? And that you need them to be properly mixed?

Tiling over a water problem will not make the problem disappear. Rather, you need to find the source of the water leak before installing any floor surface, including tile.

Layout is a big deal in a tile installation. Have you tried snapping a chalk line to ensure that your tile layout is successful?

Let's talk about floor prep. How seriously do you take it?

Realize that the success or failure of most tile projects is keyed to the amount of floor prep provided and the attention to detail.  When you or anyone else cuts corners to save time and or money on a job, the result is almost always failure. 

To make my point, here are specific examples highlighting seven perils of improper floor prep. You may have encountered others that we can add to the list.

In a nutshell, tile installation certification programs transform the tile trade and industry for the better. Those programs include the Certified Tile Installer (CTI) program as well as the Advanced Certifications for Tile Installers (ACT) program.  #TransformTheTrade