CTEF Blog - About Tile Education and Installer Certification

I hope you don't use spot bonding or "five spotting" when installing ceramic tile. It's a problem that's high on the list of failure questions received by the CTEF offices when things go wrong. 

It’s also one we featured at Coverings 2018 in the Installation Experience Hall of Failures.

In case you didn't read How to Correctly Trowel Mortar When Installing Tile? or you still think it's okay, let's review in detail why you need to eliminate even the thought of using spot bonding for your ceramic tile installation projects.

Do you spend time ensuring that your tile layout is centered and balanced, with no small cuts? I hope so since this is the most effective way to ensure that a tile installation has a professionally installed appearance.

If you're wondering whether it's better to install tile under cabinets or not, the answer is... it depends. It depends on the structure of your home as well as your kitchen and its subfloor, the materials selected, and your own preference.

What challenges have you encountered getting the coverage you need under large wall tile? There are two aspects to this question. 

The first has to do with size. Many projects today call for ever-increasing tile sizes, many of which are rectangular shapes such as 12” x 24”, 18” x 36”, 24” x 48”, and larger creating difficulties for the installer when bonding the tile to the substrate. 

>> See Do You Have Enough Mortar to Accommodate Most Tile Warpage?

The second has to do with walls.

Have you heard? CTEF will raffle off a stunning original American flag mosaic designed by the award-winning Angie Halford Ré during Coverings 2022, and donated by Laticrete's Ron Nash, both based in Utah.

We caught up with both to learn more, and encourage you to purchase raffle tickets! 

Extra! Extra! Read all about it! We've put together the ultimate guide to finding tile installers for homeowners and would love to get it into their hands. Will you help us get the word out?

For those who are unfamiliar with the Certified Tile Installer program, tile contractor Salvatore DiBlasi put together a two-part video series documenting not only what's involved, but also how the hands-on test is graded.

If you're having porcelain tile installed and you're looking for confirmation or validation that the project will be completed correctly, where do you go?

We recommend two paths:

1. Know where to find porcelain tile installation standards
2. Know where to find tile installation experts for the project

Let's explore.

If you have no experience in tiling and haven't been involved in a trade school program, how do you become a tile installation professional?

Great question, and here are options for you to consider.

For a beautiful and long-lasting tile installation, you need to ensure that every facet of the job is completed properly according to tile industry standards and best practices. The key element here is the foundation of the installation and that's where underlayment for tile solves a multitude of problems.