CTEF Blog - About Tile Education and Installer Certification

What does it take to ensure that you have a quality tile installation? Based on our experience, knowledge, and work with the Tile Council of North America (TCNA) Handbook, we have identified ten requirements. 

Note that these aren't all industry requirements. However, they all contribute to a quality tile installation.

Here they are.

Yes, there's a labor shortage out there. But that's not a reason for abandoning standards and hiring just anybody. You need Qualified Labor - especially when it comes to tile setters or installers. Why? Because tile isn't just a decorative layer in home or commercial buildings. It must meet specific standards so that it performs as it should over time.

Sometimes, the best way to explain how important it is to work with a Certified Tile Installer (CTI) is to show you how not to install tile on floors, walls, and in showers.

This article focuses on a real-life situation where those doing the work (aka tile placers) clearly did not have the knowledge, expertise, or experience to deliver a high-quality tile installation. They were not CTIs.  Although originally published on 9/27/2016, it continues to speak directly and strongly about unqualified labor and the perils of poorly installed tile.

Let's explore this master bathroom installation to better understand what went wrong.

>> See Hiring a Tile Installer? Here's What to Look For.

When you're hiring a tile contractor, you expect to have the work done right the first time. Unfortunately, you don't always have the benefit of seeing the contractor's work beforehand and realizing what you need to avoid (see How Not to Install Tile on Floors, Walls, and in Showers).

That's why we've put together these warning signs to help you avoid hiring a tile contractor who is poorly qualified and more of a tile "placer." (Definition: tile placer - a person who does not have the skills, knowledge, and experience to install the job correctly.)

That way, you can rest assured that the beautiful tile installation in your mind's eye has every opportunity to become reality and bring you delight for years to come.

Special thanks to Sal DiBlasi for basing a video on this article. ♥

As you might imagine, knowing how to hire the right tile setter is a big deal for homeowners and commercial owners. That's why we developed the homeowner's guide to hiring qualified tile installers, and we'll soon have one geared toward architects, designers, and other tile installation project specifiers. 

In fact, it's such a big deal that it regularly comes up as a blog article topic - for example, Mark Heinlein  NTCA Training Director and Presenter shared with us how to Qualify Your Tile Installation Contractor With These 5 Questions - as well as in comments and conversations. That's why we put together this blog article about two questions to ask.

A question that frequently comes up is how to become a tile installer.

It can come from someone looking to change fields or someone who wants to become a Certified Tile Installer and isn't sure what the steps are.

Unfortunately, there isn't yet an easy, set, defined career path for becoming a tile installer other than through a tile apprenticeship program or a vocational school, and that's why CTEF has expanded its tile installation training and education for 2023.

Are you wondering how to leverage your Certified Tile Installer (CTI) status in your business? This well-earned professional distinction offers tile installation professionals many benefits as Mark Heinlein, National Tile Contractors Association (NTCA) Technical Trainer and Presenter and CTI #1112, explains in this article. 

Or, Why You Should Always Work with Qualified Tile Installers

Did you get to tour the Tile Installation Experience at Coverings 2018? Whether you did or didn't, here's your chance to review and appreciate what makes working with Qualified Tile Installers truly unique - in terms of best practices you can expect and bad practices you will want to avoid.

We've even included a Facebook Live tour with Scott Carothers that Floor Covering Installer magazine conducted during Coverings.

Although from 2018, this article is sure to put tile installation excellence into perspective.

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?

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.