Did you have a chance to witness the first ever CTI Challenge? It took place during Coverings 2018 in the Installation Experience space, pitting two intensely passionate Certified Tile Installer teams to complete an ambitious installation over three days. The installation had to meet tile industry standards and guidelines.
Here's a recap.
The Coverings 2018 tiny house version of the Installation Design Showcase featured a new installation team from DW Sanders Tile & Stone Contracting which collaborated with Jeffrey Bruce Baker Designs on the Smart Modern Living tiny house.
Owner Woody Sanders is not only himself a Certified Tile Installer (#1295) and his company an NTCA Five Star Contractor, but he is also a CTEF Regional Evaluator.
We caught up with Woody to learn more about his experience participating in the Installation Design Showcase.
The tiny house version of the Installation Design Showcase returned to Coverings 2018 and so did J&R Tile which focused on installing gauged porcelain tile panels in addition to glass tile.
If you missed their 2017 installation, you can learn more about it in J&R Tile's Erin Albrecht Talks Tile in a Tiny House.
We caught up again with Eric Albrecht to get the low down on the 2018 installation which the J&R Tile team completed in association with Rita Carson Guest of Carson Guest Interior Design.
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.
If you've been reading the articles on this blog, you're familiar with the importance of carefully planning your installation ahead of time, and ensuring that you've obtained approval on a mockup from everyone involved - architect and/or designer, general contractor and, of course, the owner - before you start installing.
In case you still don't believe that it matters, this article is for you.
Why should we discuss tile trends on a blog that focuses primarily on tile education and installer certification? Because they really matter.
John Cox, President of Cox Tile (pictured in the image above on the far left), is the Technical Consultant to the Coverings Installation Design Showcase.
First launched at Coverings 2008, the Installation Design Showcase or IDS features the live installation of tile in several professionally designed vignettes. Although planning and preparation begin several months before the show, the big deal about the IDS is that installation must be completed before the end of the Coverings exhibition, in time for review, admiration, comments and celebration.
What's certainly true about a tiny house is that, by virtue of its size, it brings you closer to nature. Imagine taking that one step further based on how tile inside the house mimics nature. That's what the Vitruvian, a tiled tiny house created during Coverings 2017 in Orlando, captures based on the vision of designer Nikki Vega from BlueTreeHome based in Orlando. She specializes in tiny homes.
Nikki teamed up with the installation team from J & R Tile, Inc. for the live installation of tile in a tiny house on the Coverings show floor during the annual Installation Design Showcase.
Tile in a tiny house is a natural choice for anyone who admires how versatile and sustainable tile is. It's also a must for those participating in the live installation of tile in three tiny houses on the Coverings show floor as J&R Tile did during Covering17 in Orlando, Florida.
Inspired by tile for a tiny house? Most definitely yes, when that tile captures a clean, calm feel that The Georgia Pear Interiors' Lauren Figueroa decided was perfect for the West Michigan tiny home she designed for the Installation Design Showcase during Coverings 2017.
She teamed up with Welch Tile & Marble for the live installation of tile in a tiny house on the Coverings show floor...
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 which is recognized by the tile industry.
