CTEF Blog - About Tile Education and Installer Certification

During Coverings, the largest tile & stone exhibition in North America, the best and most expert tile installers collaborate with the most talented architects and designers to demonstrate what's possible in a tile installation. Depending on the venue, that process unfolds over the few days of the show.

During Coverings 2016, Artcraft Granite, Marble & Tile Company, a third-generation family business, teamed up with Designer Alena Capra, principal of Alena Capra Designs and the Coverings Industry Ambassador, to create a magnificent retail space for the Installation Design Showcase (IDS).

Ceramic tile installation and design must work together.

In fact, as designer Alena Capra, principal of Alena Capra Designs and the Coverings Industry Ambassador, explains it's critical. There must be synergy between the two. She should know given her  involvement in the Coverings Installation Design Showcase, how frequently she features tile in her designs, and her long association with Coverings.

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.

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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.

Did you know that tile is an ideal sustainable building material for the home? Not only is it beautiful, practical, intensely visual and long-lasting, but it's eco-friendly, too! Talk about the perfect design solution for floors and walls especially when combined with expert installation and Certified Tile Installers.

To explain what makes tile such a natural choice, the Tile Council of North America (TCNA) has developed three powerful resources - not to mention the WhyTile.com site. Let's explore them.

Did you experience Hidden Oasis at Coverings 2019? It was one of the three stunning installations featured in the newly expanded Installation & Design Experience incorporated into the National Tile Contractors Association Booth. 

Brad Denny, vice president and COO of  Nichols Tile & Terrazzo Co, Inc.,  a Five Star Contractor of the National Tile Contractors Association (NTCA) located outside of Nashville, TN,  led the installation team behind this vignette. Brad is also Certified Tile Installer #1190 and intensely active in the tile industry:

One of the highlights of Coverings, the yearly global tile and stone experience, is bringing together tile installation and design expertise to create the impossible under tight deadlines.

During Coverings 2019, this event was part of the newly expanded Installation & Design Experience incorporated into the National Tile Contractors Association Booth and included three vignettes.