Register for Coverings Connected: August 26
[fa icon="calendar'] Aug 11, 2020 8:30:00 AM / by CTEF Blog Team posted in About CTEF, Installation + Design
Access Fundamentals of Thin Bed Knowledge at No Cost
[fa icon="calendar'] Aug 4, 2020 8:30:00 AM / by CTEF Blog Team posted in About CTEF, Installation + Design
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.
Qualified Labor Matters to Kitchen and Bath Design: NKBA Webinar Series
[fa icon="calendar'] Jul 28, 2020 8:30:00 AM / by CTEF Blog Team posted in About CTEF, Installation + Design
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 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.
Timeless Tile Installations That Delight the Senses
[fa icon="calendar'] Jul 14, 2020 8:30:00 AM / by CTEF Blog Team posted in Installation + Design
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.
When to Avoid Hiring a Tile Contractor: 10 Warning Signs!
[fa icon="calendar'] Apr 28, 2020 8:30:00 AM / by CTEF Blog Team posted in Hiring a Tile Installer, Installation + Design
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. ♥
What's an Ideal Sustainable Building Material? Tile Of Course!
[fa icon="calendar'] Mar 3, 2020 8:30:00 AM / by CTEF Blog Team posted in Installation + Design
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.
Have You Explored WhyTile.com?
[fa icon="calendar'] Dec 10, 2019 8:00:00 AM / by CTEF Blog Team posted in Installation + Design
Have you had a chance to explore WhyTile.com? Since we updated this article in 2018, the site has added several new features that are sure to inspire you! So, if you haven't yet, you'll definitely want to. And, if you haven't recently, then you'll enjoy what's new.
Brad Denny CTI #1190 Discusses Hidden Oasis Tile Installation
[fa icon="calendar'] Aug 6, 2019 8:30:00 AM / by CTEF Blog Team posted in Installation + Design, Qualified Labor Series
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:
Why a Tile Installation Mockup is Really Necessary
[fa icon="calendar'] Jul 16, 2019 8:30:00 AM / by Scott Carothers posted in Ask Scott, Installing Tile TIps, Installation + Design
Do you build a tile installation mockup for your customers? If you don't, we strongly encourage you to consider doing so.
Here's why.
CC Owen Tile Company Talks Tile Installation Excellence at Coverings
[fa icon="calendar'] Jun 25, 2019 9:15:00 AM / by CTEF Blog Team posted in Installation + Design
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.