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CTEF Blog - About Tile Education and Installer Certification

The Top Ten Requirements for a Quality Tile Installation

[fa icon="calendar'] Feb 14, 2023 8:30:00 AM / by CTEF Blog Team posted in Installing Tile TIps, Hiring a Tile Installer

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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.

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How Topical and Penetrating Sealers Protect Your Tile and Stone

[fa icon="calendar'] Jan 31, 2023 8:30:00 AM / by CTEF Blog Team posted in Installing Tile TIps

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Wondering how to best protect your marble tile? Consider a sealer and more specifically a penetrating sealer to keep your stone flooring looking beautiful.

To illustrate why here's a tile installation situation Mark Heinlein CTI #1112 and National Tile Contractors Association Training Director and Technical Trainer / Presenter recently addressed with the help of Scott Carothers.

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15 Tile Installation Resolutions for 2023

[fa icon="calendar'] Jan 3, 2023 8:30:00 AM / by CTEF Blog Team posted in Installing Tile TIps

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Happy New Year! Are you ready to make tile installation resolutions for 2023?

If you're already in the know, think of these resolutions as a refresher. And, if you're new to the Ceramic Tile Education Foundation and the Certified Tile Installer Program, then consider this your introduction to a bold, new standards-based, methodical approach to installing ceramic tile.

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How to Correctly Trowel Mortar When Installing Tile?

[fa icon="calendar'] Dec 13, 2022 8:30:00 AM / by Scott Carothers posted in Ask Scott, Installing Tile TIps

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If you're asking how to trowel mortar when installing tile, realize that you are asking a fundamentally critical question. It's so critical that readers like you have made this CTEF Blog article the one with the highest readership since we originally published it on June 7, 2016.

You see, when thin-set mortar is incorrectly applied, the installation will many times fail. More likely than not, the tile will break - as you see in the image below.

Not a good situation for the customer and a terrible one for everyone involved in installing tile correctly.

Let's focus then on how to properly apply the mortar.

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ANSI Standards: A Tile Installer's Best Friend!

[fa icon="calendar'] Nov 1, 2022 8:30:00 AM / by Scott Carothers posted in Ask Scott, Installing Tile TIps

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How familiar are you with the ANSI Standards for the Installation of Ceramic Tile? (ANSI stands for the American National Standards Institute.) If you aren't, and you're in the tile installation business, it's time you pay attention. ANSI Standards are a tile installer's best friend! 

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How To Select the Right Trowel Notch To Obtain the Required Mortar Coverage

[fa icon="calendar'] Oct 11, 2022 8:30:00 AM / by Scott Carothers posted in Ask Scott, Installing Tile TIps

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If you're in the tile business, you're surely aware of how important it is to obtain the required mortar coverage.

And, you've probably noticed that achieving that coverage has become more challenging as tile sizes and the diversity in tile types increases.

Diversity is wonderful for enabling stunning tile installations. However, each of these products has different requirements in order to achieve the required mortar coverage, and that's where selecting the right trowel notch comes into play.

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Substrate Preparation 101: Banish All Tile Bond Breakers!

[fa icon="calendar'] May 24, 2022 8:30:00 AM / by Scott Carothers posted in Ask Scott, Installing Tile TIps

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How concerned are you with protecting your tile installations from the horrors of bond breakers? If you're serious about it, you will spend time inspecting and preparing your substrate so as to prevent any situations from developing. Yes, substrate preparation includes determining whether the floor or wall surface will be bondable, and, most importantly, this needs to be completed prior to installing tile.

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Why You Need to Eliminate Spot Bonding When Installing Ceramic Tile

[fa icon="calendar'] May 10, 2022 8:30:00 AM / by Scott Carothers posted in Ask Scott, Installing Tile TIps

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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.

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Is Your Tile Layout Centered and Balanced, With No Small Cuts?

[fa icon="calendar'] Apr 26, 2022 8:30:00 AM / by Scott Carothers posted in Ask Scott, Installing Tile TIps

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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.

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Should You Install Tile Under Cabinets?

[fa icon="calendar'] Apr 12, 2022 8:30:00 AM / by CTEF Blog Team posted in Installing Tile TIps

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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.

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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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Mike Corona CTI #923
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