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CTEF Blog - About Tile Education and Installer Certification

Why a Tile Installation Mockup is Really Necessary

[fa icon="calendar'] Feb 27, 2024 8:30:00 AM / by Scott Carothers posted in Ask Scott, Installing Tile TIps, Installation + Design

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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.

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Addressing Low Grout Joints with Tile Installation Standards

[fa icon="calendar'] Feb 6, 2024 8:30:00 AM / by CTEF Blog Team posted in Installing Tile TIps

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Have you looked at the photos in this article and noticed a real problem?  They all demonstrate low grout joints which do not meet the tile industry standards.  To meet these standards, the grout must adequately fill the space which obviously these examples do not. 

And yet, when the person who took these photos shared them with his builder on the job site, the builder did not believe that any standards existed or that there were any organizations that develop them.

Have you found yourself in a similar situation?

If yes, here's how to deal with low grout joints and understand tile installation standards.

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Are Credit Card Grout Joints Specified? Check Tile Industry Standards.

[fa icon="calendar'] Jan 23, 2024 8:30:00 AM / by Scott Carothers posted in Ask Scott, Installing Tile TIps

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Yes, credit card joints - as in grout joints the thickness of a credit card - are popular, but given tile industry standards, they aren't possible, appropriate, or even recommended.

Many installers have had customers who have seen tile installations in a magazine or brochure which is exactly what they want in their homes. Unfortunately, the “look” they want to achieve with credit card thickness grout joints most likely will not be possible using the tile that has been selected.

Let's explore why.

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15 Tile Installation Resolutions for 2024

[fa icon="calendar'] Jan 2, 2024 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 2024?

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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Back Buttering Tile: How Important Is It?

[fa icon="calendar'] Nov 7, 2023 8:30:00 AM / by Scott Carothers posted in Ask Scott, Installing Tile TIps

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Do you back butter your tile?

Back buttering tile is a highly opinionated and widely debated topic among tile installers. Although it's recommended for natural stone tile, it's not always necessary or required to get adequate mortar coverage on ceramic and porcelain tile. So, how important is it?

To begin this discussion, we first need to define several words.  According to the NTCA Reference Manual:

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Tile Over It or Take It Up?

[fa icon="calendar'] Oct 24, 2023 8:30:00 AM / by CTEF Blog Team posted in Installing Tile TIps

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If you've been installing tile for a while, you've certainly encountered situations where you were asked about tiling over an existing tile installation rather than taking up the tile and/or underlayment and starting from fresh. How did you respond? 

Here are two situations Mark Heinlein CTI #1112 and National Tile Contractors Association
Training Director to help explore possible responses.

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Do You Have Enough Mortar to Accommodate Tile Warpage?

[fa icon="calendar'] Oct 10, 2023 8:30:00 AM / by Scott Carothers posted in Ask Scott, Installing Tile TIps

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When you install tile, do you ensure that you have enough mortar to accommodate inherent (actual) tile warpage associated with large format tile?

Tile sizes are changing; getting larger, longer, and proportionately having more inherent warpage. Likewise, changes are being seen in tile installation methods, using thin set and large and heavy tile mortars to accommodate tile warpage.

Let's review what's involved.

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Understanding Efflorescence aka that Ugly White Powder on Your Tile

[fa icon="calendar'] Sep 12, 2023 8:30:00 AM / by Scott Carothers posted in Ask Scott, Installing Tile TIps

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We've all seen it: that really ugly white powder that grows on cement grout and also tile, stone, brick, and concrete, particularly when it's installed someplace with moisture (i.e., in a basement or outdoors). That white residue is called efflorescence.

This article goes into detail about efflorescence, including situations that readers have shared with us since the article was originally published in September 2016.

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Don't Patch Your Tile Substrate With Thin Set

[fa icon="calendar'] Aug 1, 2023 8:30:00 AM / by Scott Carothers posted in Ask Scott, Installing Tile TIps

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What Do You Use to Patch Your Substrate so It Is Ready for Tile?

You've surely been in the position as a tile installer to deal with job site conditions that require the substrate (floors and walls) to be patched making it “tile ready”.  No question, it's critical to get the substrate flat enough to accommodate tile.  This is particularly true if the tile is large format.

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How to Install Tile with Electrical Radiant Heating

[fa icon="calendar'] Jul 4, 2023 8:30:00 AM / by CTEF Blog Team posted in Installing Tile TIps

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Tile is a natural for radiant heating.

However, installing tile with radiant heating can get overwhelming when you realize that the Tile Council of North America (TCNA) Handbook includes multiple methods that address this type of installation. The details vary somewhat depending on the structure you are working on and which type of heat source your radiant system uses - hydronic or electrical.

  • On ground concrete
  • Above ground concrete
  • Wood subfloor/joist system

Fortunately, Mark Heinlein CTI #1112 and National Tile Contractors Association Training Director, Technical Trainer / Presenter shares his expertise in this article.

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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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