CTEF Blog - About Tile Education and Installer Certification

Horrified about subpar tile installation? Become a Certified Tile Installer. That's according to John Trent CTI #277, a former tile installer, and former territory manager for Schluter Systems since 2012. He was one of those subpar installers who now encourages all installers he meets to become Qualified Labor.

John is next in the CTEF Blog series about Qualified Labor based on an article in TileLetter.com titled John Trent: Certification - fighting the good fight against sub-par installations.

Note that this article is part of the CTEF classics, capturing valuable insights from the first CTIs.

Why should a tile installer consider becoming a Certified Tile Installer (CTI)? We asked the community to weigh in on Facebook, so you can read about some of their reasons - in their own words - for becoming certified and Qualified Labor.

This is a classic from 2018 that is as relevant now as it was then. You'll find the responses organized into 10 themes.

Are you a CTI? If you've not completed the Certified Tile Installer program, you should reconsider. Don't take it from CTEF. Instead, we invite you to learn from Chris Osterritter CTI #1800 in this article from the Qualified Labor Series.

Are you on the fence about whether to become a Certified Tile Installer? In this article, Eric Tetreault CTI #708 offers you seven reasons for not looking back and validating your skills as a tile setter.

In a nutshell, tile installation certification programs transform the tile trade and industry for the better. Those programs include the Certified Tile Installer (CTI) program as well as the Advanced Certifications for Tile Installers (ACT) program.  #TransformTheTrade   

How addicted are you to quality tile installation?

As you might imagine, at the Ceramic Tile Education Foundation (CTEF), we are completely addicted to quality tile installations. In case you aren't sure what that is, it's the kind of work that takes beautiful ceramic materials and transforms them into spectacular and useful kitchens, bathrooms, floors and walls that delight and perform as promised and expected indefinitely into time.

Are you involved in apprenticeship programs, vocational and/or trade schools for tile installation help? If your answer is no, why not?

Let's discuss the present and future of tile and the need for Qualified Labor.

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: