NTCA BENEFITS BOX NTCA Reference Manual coming soon to a mailbox near you! There are lots of great things that happen in the fall – colorful foliage, crisp days, harvest festivals – and the NTCA Reference Manual. This fall, NTCA members will be receiv- ing the 2017/2018 NTCA Reference Manual publication in the mail, and it will be available for others in the industry to purchase at the NTCA Store online. The NTCA Reference Manual is a compendium of knowledge, research and development, brought to you by the NTCA Technical Committee and its members. These members include leading experts from various industry sectors: tile and stone contractors, distributors, manufacturers and oth- ers allied to the tile industry. The NTCA Reference Manual iden- tifies recurring challenges to tile and stone installations and recognizes potential problems. Industry experts come together to achieve consensus on solutions, presented in a problem- prevention-cure format. Clarifying photographs are included, as well as letter templates that address com- mon issues in documentation and negotiation on the jobsite, and can be customized to fit the needs of the contractor. A collection of gen- eral position statements about industry issues is also included. Each year, NTCA Technical Committee sub- committee members review and revise the publication, since new technologies, methods and products all impact the experience, practice and outcome of tile and stone instal- lations. Because the information is so crucial to the industry, NTCA also makes the NTCA Reference Manual available on its website (enter NTCA Reference Manual in the search bar at the top of website www.tile-assn. com or visit the NTCA Store at www. tile-assn.com and select “Industry Technical Manuals”) to non-mem- bers or those who desire additional copies. Familiarize yourself with this well- respected companion document to the TCNA Handbook for Ceramic, Glass and Stone Tile Installation and ANSI standards. Together these pub- lications form a triumvirate of exper- tise and knowledge that creates a strong framework from which to conduct your business. 116 TileLetter | September 2017