THE OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE NATIONAL TILE CONTRACTORS ASSOCIATION BART A. BETTIGA, publisher bart@tile-assn.com LESLEY A. GODDIN, editor lesley@tile-assn.com MICHELLE CHAPMAN, art director advertising sales michelle@tile-assn.com MARY SHAW-OLSON, advertising sales mary@tile-assn.com Mailing Address: P.O. Box 13629 Jackson, MS 39236 U.S.A. Shipping Address: 626 Lakeland East Drive Jackson, MS 39232 Tel: 601-939-2071 Fax: 601-932-6117 Website: www.tileletter.com www.tile-assn.com Columns 6 Welcome new members 8 2017 NTCA Tile & Stone Workshops 12 Editor’s letter 16 President’s letter 20 Ask the Experts Sponsored by LATICRETE International, Inc. 28 Business Tip: NTCA launches new Career Center Sponsored by MAPEI Corporation 44 Member Spotlight: Surfaces 15 Sponsored by Custom Building Products 54 Tech Talk: Jobsite staging and preparation for gauged porcelain tile slab/panel By Ben Szell, European Tile Masters Sponsored by TEC® /H.B. Fuller Construction Products 76 Stone: Textured stone brings added dimension to dazzling projects By Lesley Goddin 80 Silicosis training resource added to Natural Stone University Sponsored by MAPEI Corporation 88 NTCA University Update: 2018 NTCA University pricing includes free option for single contractor members By Becky Serbin, training and education coordinator 106 NTCA Benefits Box 108 NTCA News 112 Faces in the News 112 Industry News 122 New Products 125 Advertisers' Index 126 In Memory: Phil Halcomb The National Tile Contractors Association, Inc. is an equal opportunity association and seeks to include qualified individuals and businesses in all phases of its activities. The National Tile Contractors Association, Inc. does not discrimi- nate on the basis of race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, veteran status, or disability. The National Tile Contractors Association, Inc. seeks opportunities to include these groups in its programs and activities. TileLetter is a free subscription to the tile, stone and allied products industries. To subscribe, visit www.tileletter.com -> click on Advertisers & Subscribers -> click on Subscribe. To make address changes or unsubscribe, please send an email to: webmaster@tile-assn.com. TILELETTER EDITORIAL POLICY: TileLetter is the official publication of the National Tile Contractors Association, Inc. (NTCA). TileLetter provides a medium for expressing views and opinions without approving, disapproving, or guaranteeing the validity or accuracy of any data, claim or opinion appearing under a byline, or obtained or quoted from an acknowledged source. Statements of fact and opinion are made on the responsibility of the authors alone, and do not imply an opinion or reflect the official position of NTCA. NTCA would not be possible with- out the dedicated service of our board and committee members, and regional and state directors. Meet these dedicated volunteers by visit- ing www.tile-assn.com and clicking on About Us. You can also find infor- mation and a continually updated list of Five Star Contractors at www. tile-assn.com – click on Find a Tile Contractor or Consultant. 4 TileLetter | October 2017