Spend a little time with me and it’s quickly noticeable that I’ve worked in the flooring industry. The first thing I notice about a room is its flooring – whether it’s hardwood, carpet, stone, tile or (ugh) laminate. Is it real hard- wood, wood-look tile, or LVT? I notice how it works with the room and what installation pattern was used. Admittedly, I’m a realtor’s nightmare; I partially rejected a house because it had plank tile that wasn’t installed following the 33% rule. But that’s where my installa- tion knowledge stopped – until I spent a week at CTEF. I know lots about tile, from how it’s made to recommended usage. What I didn’t know was how to install it, so I jumped at the chance to take CTEF’s Understanding and Installing Ceramic Tile course. This five-day course teaches the basics of tile installation. That description will probably make quite a few seasoned tile guys and gals say they don’t need that course. Think again. My class was filled with a mix of seasoned installers, experienced professionals, novice setters, house flippers, and builders. The one thing we had in common is by the end of the week, we all left with a lot more knowledge than what we entered with. TRAINING & EDUCATION ––––––––––––– My week with the pros, or how CTEF changed how I look at the world, one room at a time By Avia Haynes, NTCA Marketing and Communications Director Many of our mornings started out with the lecture portion of the program. The course included choosing and install- ing your substrate. 54 TileLetter | December 2018