“Coverings represents an ideal setting for demonstrating tile installation best practices and certifications that support tile installers embracing the latest in tile technology,” says Brad Denny, CTEF Executive Director. “Each day of Coverings will include hands-on demonstrations for GPTP and proper tile installation techniques.”
GPTP stands for Gauged Porcelain Tile and Gauged Porcelain Tile Panels/Slabs and is one of the ACT areas of certification. During Coverings, CTEF and IMI/BAC ACT GPTP installers will demonstrate proper GPTP installation from start to finish with cutaways.
Specific GPTP Hands-On Demonstrations include:
- How to get Coverage for Gauged Porcelain Tile: Have you ever wondered what the mortar under your GPT looks like? Come try troweling out for a transparent tile to see what coverage you are getting.
- Tuesday, 3 PM to 3:30 PM
- Friday, 12 Noon to 12:30 PM
- Dance Lessons – How to Install GPTP Floors: Do you know the ballet of GPTP handling and how to GPTP shuffle? Let our dance instructors show you!! We will place a panel on the floor and walk it in.
- Wednesday, 12 Noon to 1 PM
- Thursday, 12 Noon to 1 PM
Hands-on demonstration tables will focus on proper tile installation techniques for troweling, embedding tiles, and sealants and will be led by CTI Evaluators Jason Montgomery, Tom Cravillion, Matt Blood, and Stephen Belyea. In addition, YouTube influencer and tile installer Sal DiBlasi will focus on mosaics. More specifically,
- Mosaics with Sal: Have you learned from Salvatore DiBlasi on YouTube? Learn from him live as he set sheets of mosaics. Grab a trowel and try it for yourself!
- Tuesday, 1-1:30 PM
- Wednesday, 11:30 am to 12 Noon, 3 PM to 3:30 PM
- Thursday, 11:30 AM to 12 Noon, Thursday, 3 PM to 3:30 PM
- Friday 11 AM to 11:30 AM
- How to get Coverage for Large Format Tile: Have you ever wondered what the mortar under your LFT looks like? Come try troweling out for a transparent tile to see what coverage you are getting.
- Tuesday, 2 PM to 2:30 PM
- Wednesday, 10:30 AM to 11 AM, Wednesday, 2 PM to 2:30 PM
- Thursday, 10:30 AM to 11 AM,Thursday, 2 PM to 2:30 PM
- Friday, 10 AM to 10:30 AM
Other demonstrations include: Tuesday, 10 AM to 12 Noon: Tile Nation Vanity Glue-Up.
The ACT program evaluates the skills and knowledge of tile installers with certifications in nine specific areas of tile installation (Grouts, Membranes, B415, B421, B421C, LFT, Mud Floors, Mud Walls, and GPTP). An installer may choose to become ACT certified in one or more areas. ACT certified installers represent the pinnacle of performance in the tile trade and maintain a level of excellence superior to non-ACT certified installers.
The program came about to offer consumers greater confidence that their tile installers follow tile installation procedures that exceed ANSI standards and TCNA guidelines for floor and wall. In addition to CTEF and IMTEF, the tile industry organizations involved in creating the ACT program include:
- The International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers (IUBAC)
- The National Tile Contractors Association (NTCA)
- The Tile Contractors’ Association of America (TCAA)
- The Tile Council of North America (TCNA).
To learn about the ACT program, visit https://www.ceramictilefoundation.org/advanced-certifications-for-tile-installers.
For more information about CTEF, visit https://www.ceramictilefoundation.org/about-us.
