Just before the NTCA Technical Committee was scheduled to meet in Naples, Fla., some 9 to 10 years ago, I received a phone call from a manufacturer of large porcelain tile panels. The manufacturer was concerned with the massive number of installation failures occurring across the country with gauged porcelain panels, a product that was very new to the U.S. market.
He asked me if the NTCA Technical Committee could meet with him to discuss how to generate installation instructions for tile contractors to help slow down the failures. Nyle Wadford (Neuse Tile Service) and I made the decision to close the Technical Committee meeting to the public (a very rare occasion) and discuss the manufacturer’s concerns.
Typically, a manufacturer establishes installation instructions for a new product before it hits the marketplace. The product may be used for some time before an industry installation standard or method is developed and published, but a manufacturer’s recommendations always prevail. The NTCA Technical Committee then steps in, using input from installers, to publish white papers, cause-cure-prevention documents and other helpful precautionary statements to assist installers in avoiding problems and ensuring success. This situation with large porcelain tile panels is one where the work of the committee ultimately led to new ANSI standards and methods in the TCNA Handbook.
So, through a spirited meeting with the porcelain panel manufacturer, many items were discussed at that Technical Committee meeting. Discussion included inquiry into why this manufacturer had not proactively asked tile contractors to help identify and address installation concerns and solve potential issues when these very thin and extremely large products were first introduced. At the end of the meeting, the committee agreed to develop a precautionary statement for inclusion into the NTCA Reference Manual specific to installing these panels.
Fast forward to a couple of years later, when Martin Howard (David Allen Company), Noah Chitty (Crossville/AHF) and others began to test and develop installation methods for gauged porcelain panels. Both Noah and Martin collaborated with multiple contractors from across the country and with tile mortar manufacturers for a year or so to develop handling, embedding and nuanced installation techniques for this product. This included a lot of trial and error, such as different trowels being used and different embedding techniques, to ensure the panels were installed to the industry coverage requirements of 80% for dry interiors and 95% for exterior and wet areas. They also enlisted the help of Brad Denny, now Executive Director of the Ceramic Tile Education Foundation (CTEF), who, at the time, had installed a lot of porcelain panels to help perfect the installation and embedding techniques. Ben Szell (European Tile Masters) – who represents tool manufacturers on the NTCA Technical Committee – provided his expertise on cutting techniques such as drilling a hole in the corner of a panel with “L” cuts to release tension and avoid cracking the large slab.
and installation considerations.
Through the collective hard work of NTCA Technical Committee members, ANSI A108.19 and ANSI A108.20 were developed, brought forward to the ANSI 108 Committee and passed in 2017 and 2020 respectively. ANSI A108.19 specifies installation standards for interior applications of gauged porcelain tile and gauged porcelain tile panels/slabs. Meanwhile, ANSI A108.20 outlines standards for exterior installations of the product. Until recently, these installation standards were the only methods to install gauged porcelain panels, and in 2023, a separate TCNA Handbook issue with methods for the installation of Gauged Porcelain Tile Panels (GPTP) was published for the first time.
The NTCA Technical Committee’s role in developing these standards and methods cannot be overstated. The committee not only addressed an urgent industry need, but also established a set of best practices that have had a lasting impact on tile installation. The process of developing these standards took place over many years, requiring countless hours of testing and involved numerous committee meetings.
I encourage members to attend the NTCA Technical Committee meetings to see firsthand how this committee and the NTCA revolutionizes our tile installation industry.
James Woelfel
James Woelfel is the President of Artcraft Granite Marble and Tile in Mesa, Arizona. As a third-generation family business, Artcraft Granite, Marble & Tile Company is an NTCA Five-Star Contractor Member and his company has proudly worked with integrity for more than 85 years in providing quality craftsmanship in tile and stone installation. Woelfel is also Chairman of the NTCA Technical Committee since 2007 and is a voting member of the TCNA Handbook and ANSI A108, 118, and 137.1 Committees. He served as president of the NTCA from 2015-2017, was the 2011 recipient of the NTCA Tile Person of the Year Award and the 2019 recipient of the NTCA Ring of Honor. Woelfel is also an NTCA Recognized Consultant and a highly-rated speaker at industry shows such as Coverings, The International Surface Event (TISE), and Total Solutions Plus.
