Sark Tile, based in Lincoln, Neb., hosted NTCA Tile & Stone Workshop in October 2017. This is a groundbreaking event, since it’s the first NTCA Workshop ever hosted in Lincoln.
But perhaps it should come as no surprise. Sark Tile has been committed to educating the tile industry in its area for over 20 years. Since Mark Becher founded Sark Tile in 1999, he has been working to educate his clients.
As a national distributor of tile and tile installation products, Sark Tile serves a range of clients from architects to the end consumer, offering an exceptional platform to reach a broad range of people within the industry. Sark Tile took advantage of this platform by hosting the October Workshop, and subsequently, a Certified Tile Installer (CTI) test the next month.
The October NTCA Workshop titled, “Failures, Could it be Me?” was a great opportunity to bring in an expert, NTCA Training Director Mike Heinlein, to show local installers, designers, and clients how to avoid common installation mistakes. The event was described as eye opening and a brilliant refresher, even for a seasoned installer. For those who weren’t as well versed with the tile installation process, it was a first-rate opportunity to learn the correct way to perform basic techniques.
Heinlein began the workshop with a slideshow presentation outlining some common tile installation failures and how to avoid them. The diverse group of attendees was provided a superb opportunity for questions and discussion. Installers raised discussion about hurdles they have to overcome, and designers talked about their struggles. “It was apparent education on all sides of the project would solve most of these issues,” said Dan Hecox, NTCA State Ambassador for Nebraska and Regional Evaluator for the
CTI test.
After a quick break for some networking and delicious food, Heinlein finished the workshop with some hands-on demonstrations. This portion of the workshop was an excellent chance to physically show attendees why it is so important to do things correctly, and what the outcome can be if they aren’t. Attendees walked away with many tricks of the trade.
The layout of Sark Tile was ideal for this presentation, with a beautiful showroom for the discussion and a spacious working area in the warehouse for the hands-on demonstration.
Sark Tile’s warehouse was also an outstanding location for the CTI event they hosted in November. With the help of CTI Regional Evaluator, Dan Hecox, local installers were able to test their skills.
Kate Danehey, office manager from Sark Tile, expressed the company philosophy that the health of the industry relies on installers.
“If we have installers out there incorrectly installing our products resulting in failures, the first finger is almost always pointed at the material which is almost never the case,” Danehey said. “Proper preparation combined with the correct setting materials and tools lead to a faster and more profitable install. Consumer’s confidence – and perception that the install will be smooth – is of paramount importance when trying to make a sale, which is why these testing events are so important. The more skilled installers we have in the area, the more likely people will be to use tile in the future for additional projects.”
