“Life is like a giant smorgasbord of more delicious alternatives than you can ever hope to taste. So you have to reject having some things you want in order to get other things you want more.” – Ray Dalio
Ray Dalio may be right about having to choose carefully in the smorgasbord of life, but here at TileLetter, you can have your cake and eat it too, figuratively speaking. Get ready to dive into commercial-centric and tile topics for your reading pleasure, interspersed with exciting news and illuminating content to support the growth and success of your business.
First off, in our Member section, meet Alexandru Ilisei of Premier Tile Design, Inc. of Detroit – the long-awaited 2000th Certified Tile Installer. Learn about his tight-knit family and his dedication to excellence, which laid the groundwork to attaining this coveted certification.
Speaking of groundwork, visit our Product Focus section, where we highlight underlayments and self-levelers that ensure your tile installation has a firm foundation. And you may need these products after assessing site conditions for your next project. Read Scott Carothers’ Technical story about navigating improper site conditions that result from clueless or careless builders or other trades – and what you can do about them.
Expanding on that theme, Elena Grant’s Webinar Summary addresses the importance of substrate preparation, which is especially crucial when working with large-format tiles and gauged porcelain panels. In our Ask the Experts story, our Technical Team named substrate deflection as one of the factors that could cause cracking tile that a contractor was asked to correct; find out some other issues with this installation and how to prevent failure.
Our Business story this month is the first in a series of stories written by NTCA staff that summarize panel discussions or presentations they offered as part of the Coverings Conference Education program in April. Even if you didn’t make it to the show, you can glean wisdom from these articles. For July, NTCA Deputy Director Jeremy Sax discusses Fostering Collaboration for Project Success with four seasoned industry leaders.
NTCA President Rod Owen tackles Technological Acumen – an essential skill needed in conducting business today. Learn what it is and how to integrate it into your operations for greater efficiency, productivity and success.
NTCA Executive Director Bart Bettiga sits down with Premier Tile & Marble’s Greg Games to learn about the origins of this Five-Star Contractor’s business, how the family business has changed, and how he’s invested in success with taking on massive projects like SoFi Stadium and Intuit Dome.
In our Artisan story, we talk murals with the award-winning Angie Ré and Visalia’s Sam Bruce. What prep and pitfalls do artisan tile setters need to be aware of when digging into mosaic murals? What practices set the projects up for success?
Lippage is no joke – not only is it unsightly, but it can also be treacherous for trip and fall incidents. One way to eliminate lippage is explained in our cover story that details a case study for a commercial project that used RTC’s Spin Doctor Tile Lippage Control System to meet technical demands with ease and efficiency.
And our News Ticker points you to recent developments in the industry that you can read more about at tileletter.com.
Enjoy sampling all that awaits you! And if there’s something you’d like to learn more about, drop me a line and let me know.
God bless,
Lesley
Lesley Goddin has been writing and journaling since her first diary at age 11. Her journey has taken her through a career in publishing and publicity, landing her the editor position of TileLetter and its special publications in 2006. Her goal is to educate, inspire, recognize and encourage those in the tile industry -- especially the tile and stone contractor.
