CFI
Through its partnership, with the World Floor Covering Association (WFCA), the International Certified Floorcovering Installlers Association (CFI) has 
trained over 40,000 industry personnel since 1993 in all flooring surfaces worldwide, noted Roy Davison, CFI’s president. “The hands-on approach to training provides the greatest rewards when accompanied by a verbal and written test.”
He said the programs target installers, sales associates, inspectors and all industry-related individuals and include the following:
For installers, workshops and different levels of training and certifications are offered in just about every type of flooring product. Workshops address professionalism, job-site evaluation, preparation, substrates, affect of moisture and testing procedures, acclimation, controlled environment, subfloors, grade requirements, material handling, estimating and planning, tools, cleanup, maintenance, and the characteristics of the floorings. “All two-day, hands-on courses involve the detailed aspects of an installation from start to finish,” Davidson explained.
In ceramic, participants are taught properties and characteristics of tile vs. stone; setting materials, substrate preparation, subfloors, deflection, balancing floors, backerboards, membrane systems, estimating and layout, radiant systems, tools and techniques are covered.
The hardwood course covers pre-finished products, nail-down, glue-down and floating floor; transitions; balancing floors; characteristics of unfinished and pre-finished solid floors; cuts—plain, quarter sawn, rift sawn—strip and plank; engineered; parquet; Janka hardness; cork and bamboo; factory finishes; nail-down, staples and cleats; radiant systems, and maintenance.
For laminate, students are taught different fastening systems; types of floors; specific installation properties and characteristics for each type of flooring; glue vs. click; plank-lay direction; startup and row stagger; room sizes; spacers; sealants; stairs; transition systems; expansion, and board repair.
Carpet is where CFI offers the most, as that is the category the association first focused on, believing it needed the most immediate attention. To that end, training and certification in both residential and commercial at a variety of levels—from Residential I and/or Commercial I (R-I and C-I) up through Master-II—as well as a specific workshop on woven and patterned goods is offered.
Beyond installer training, CFI offers other types of classes for dealers, such as “Carpet Installation for Inspectors,” a three-day “Hands-on Corrective Procedures” workshop for all surfaces, and a “Carpet Estimating” workshop.
In addition to the WFCA, which also provides educational scholarships paying 100% of the fees, CFI has partnered with numerous organizations and manufacturers to provide both training and/or certification, including Mohawk, Armstrong, the National Wood Flooring Association (NWFA), the North American Laminate Flooring Association (NALFA) and Lowe’s.
For more or to schedule a program, call 816.231.4646 or email cfiguy@earthlink.net.