Pendleton, S.C.—The Ceramic Tile Education Foundation (CTEF) has achieved a new milestone for the Certified Tile Installer (CTI) program with the certification of CTI No. 1,500, Alex Smith of Installations by Alex. Reaching 1,500 certified installers in October 2018 means that reaching 2,000 CTIs by the end of 2019 is achievable as the program’s momentum grows.
Smith has been involved in custom tile installation since 2005. Based in the mountains of North Carolina, he began working in the industry under the guidance of John Buford of the Stone Cavern. He went on to form Installations by Alex and specializes in luxury residential homes. He does a significant amount of work for Bill Dacchille of Dacchille Construction, as well as other contractors and homeowners.
“The CTI is a tool that I am using to assure my clients that they are not just taking a ‘chance’ with their tile installation project,” Smith said. “My CTI helps to validate that I care about the quality of my work and want to provide a product that has a sound foundation for longevity of use.”
The Ceramic Tile Education Foundation offers the only tile industry recognized certification test validating the skills and knowledge of the installer. This industry certification will become even more important as consumers, homebuilders, general contractors, specifiers and designers seek qualifications through programs such as industry certification.
To learn more, visit ceramictilefoundation.org/certified-tile-installer-cti-program.