The Ceramic Tile Education Foundation (CTEF) is an educational institution that offers local, national, regional training programs for a variety of individuals such as architects, building inspectors, construction professionals, consumers, installers and sales associates that are interested in the sales and installation of ceramic tile.

The history of the Ceramic Tile Education Foundation dates back to the later part of 1996 when it was suggested by the Tile Council of North America (TCNA). Supportive industry organizations such as the National Tile Contractors Association (NTCA), Ceramic Tile Distributors Association (CTDA), and many foreign trade partners such as Ceramic Tile of Italy, and Tile of Spain long realized the absence of an educational organization in the American market. A review of the current available curriculums and educational programs found that the availability of such programs was in dire need and updating and creating such programs was sorely needed.

Here at Westside Tile & Stone, Inc. we decided that too often consumers choose an installer or contractor based solely on price alone and it causes qualified installers to lose out on jobs and creates numerous installation failures. CTEF launched a Certified Tile Installer (CTI) program in 2008 in order to provide knowledgeable installers with a way to verify their skills and promote themselves to potential clients and employers. The certification enables professional installers to provide industry-recognized proof of their abilities in the tile installation process and secure more work for themselves. The program was developed largely due to the lack of mechanism for consumers to know the level of proficiency of prospective installers they are looking to hire. By encouraging our customers to use only the best-qualified installers, this program offered by the CTEF will help raise the quality of installations not only throughout the Los Angeles area but throughout the United States as well. Making strides such as these is what separates Westside Tile & Stone, Inc. from other stores in the area for we expect our customers to not only receive the very best materials but also receive a quality installation.

The Certified Tile Installer (CTI) program that we are putting our recommended tile contractors through is a comprehensive testing of the skills and knowledge of experienced tile installers. The CTI test includes a multiple-choice exam along with a thorough hands-on test. Both of these tests are based on current industry standards and require the installers to put their installation to both the observable and non-observable characteristics that are needed for a properly executed tile installation. One of the large benefits of this certification program is that for an installer to be eligible for this program they must have at least two years’ experience as the lead installer for setting ceramic tiles on a full-time basis. Experience as a helper, grouter, finisher, or improver does not qualify towards the two-year requirement. The CTI program is meant to identify the professional installer who has reached a level of proficiency to independently and consistently produce sound tile installations that pass the current Tile Council of America (TCNA) standards.

We are currently recommending that all of our installers who are to be recommended to our customers be certified through the CTEF with the Certified Tile Installer Program (CTI). The installers who pass this test will receive a certificate, an identification card, and more importantly have the ability to display the CTI logo on their business cards, vehicles, and visible clothing. Additionally, CTEF will provide these installers with a multitude of promotional brochures that encourage consumers and general contractors/builders to use certified installers for their future projects.

Oceanside Glass Tile Bath and Shower

Here is an absolutely stunning bathroom that was put together with the wonderful Oceanside Glass Tile products. The entire bathtub and shower were done with the Tessera Glass tile which features a more rustic look than the Muse which is a more refined and modern glass tile. I love how the glass tile looks with the Golden White Quartzite floor tile. It really makes the shower stand out and pop. Please make sure to visit our award winning Oceanside Showroom to have us design your next Oceanside application.

Don’t be afraid to go where you’ve never gone, and do what you’ve never done, because both are necessary to have what you’ve never had and be who you’ve never been.

Be the ball,

The Universe

P.S. Hut, hut, go do!

~Tut.com

Here are a couple pictures taken from the beautiful Artistic Tile showroom on 21^st Street in New York City. The first thing you notice upon entering this showroom is the beautifully laid out Claridges pattern that is installed right behind the tub. The Claridges pattern on display is made up of the Thassos White Marble along with the White Shell tile. This beautiful pattern has already received great reviews in our showroom and has already been specified for a number of different jobs. The beauty of Artistic Tile and their wonderful water-jet patterns is the ability to customize them in any color combination that is available through their source of natural stones. This is apparent in the next picture depicting the Claridges in the Palisandro Blue and White Carrara. These patterns should be installed using the Laticrete 254 Platinum Thinset. Some of the benefits of the Laticrete 254 Platinum thinset are the incredible bond and the high shear bond strength. Please make sure to visit our award winning showroom to pick out your next Artistic Tile that can be used on your future project.

Our customers are always looking for new and exciting ways to spruce up their bathrooms and showers with niches. This is a great blog article that I found which features plenty of different styles of niches that can be used inside the bathroom and shower. As you can see, there are plenty of niches made with a variety of glass tiles. We are one of the largest Oceanside Glass Tile distributors in the Southern California and are proud to offer some of the same stunning tiles found in some of these niches. Glass Tiles have erupted in the market place with their use up dramatically from the occasional glass tile backsplash or decorative insert. Nowadays many customers are using glass tile in a variety of places such as pools, showers, and spas. One of the benefits of using an Oceanside Glass Tile is that their material is completely suitable for installation in wet areas such as showers and looks absolutely stunning with their large variety of color available in iridescent and non-iridescent finishes.

When it comes to making a niche in a shower it is always important to try and incorporate the same material that was used in your backsplash or as your accent so that the flow works nicely together. Another important factor when incorporating a niche in a shower is that it flows seamlessly with your shower and doesn’t protrude or stand out too much. Many installers either create their own niche using the Schluter Kerdi-Board or can use a free-standing niche such as ones from The Noble Company. One of the benefits of Kerdi-Board is that it is a waterproof material that can be seamlessly cut and formed to create beautiful niches. All you need to do is use Kerdi-Band on the seams of the niche and Kerdi-Fix to secure it down in order to insure everything is snug and waterproof and you are good to go. Please make sure to stop by our award winning Oceanside Showroom and one of the top selling Schluter dealers in Southern California to have us design a niche for your home today.

Fireplaces seem to be all the rage this year. This is exemplified by a recent post by one of our friends out of Phoenix who does amazing work with glass tile. Luke Denny from Alpentile (www.alpentile.com) does some absolutely stunning work with Oceanside Glass and we are proud to be able to show some of their work here.

Living in Los Angeles we have the benefit of beautiful summers but also cold winter nights. The benefit of having a working fireplace is a great advantage to have during cold evenings to warm you up or just for the aesthetic look when having guests over at your house. One of the great ways to spruce up your fireplace is to use an iridescent glass tile from Oceanside Glass. Oceanside Glass makes some wonderful tiles that are suitable for all installations including bathrooms, fireplaces, pools and spas. One of our best selling Oceanside Glass Tiles is the Extrados collection which features three dimensional tiles that will give your installation a whole new look and feel. Please stop by our Award Winning Oceanside Glass Tile Showroom to design your new fireplace today.

These are the newest collections to come out of Porcelanosa USA and they are sure to be a big success in the New Year. The beautiful combinations of both floor and wall tiles are sure to make any installation the highlight of your home. The Recife Collection comes with a 24”x24” floor tile, 12”x35” wall tile, and a 12”x35” mosaico wall tile that is available in three marvelous colors; Anthracita, Gris, and Pulpis. The Recife Mosaico looks absolutely stunning when fully installed as you can see from the pictures below. One of my favorite tiles from the new collection is the Ona Beige and Ona Natural which has the look and feeling of running water and three-dimensionality. The Ona Series is very similar in look to the Artistic Tile Ambra collection but has the advantage of being a ceramic tile, requiring less care and maintenance. The Treviso Black is a very nice combination of whites, blacks, and greys to give the tile a very nice timeless appeal similar to that of a Bianco Carrara. I can picture many of our customers using a combination of Bianco Carrara on the floor of a bathroom with the Treviso Black used as the wall tile. Many of our customers are always looking porcelains or ceramic tiles that replicate natural stones and these new tiles from Porcelanosa USA are sure to be a big hit. We’re looking forward to installing these new tiles in the homes of our customers this year, so please stop by our Award Winning Showroom to pick out your next Porcelanosa Tile today.

This is a great article on how slot drains for pools can now be made to be concealed on the pool bottom as opposed to heavily apparent. Many of our customers when they are constructing pools and even showers are looking for the best ways to conceal the draining system in their application. Schluter-Systems has recently come out with the Kerdi-Line linear drain which is perfect for curbless showers or anyone building a shower and looking to conceal their drain. The Kerdi-Line from Schluter-Systems comes in a variety of grates which makes it extremely easy to pick one that best fits your installation.

In this article, Skip Phillips is describing the years of experimentation in creating a drain system that looks almost hidden and un-noticeable on a pool or spa bottom. For many customers who are building full clad pools of glass mosaics, nothing is worse than having a draining system apparent in the middle of the pool or at the bottom of a spa. This is an even bigger issue with some tiles which are lighter in color, making the drain more visible on the pool bottom. Many glass tile manufacturers offer a wide variety of trim pieces for their glass tile but none so far have come out with any materials for grates and drains. Oceanside glass tile is an amazing tile company when it comes to glass tile for pool installations, or any submerged installation. Their wide color palette makes it easy and enjoyable to create custom blends and mosaics for pool and spa installations.  I think that Skip has a great idea going with this new draining system that should revolutionize the industry. With more and more customers looking for modern and contemporary fixtures and systems for their homes, the idea of a barely visible draining system fits perfectly into the trend.

World renowned pool installer Greg Andrews has experiment with systems like these as well, for his customers are always looking for their drains to be hidden among their beautiful glass tile.  Greg is continually expanding his knowledge base by attending tile forums and installation seminars and explaining his methodology on the importance of properly setting and installing glass tile. He recently presented his findings at the Total Solutions Seminar in Phoenix, Arizona.
Alysedwards, Artistic Tile, Oceanside Glass tile, and Stone & Pewter all make glass tile and glass tile mosaics that are suitable for pool installations. It is very important to properly install glass tile in a pool in order to prevent any issues in the future, such as cracking or failure. The correct setting materials play an extremely important role when installing glass tile in a pool. Oceanside glass tile gives each order leaving their factory a copy of their guidelines on how to properly install their tile in any application. Laticrete sells many products that are recommended for glass pool installations. The Laticrete Spectralock is an amazing epoxy grout that is great for some glass tile installations. It is always important to seek out installation guidelines from the glass tile manufacturer before installation glass tile in any application.  The Laticrete 254 thinset is a great mortar for glass tiles in a submerged installation for its superior sheer bond strength is perfect for installing glass tile in a pool.