Tips for Vetting Contractors
Licenses, Certifications, and professional organizations, oh my.
When selecting a contractor it can be difficult to know the differences between various classifications. Here is a brief breakdown of some of them.
Contractors License.
Unfortunately, there is no trade specific license for tile work in the state of Colorado. I believe this does a major disservice to my trade and our industry. What this means is any jack of all trades can say they know how to slap some tile on a wall. This may result in just some ugly tile in your house but can become a serious issue when working on wet area, such as showers. In the state of Colorado there are only 3 licenses: General Contracting (completing or overseeing all trades), Plumbing, and Electrical.
If you are having a larger project done, that involves many trades I would highly recommend finding a reputable, reliable, licensed GC to oversee the project for you. For example, a full bathroom remodel that involves new tile, moving plumbing in the shower, new vanity, new toilet, trim work… etc. Be sure to ask the GC you are considering hiring for referrals for their subs from other clients. Bad GCs will charge you an arm and a leg, and then sub out the work to unqualified people because they are “cheap”. Ask your GC if the people doing the work are sub-contractors, or w2 employees. If they are employees, does the GC carry workers comp insurance (required by law for anyone who has employees). What does the GCs reputation look like? How many reviews and pictures do they have online, can they provide you with phone numbers of past clients who would be willing to tell you about their experience with this contractor? If a contractor can’t provide you with any of this information, that might be a red flag. I have a great referral for a licensed GC if you need one.
I was licensed for tile work back in California, where I am from. California has a license for every trade, and is the hardest state to become licensed in. A couple of the reasons I would like to see trade specific licenses here in Colorado, is they are legally recognized by the state in which you are licensed, and it gives the client actual legal recourse when dealing with a bad contractor. This could be for poor workmanship, damaging your personal property, or running off with your money. This also helps prevent illegal labor, such as people with no business license or no insurance/ bond. A license also requires the contractor to offer a warranty of some sort to the client.
Certified Tile Installer
Just what is a Certified Tile Installer, or CTI? Technically it is anyone who installs tile and has certificates in methods to do so.
Currently, most major manufacturers of installation products offer training courses to become certified in their products. These classes are also open to the public for homeowners and DIYers to take themselves.
There is also a 2 part, written and hands on, test offered by the Ceramic Tile Education Foundation (CTEF) called the Certified Tile Installer. Sounds like a great idea right? In theory yes, in application, no. Despite the name, CTEF doesn’t do anything to educate installers (it even says so on their website). They do not offer training or classes. They simply offer a test that they decided was relevant to the tile trade.
The test and certification were created in 2008 and have not been updated since then. In the last 10 years alone, we have seen unbelievable advancements in technology in the tile industry, this test does not reflect any of those advancements or modern standards. It is offered by a 3rd party organization that has no legal or government recognition. Meaning as the client, CTEF will not do anything should the CTI installer screw up or run off with your money. The test requires the installer to use materials that many skilled installers wouldn’t touch today, myself included. It does not test on waterproofing methods for wet areas, and requires the work to be rushed as quickly as possible (applicants are only given 8 hours to complete work that should take days to properly complete). Applicants are required to use a rapid setting adhesive, that still requires 3-4 hours to cure prior to grouting. Since this is impossible given the time constraints, applicants are encouraged to ignore manufacturer recommendations (which should never be done), and to grout as soon as possible with the adhesive still wet. I’ve seen test modules where the tile slid down the wall prior to grouting because the adhesive was still wet (you should never grout while thinset is wet), the tile work looked terrible, but the applicant was given a passing grade and their CTI#. CTEF also will pass people that maybe shouldn’t have passed the test if they are considered social media influencers, so that they can sell the test to more installers.
Once receiving the certification there is no requirement to keep up to date on industry standards or retest at any point as standards change. Many feel the test was designed for people who want to work for large commercial companies, to make it easier for those companies to hire people and to know they have a very limited, basic understanding of tile installation standards. In the last few years, this test has started being heavily pushed within the residential and remodeling side of the tile industry. Even though it does not reflect how those of us on the residential and remodeling side of the trade do installations, by following current industry standards and manufacturer instructions.
If you are thinking of hiring an installer because of this test/ certification, someone who is selling themselves as “CTI#00000”, make sure to still ask for recommendations, ask for photos of their work, ask them how long ago they took the test, and ask them what they are doing to stay up to date on industry standards?
