Stone & Tile: Architecture Design & TrendsInstallation & Technical Tips

Making the TCNA Handbook Your New Best Friend

Installing ceramic tile correctly can be a difficult and complex operation. However, there are certain aspects of a job that are not within the installer’s expertise and should be left to the appropriate person.

The Tile Council of North America (TCNA) Handbook committee has gone to great lengths to provide guidelines and best practices that will help and protect the tile installer. For instance, the Handbook section entitled “Substrate Requirements” states: “For ceramic tile installation, maximum allowable floor member live load and concentrated load deflection for framed floor systems shall not exceed L/360, where ‘L’ is the clear span length of the supporting member per applicable building code. For natural stone tile installations, maximum allowable floor member live load and concentrated load deflection for wood framed floor systems shall not exceed L/720, where ‘L’ is the clear span length of the supporting member per applicable building code.”

Many times, the tile installer is called on (especially in single-family residential) to determine if the structure will support the added weight of a new ceramic or stone floor and to design and install the necessary additional framing. This is not the installer’s job and it could be a really bad choice because the installer will be responsible for the cost of a replacement floor if it fails.

This is where the Handbook becomes your new best friend. It states: “The tile contractor shall not be responsible for problems resulting from any structural subfloor installation not compliant with applicable building codes, unless structural subfloor was designed and installed by tile contractor, not for problems from overloading.”

The tile installer should not get involved in the design of the floor structure. If the owner, general contractor or builder asks for advice, don’t volunteer any information. Politely steer them toward the structural expert and continue to do what you do best—installing tile.

This article was originally posted on www.floortrendsmag.com.

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Scott Carothers is the Academic Director of the Ceramic Tile Education Foundation (CTEF) headquartered in Mt. Juliet, Tennessee (Nashville area). In 2007, he was hired and tasked with creating the Certified Tile Installer (CTI) program, and in 2012, he was part of the team that created the Advanced Certifications for Tile Installers (ACT) program.

For eighteen years, he has been providing training and education to others in the tile industry. Carothers has been involved in the ceramic tile industry for over 44 years and was the owner of a successful retail store and installation firm prior to coming to CTEF.

Carothers served as President and Chairman of the Board of the National Tile Contractors Association (NTCA), Chairman of the NTCA Technical Committee, named the NTCA Tile Person of the Year in 2005, and received the NTCA Ring of Honor in 2013. He is a voting member of the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), the Tile Council of North America (TCNA) Handbook, and NTCA Technical Committees.

Scott has authored over 185 articles in tile industry print magazines including Floor Covering Installer, Tile, TileLetter, and eMagazine/Newsletter publications such as Floor Trends & Installation and TIleLetter along with covering numerous topics on the CTEF Blog, thereby sharing his knowledge and installation experience with his readers. Additionally, he recently retired from being a presenter and trainer for the NTCA Workshop and Regional Training programs and the NTCA Technical Hotline.

He may be contacted at scott@tilecareer.com or 864-222-2131.