Tiling News

The latest news for tilers and the tiling industry


October 22, 2008

Trades people

Please note that place 4 trades has now operated as a trade advertising site for well over 3 years. 

If you would like to advertise your business, email us sales@place4.co.uk the place to find your skilled trade’s people and trade suppliers.

Less than £1 per week will place your business in front of thousands of customers every week, in any one county.

We are committed to placing you at the forefront of quality customers.

Be found today and every day at place 4 Find trades people and trade suppliers here

Find at place 4

Trade training courses
Tilers
Plumbers
plasterers
All trades
Trade suppliers
Kitchen suppliers
Bathroom suppliers
Trade forums
Decorators
Handymen
Restoration specialists
And so on

Find all your trade requirements at place 4

Call us on 01782 566166

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October 16, 2008

Tiling Walls, Background Preparation

Filed under: Tiling courses, Wall and Floor Tiling, Tile Adhesive — Riley's @ 4:23 pm

Tiling Walls

Background Preparation

Walls to be tiled

After many years running tiling training courses “well 22 years as a matter of fact” I have heard many delegates say I am attending a plastering course soon to help out with background preparation when I’m tiling.

This is not a necessary skill for a tile fixer, there is nothing wrong with multi-skilled trade’s people but as I said it is not an “absolute” to your skill base.

The reason plastering is no great benefit to a practising tile fixer is the overall weakness of plaster finishes and slow dry/cure times.

If the wall you are about to tile is both un-even with lumps, bumps and hollows the fastest route would be to make good using a rapid setting tile adhesive, thus allowing tiling to proceed in just a few hours rather than the normal four week wait for plaster to cure and be sufficiently strong enough to carry the weight of the tiles.

Bearing in mind that fully cured plaster will only support 20 kg per square metre in weight where plasterboard will carry 32 kg, however modern building techniques still adopt the dry lining (dot & dab) method using plasterboard then skim finishing the boards with plaster before tiling takes place.

Plaster finish and weight of tiles was never such an issue in this country when your British tile shops stocked 150 mm x 150 mm tiles in the main,  these tiles would only weigh some 15 kg including the weight of adhesive & grout. These days wall & floor tiles are leaving tile shop doors with only four tiles to the box weighing in at 30 kg before we even get them in the car boot “holding on to your aching back” therefore we really do need look hard at how we prepare our bathroom walls before hanging a potential disaster over the family’s naked body soaking in the bath.

Back to the preparation if walls are un-even and assuming the plaster background is a finish plaster and NOT bonding plaster. We can first prime the plaster using a product with properties like BALs (APD prime) but never PVA, “why you may ask” PVA will break down in water and as the tiling products are all water based we do not want a built in disaster.

Once primed and dry after 30 minutes (approx) we can take a suitable length straight edge “ideally an aluminium one” and place it against the wall to be prepared in all directions vertically, horizontally and diagonally you will start to see lumps and hollows that are better corrected at the preparation stage rather than using lashings of adhesive during the tiling project.

I always think that the removal of bumps makes sense rather than building out the rest of the wall to meet the point of the bumps in the wall.

If you choose to remove these humps and bumps by taking your hammer and chisel to the wall think what could be the outcome, the finish plaster and the newly applied primer will be chopped away leaving a dusty un-primed plaster backing maybe even the bonding plaster could present itself to you, and as mentioned earlier this is not a good background for tiles.

That said you may opt for the building out process, bringing the hollows level with the tip of the humps and bumps, if this is the case start by holding the straight edge in all directions and marking the low areas using a pencil draw circles to show where the hollows are, once you have identified these areas it’s now time to mix a small quantity of rapid setting tile adhesive and apply with a flat trowel inside the circles you marked and fill the area out by the depth required.

Once all areas have been filled sufficiently take the straight edge and moving it back and forth across the filled areas you may take some of the filling off if you have applied more than was necessary, don’t worry if this is the case as even a professional would apply more, then allow the straight edge guide the flatness your looking for.

You may need to follow this procedure two or three times to give you a flat background to receive your tiles.

Once you feel happy with your efforts allow the rapid set adhesive to dry (normally two to three hours) now the wall is ready for tiling, trowel adhesive either a dispersion adhesive (ready mixed) or continue using a cement based as the wall was protected with primer allowing you to use the adhesive of your choice without risk of ettringite formation in other words the growth of crystals this occurs when un-primed plaster and cement based adhesive meet.

If the tiles to be fixed are large tiles say 300mm x 300mm or greater these fall in to the category of large format tiles and will require a thick bed of adhesive this means that the adhesive choice must only be a cement based adhesive, cement based adhesive can dry and cure even at bed depths of 12 mm in isolated areas where your ready mixed bucket adhesives are restricted to a maximum bad depth of 3 mm thus not allowing us this option.

If Riley’s tiling tips service can help your tiling project further please feel free in asking your questions by email paul@professional-itt.com.

The products mentioned in this edition of Riley’s tiling tips are available by clicking the web site below.

www.trades-direct.co.uk

Trades direct offers you a helpline before you buy your tiling products, call between 8-00 am and 9-00 pm 7 days for professional help on 01782 566166     

Visit Tiling News again soon for more of Riley’s Tiling Tips.

Tiling Courses & NVQs

Filed under: Tiling courses — Riley's @ 3:05 pm

Tiling courses & NVQs 

Tile Industry Training

What The Tile Association say:

The Tile Association Training Plan was created in collaboration with Construction Skills. It was launched to implement training in the wall and floor tiling industry in Britain in order to provide a qualified wall and floor tiling workforce.

The qualifications are based on the nationally recognised NVQs/SVQs and training is based on on-site training utilising existing informal training provision alongside more formal training from colleges and training centres to fill training gaps. Training grants will be available to participating companies.

The Construction Skills National Specialists Centre at East Leake, Leicestershire, has been accredited by City & Guilds as an Assessment Centre to deliver wall and floor tiling NVQ’s at levels 2 and 3. This centre forms the hub of the training programme and although the majority of training and assessing takes place on site there are 25 other Associated Training Centres across the UK. To find your nearest centre click here.

The Numbers are Growing

Currently there are over 700 tiling trainees on various TTA/CITB training schemes. They are mostly training on-site but are linked to the 25 colleges across the UK. There is also an Intermediate Construction Award for the unemployed or those on Government initiatives. Unlike the NVQ’s these people are training in college rather than on site.

The Tile Association Training Plan delivers value to customers in quality of workmanship and it delivers value to employers by reducing waste, limiting the effect of unqualified competition and avoiding complaints and litigation. A clear training and skills standard gives building professionals and householders another reason to prefer a TTA fixer and forms an effective barrier to the “cowboys”.

Our veiw point

Never be taken in by private training providers offing short training courses with qualifications at the end! This just will not happen.

 

Let’s be clear, the ONLY tiling qualification that is recognised by the industry is the NVQ, agree or not it’s there, and for now we are stuck with it.

 

Our view point is any training provider should not be allowed to offer NVQ as there is always a risk of corruption when a company is paid on pass results of students, better it is separate like driving schools, you learn with BSM once you have learned the underpinning knowledge you are advised to put in for a test via a qualified registered test centre.

I like to take my car for MOT at a centre that don’t carry out repairs, “why you may ask” well you are less likely to have a vehicle fail if there is no benefit to the test centre, however if a garage that repairs and MOTs and they are short of work they just might fail one or two to fulfil their diary don’t you think.

 

Training centres should only be allowed to offer either training in the underpinning knowledge or testing people via the experienced worker route or sending out assessors to carry out on site assessments.

 

Allowing one company to do both jobs could lead to NVQ qualifications that are not deserved; this will do nothing towards improving tiling standards in our growing tiling industry.

 

At PITT we offer the best in tiling training and we will arrange and help anyone through their NVQ once they have worked in the real world and demonstrated their experience working for some two years, but we will not assess you we will put you in touch with a registered assessor.

 

For more information call us on 01782 566166 or The Tile Association (TTA) on 020 8663 0946
 

Please don’t fall for misleading qualifications.
 

Our tip is copy and paste website content from any private training centres, in to a word document and see how some cover up what they say by misspelling many words, try it and see.   
 

www.professional-itt.com for quality not fiction         
 

October 10, 2008

Tiling News

Tiling News

Find a tiler

Find a tradesman here at www.place4trades.co.uk

All the trades people found here are skilled people and most will be professionally trained at PITT tiling course centre www.professional-itt.com

At www.place4trades.co.uk you will find tile fixers from many areas across the UK.

If you contact your trades person via place4trades tell them you found them here at tiling news.

We also welcome comments about the trades person you used for that ever important tiling project.

Thank You for visiting Tiling News and we hope to see you here again soon.

http://www.place4trades.co.uk    

 

Tiling News

Tiling News

Tiling news is a tiling news web site where you can learn so much without leaving the house.

At tiling news you will find many news items related to tiling, tiles and the tiling industry.

We at tiling news have many featurs like Riley’s tiling tips, manufacturers news on new products, and much more.

If you have questions to ask about tiles or tiling then mail paul@professional-itt.com

Visit again soon to read the latest tiling news available on the net.

 

Tile Forums

Tilers forum, Tiling forum, Tile forum, Tilers forums, Tiling forums, Tile forums.

Tile forums - for tiling tips, tiling chat, and tiling advice.
For the professional, non-professional and DIY enthusiast. It’s FREE TO JOIN!

Tile forums - for tiling tips, tiling chat, and tiling advice.
Tile Forums where both the DIY and true professional can join in harmony to enjoy a wealth of knowledge, help and advice.

Tile Forums has operated for some five years and welcomes over four thousand members with a staggering seventy thousand posts full of valuable tile and tiling content.

The Tile Forum is fully supported by many companies who form part of the tiling industry.

Support can range from specialist people from manufacturing plants to financial support that helps in the running and advertising of the Tile Forums.

Financial Support Companies
 

Pitt Ltd (Training in ceramic and natural stone tiling)

www.professional-itt.com

Trades Direct (Distributors and suppliers of tiling products)

www.trades-direct.co.uk

Mapei UK (Manufacturers of quality tile adhesive & grouts)

www.mapei.co.uk

Magnum (Suppliers of quality under floor heating)

www.trades-direct.co.uk

Aquamix tile and stone care (Suppliers of water based tile care products)

www.tilestonesolutions.co.uk

Bars-by-Design (Builders of tiled Home Bars)

www.bars-by-design.co.uk

Tile & Stone Journal (producers of an industry magazine)

www.tileandstonejournal.com

Tile and Stone Journal (TSJ) is dedicated to providing information, analysis and inspiration to all sectors of the tile and stone industry in the UK and Ireland. The editorial blend accurately reflects the differing, yet complementary, information needs of retailers, fixers, distributors, agents, specifiers and manufacturers.
 

Through the pages of TSJ, readers will be kept up-to-date with global developments in the industry, through company and national profiles and informed reports from all over the world’s major ceramic tiling exhibitors, including Cersaie, Cevisama, and
Coverings.
 

TSJ is the official magazine of the Tile Association and is sent to every TTA member as a benefit of membership.
 

Tile Forums comprises of many forum sections:

Tiling Forum

The Professional’s Chat Forum

General Discussion Forum

Mapei Forum

PITT Tiling & Plumbing Courses Forum

Trades-Direct Tiling Products Forum

Pro-ITT in partnership with Aqua Mix natural stone forum

Plumbing Forum Corgi

United Tilers Forum

Quoting Forum

PITT Forums

Editorials and Articles Forum

The Tile Association Forum

Tile Related Topic’s Forum

Tile Adhesive & Grout Forum

Under Floor Heating Forum

Other Forums Forum

Tile Forums also has a team of moderators who are long serving on Tile Forums. A very professional team to help keep the Tile Forum free of un-wanted language to allow you the user to be open and free to leave the Tile Forums live on screen while you are away from your P.C.

Tile Forums welcomes some two thousand visitors per day logged on as guests. We would always encourage all guests to register to become a member; you can join Tile Forums in just one minute and enjoy the benefit of asking questions and receiving answers normally within a few minutes.

Tile Forums is advertised in many tile industry magazines along with newspaper adverts and some DIY programs aired on T.V. will offer details on their web sites ensuring you the DIYer can find and enjoy the Tile Forums.

Tile Forums encourages few adverts on the forum pages as we feel adverts stacked in and around the main pages can detract from the real content.

The Tile Forums has numerous experts available many hours each and every day, these experts offer help and advice and they are not paid a penny for their commitment to the Tile Forums, they are just very technical people who are devoted to the tile industry.

All members on the Tile Forums are real people who have registered and joined therefore the Tile Forum is very realistic not a site of fiction.

Tile Forums moderators & owners would chose fifty quality members rather than five hundred none quality members, we work hard to keep the Tile Forums full of factual information and low on peoples opinions.

The world is full of opinions that tend to change when they are introduced to facts.

Tile Forums owners are excited to announce the building of a new forum to replace the present Tile Forums, don’t worry anybody! All the past posts will still be available, we just feel there are better forums available now we are five years old, we expect a change over during the night in the first quarter of 2009 so avoiding any disruption to you the user.

If you have any idea’s you would like to put forward on how to make the Tile Forums more exciting than it already is then mail your ideas to paul@professional-itt.com

The Tile Forums was reviewed some months ago, read below their findings; the review was carried out by the Tiler Register www.tilerregister.co.uk

This is their conclusion
 

   

Over the last few weeks we’ve been using a number of forums to assess which tile forum offers the best experience for the professional tiler. Admittedly there aren’t that many tile forums out there, but if you are going to invest your time and effort in using a forum to either learn something new or offer advice to others, you have to ensure you picked the right one.

Tileforums.com recommended by UK Tiler Register

Over the last few weeks we’ve been using a number of forums to assess which tile forum offers the best experience for the professional tiler. Admittedly there aren’t that many tile forums out there, but if you are going to invest your time and effort in using a forum to either learn something new or offer advice to others, you have to ensure you picked the right one.To establish which forum was suitable for our recommendation, we had to ensure the said forum met certain criteria. Fancy features were not at the top of our requirements, neither was the graphical look of the forum but the following points were essential to determining the best tile forum for UK tilers.

  • Quality of advice and guidance
  • Professionally moderated boards
  • Unbiased opinions
  • Data and personal information security
  • Site stability and response speed
  • Overall user and visitor experience

Time and again we kept returning to the same forum for more than the criteria listed above, but for a while there was a potential contender. This contender was naturally removed from the running when we noticed threads which publicly slandered a member who had recently been banned, allowing the thread to go so far to publicly name the member and his address along with unsubstantiated claims. These claims were also mirrored on an associated blog. Please note that whilst the thread and blog post have been removed, the damage and defamation of the ex-member in question has already been done. Copies of the aforementioned threads/blog are available to interested parties.So that left a sole runner in the tile forum arena the Tile Forums run by the Professional-ITT training centre. We arranged to meet with the system administrators of the Tile Forums to discuss data security and site stability which we felt was sorely lacking on the other sites. Right from the start we were impressed with the professionalism of the staff and the dedication involved in maintaining the forums quality.So to conclude, we found the forum run by Professional-ITT to be the best overall forum experience for tilers, with exceptionally good advice and guidance. Keen moderation and an overall the members of the board are highly commendable for their professional approach.

Admittedly some may criticise the board for promoting their own products and courses, but surely that makes perfect sense was they’re ensuring that their company, forum and staff promote products that they believe are the best they can and products they believe in. This is a far more professional situation than a board that sells advertising to the highest bidder with no control over the quality of the products or courses offered.

Once again thank you for the kind hospitality offered to us by the Professional-ITT Tile Training Course staff.

Find their site page by clicking the link below.

http://www.tilerregister.co.uk/tiler-tiling-news_files/tile-forums-reviews.html

Thank you for taking the time and showing interest in Tile Forums, we all look forward in reading your questions and following up with some fantastic professional answers.

Many people have saved large amounts of cash through taking the time reading how to do the job correctly, will you be joining them? The biggest Tile Forums in the United Kingdom.

www.tileforums.com

For the professional, non-professional and DIY enthusiast. It’s Tile Forums 

Tiling News | Tiling News & Tiling Tool Reviews

Filed under: Tiling courses, Wall and Floor Tiling — Riley's @ 9:47 am

Tiling News for professional tilers

 

The Ulitmate Tile Training Course

 

The tile training course industry is literally bursting at the seams with a new course or training school popping up almost monthly, some looking a truly professional outfit; others giving nothing more than a ‘quick buck’ image.

The Ulitmate Tile Training Course

The tile training course industry is literally bursting at the seams with a new course or training school popping up almost monthly, some looking a truly professional outfit; others giving nothing more than a ‘quick buck’ image. We’ve poured over many a prospectus and brochure over the last year and whilst many of the training providers are offering 3 - 4 week courses covering a wide range of topics, purporting to be ‘professional tiling courses’, the UK Tiler Register feels that the bar could be raised further yet to be truly ‘professional’.

If new tilers are to leave the training course they need to have the skill and knowledge to safely and professionally provide that level of service that is expected of them by their paying customers. And while it is often an excuse by many intensive tile training courses that the real knowledge comes with experience from on the job training, this itself poses many problems as there is often limited trainee placements and paid work especially for those with limited experience. This is not to knock students of intensive short course, rather to help them find further courses which will improve their professionalism.

Naturally what we are about to suggest will come at a price, no student can expect to learn real knowledge and skill for free; it all comes at a price. But we see the need to bring far greater standards into the tile training industry rather than waving the NVQ banner on every sentence of a brochure. Of course we understand the reasoning for the NVQ qualification and its soon to be essential requirement for construction sites, it’s how that initial knowledge is learnt and to what extent we are concerned with.

And a course is more than just its content, without a decent teacher the content will never be learnt. How many times have you seen questions on forums about getting grout lines to match or how to set out a bathroom? And these are posts from people who have completed tile training courses. Surely these tilers have been let down by their teachers?

As far as we are concerned a course that truly produces a professional tiler as the end result must include the following aspects; in no particular order of importance.

  • Health & Safety
  • First Aid
  • British Standards
  • Substrate knowledge and overcoming problems with substrates
  • Tile manufacture and tile quality
  • Leveling compounds
  • Decoupling systems
  • Floating floors, anhydrite screeds
  • Plasterboard, Tile backers, Ply
  • Tanking systems
  • Complete understanding of adhesives, grouts, colouring
  • Primers and sealers
  • Ceramic, Porcelain and natural stone understanding and knowledge
  • Cleaning, refurbishment and care of tiles
  • Correct calculations for area and volumes
  • Setting out of floors, walls, features
  • Knowledge and understanding of tile patterns
  • Mosaic, listello, borders, trims
  • Geometric design tiling and victorian tiles
  • Dry and wet cutting, drilling of tiles
  • Cutting curves, around fixtures and coping with problems
  • Plumbing and bathroom fitting
  • Boxing of pipes and concealment
  • Customer service
  • How to quote accurately and realistically
  • How to market you services, including advertising resources
  • Tool knowledge and understanding

To learn this effectively would take time and dedication, not something you can learn in few days and hope to retain for life. Naturally there will be elements on the list that are already covered and those which many a training centre will scoff at. First Aid is a prime target, but have you ever seen an injury caused by a sharp tile? During my apprentice ship I had to save my bosses life after I found him bleeding to death on a balcony he was tiling. By time the ambulance had turned up the man had lost so much blood he nearly lost an arm and to this day, his injury is a disability. Had I been fully trained in first aid, maybe his injury would have been less severe.

So we’d love to hear from any tile training course that is either able to provide all the training points mentioned above or even exceed them. But we’d also need you to prove it by allowing us to take your course for it’s full duration. Only then could we fully recommend your course and your centre.

Interesting tiling news taken from the

http://www.tilerregister.co.uk/tiler-tiling-news_files/ultimate-tile-training-course.html

October 8, 2008

Recessed Mirror in Riley’s tiling Tips

Filed under: Tiling courses, General, Wall and Floor Tiling, Tile Adhesive — Riley's @ 5:26 pm
Tiling Room’s using an inset Mirror

Tiling rooms with inset mirror

When the tiling project is at the planning stage, there are numerous considerations you need to take in to account.

Firstly is an inset mirror a better option than a wall hung mirror or even a mechanically fixed mirror?

Riley says

Of course an inset mirror is better in a number of ways, firstly because the mirror is bonded to the solid background you can be sure it will never break should a person fall against the mirror, secondly fixed mirrors are designed to be flush or very slightly recessed with the surrounding tiling again providing safety for anyone using the bathroom or room where the mirror is installed.

The fixing of mirrors using screws always poses a risk of cracking if screws are over tightened and the ugly heads showing on the mirror face is never as attractive as flush fitted mirrors even when chrome caps are fitted.

We purchase many mirrors each and every year for use with our bar building business www.bars-by-design.co.uk where the rear of the bar will normally be mirror backed with toughened polished edge glass shelves to create a classy finish.

When we use glass merchants they will always advise special adhesive for the bonding purpose, well I have to add with 32 years experience fixing ceramic and natural stone tiles I have always bonded mirrors with BAL fast flex or in the early years with BAL flex and never has the adhesive caused any damage to the mirror backing so as a Riley’s tip never be taken in with special mirror adhesive.

The setting out for a recessed mirror is very easy by using both level lines in both directions; your tiling should be level at all times.

With the tiling fixed up to the height you would like the mirror to start you would create two vertical plumb lines from tile joints below, for instance if the mirror size is to be 3 tiles wide by 4 tiles high you need the plumb lines drawing from the tile joints to an height of four tiles, these line are now plumb and the tiling can now be completed to the left and right of these lines thus leaving a square un-tiled of three tiles by four tiles.

Whilst the tiles still have adjustability ensure your tiling has not lent over your two plumb lines, your next step is to using a suitable size spirit level draw a line across from tile joint to tile joint representing the top of the mirror, now fix a temporary timber baton the full width of the mirror to carry the weight of the tiles that can now be fixed above where the mirror will be fitted, the tiling on that wall can now be completed but un-grouted.

Once the tile adhesive has set and the tiles will not move you can remove the timber baton and find your tape measure.

Measure from inside the tiling at the bottom and again at the top and it should measure the same if this is not the case your tiling has leaned over but to late to rectify at this stage.

Let’s say the mirror recess measures 960mm wide by 1280mm high and this measurement is the same at the top and bottom of the width dimension and the same at the right and left of the height dimension then you will order your mirror 956mm wide by 1276 high thus allowing 2mm either side and top and bottom to ensure your new mirror fits inside the recess with ease and a uniform gap is then left around the finished recessed mirror.

One other thing to consider is the thickness of the mirror to order, this thickness will depend very much on the tile thickness used.

However remember if the tiles with the adhesive thickness are 13mm then your mirror needs to be 10mm thick allowing you 3mm for mirror adhesive.

Polished edges.

There should be no need for polished edges as the sharp glass edge will be sitting flush or slightly recessed inside the tile edge so no sharp edges to be concerned with, and after the application of a good quality grout you’re sure to have a flush finish.

Keep in mind.

Ensure the recess area where the mirror is to be fitted has no humps or bumps as this will hold the mirror off the wall and could cause edges to protrude.

Adhesive and Grout mentioned in this topic are all available on a next day delivery basis from www.trades-direct.co.uk and they are available from 8-00 am to 9-00 pm 7 days for FREE help at standard land line charge on 01782 566166 no catches, just good honest help FREE

Read more Riley’s tiling tips here and there is a section of different topics available by clicking Riley’s tips in the right hand menu at

www.bars-by-design.co.uk

Any topics you would like to read may be added here sooner if you send a mailto paul@professional-itt.com

If you would like to professionally learn tiling skills then look no further www.professional-itt.com

The content of this document is owned by Riley’s tips and can be copied for your own use but not to be used publicly by any third parties and is protected by copyrights of the PITT group

October 7, 2008

DIY Tiling Training Courses

Filed under: Tiling courses, General, Wall and Floor Tiling — Riley's @ 8:39 pm

We have 2 course dates available for combined ceramic wall and floor tiling courses at a DIY level, so anyone wanting to learn DIY tiling for home use please see course dates found on the PITT web site.

This type of course is only run during August as the centre is busy with professional courses throughout the remaining months.

If you are interested in either of these course dates call our office on 01782 566166

These courses are already part booked by both Ladies and Gents.

Anyone welcome no experience required.

Feel free to visit us for a no obligation tour of our professional centre.

Click the link below for the 3 day course page

www.professional-itt.com/courseinfo…y_Tiling_Course

The main PITT web site click here

www.professional-itt.com

We are Tile Association Approved

Call us from 8-00 am to 9-00 pm 7 days on 01782 566166

Tiling Courses

Filed under: Tiling courses, Wall and Floor Tiling — Riley's @ 8:19 pm

Tiling courses, tiling course 

Un-edited comments from www.tileforums.com/index.php?showtopic=8526

Real post titled (Just Finished Pitt 4 Week Course, Thanks)

Posted Oct 6 2008, 07:36 PM

just completed my final week of the 4 week course having done the first 3 weeks earlier in the year. I had to split it up due to family commitments.I want to thank everyone at PITT from Norma (dinner lady) to Jase, John, Paul, the warehouse gang and the girls.I found the courses to be professional run, with excellent instructors - Jase and JOhn.  

The skills I learn’t, especially the tiling have made me fear no job and have already set me above the cowboy tilers out there. I have been busy with work, having only 1 week without a job and I’m fully booked up for the next 5 weeks so things are going well.

The best bit I’ve found is the follow up, I have called countless times for advice on quoting, materials, tiles etc and have always been advised what to do. I had my first accident today, cutting through a heating pipe (disaster!!! water everywhere). I must admit I panicked a bit. I called Pitt and spoke to Paul, who told me exactly what I should do - this really got me out of a hole - thanks Paul.

A note to anyone considering going into this field, I don’t think you’ll find a better place to train and help you start than PITT.

——————————————————————————————————————

Completed the 3 week course (2 weeks wall & floor tiling + 1 week plumbing) at the start of September.

It’s been a really great course and sorry for not posting a message earlier.

I think I was on the same course as Ivan B and I can happily say hand on heart I never knew there was so much to learn. However they take you through it at a good but comfortable speed so you soon start being able to take it and it sticks!

Thanks to all the team (Jase, Paul, John, Angela, Sharon, the guys on the trade counter and especially Norma (without Norma you wouldn’t have the energy to keep going in the afternoon).

All I can say is they are the only tiling centre who tell it to you straight, explain exactly what you are going to do and can demonstrate what they mean there and then. They also have the technical expertise to be able to answer any question thrown at them.

Thanks guys, keep it up!

If you are looking for a career change then visit us at

March 30, 2008

PITT Tiling Courses - an Independent Review

Filed under: Tiling courses, Wall and Floor Tiling — Riley's @ 10:26 am

The following is an independent review, by the Tiler Register, of the tiling course offered at Professional-ITT Tiling Courses.

You can view the whole review at the Tiler Register

We have quoted the review here at Tiling News but if you want to view the original source you can follow these links:

PITT Floor Tiling Course Review - Day 1
PITT Floor Tiling Course Review - Day 1
25/03/08 18:43
This review has been written for two main reasons, primarily to find out how good the course is and would I recommend people pay for the course and secondly as a CPD (Continued Professional Development) course for myself. *This is NOT a paid review*

Easter Monday morning and I’ve just travelled to P-ITT for their 5 day floor tiling course. I’ve managed to misjudge the traffic and the amount of time required to get from my home to P-ITT; I’m an hour early. Initially I was a little hesitant entering the premises at first with being so early, but those feelings were soon pushed to one side when Angela the site director welcomed me and showed me the signing in book and pointed me in the right direction for a coffee; vital fluids after a long journey.

We start the course and all the students are seated in the tiling workshop ready for the lessons to begin. The workshop has seven tiling bays, a store room with all the required tools and demonstration items, plus a central area at the front of the seats where the projector screen and main teaching area is. Each bay has plenty of space in which to work as a pair or singly, obstacles such as windows are built into the bay walls.

Jason the course instructor takes us through the health and safety aspects of the course, the fire escapes, meeting points and ensures that we read and understand the supplied health and safety notices included in the student packs.

Then it’s down to the meat and veg of being a tiler; adhesives and grouts. Jason clearly explains the different types of adhesives, their flexibility levels and where and when they should be used. Everything from pre-mixed tubs through 2 part flexible to 2 part rubber and latex are covered. Noise reducing adhesives and their application systems are covered and which brands are required to meet quality control guidelines. The instructor also details what part of the building regulations call for their requirement and in what scenarios you will most likely need to use these acoustic dampening systems.

Grouts are then covered in the same high level of detail as the adhesives, their physical makeup, flexibility levels, water resistance and again when and where you would use the appropriate grout. Epoxy grouts are also covered in their various viscosities and details on the benefits for choosing such a product are carefully discussed.

Great emphasis is placed on understanding and working in accordance with the relevant British Standards and their associated EN numbers. It has been apparent from the start of the course that ‘best practices’ are greatly encouraged. The class covers scenarios where overboarding with ply are required and at what thickness and at what centers the fixings must be placed and naturally what adhesive and grout you would use with which tiles.

It’s important to note that this element of the course has not been rushed, nor have we been made to feel that we’re on a timescale. Knowing and understanding what we are being taught seems to be the order of the day here.

Next we’re onto the basics of setting out a room. The importance of things being square and how to work out if the room is square. Admittedly the technique taught by P-ITT is very subtly different from the method I’ve always used, but I can honestly say their method is easier to grasp and as it transpires far more versatile. And before anyone asks neither P-ITT or myself do the ‘find the centre of the room’ method of laying out of a floor; I’ve proved that method doesn’t work at the best of times.

So as a class we are quite happily marking out our chalk lines and ensuring everything is square. Not only this, we know where our raking cuts and furthest points are, the size of our standard cuts and we’ve also determined which of our walls produces the best overall floor layout from it’s relationship to square. That’s not to say that we achieved those results first time around. Because the staff have thoughtfully made the some of the walls un-square and to different degrees in certain bays, hence why we are rotated through the bays a number of times to perfect the lessons. From my experience as a tiler, this was lesson very well taught and learnt.

During the final lesson we spent quite a deal of time staffing out to find out our cuts in both directions, to transfer points and to determine out setting out lines. This was done not only for standard square tiling but also for diamond and the necessary calculations used for determining the ideal cut sizes. Again the emphasis on this lesson, as it has been throughout the day was on understanding what we where doing, and knowing that Jason was on hand to explain further if needed.

So to conclude the review of the first day, I’d have to say excellent. I’m notoriously picky and opinionated on subjects I care about and tiling is one of them, not for a second did I have to question my reasons for being on the course. Even after day one, I’ve got to say it’s money very well spent; you can teach an old dog new tricks and I’m happy to learn them.

Seriously looking forward to day two; multiple room floor layouts!!

PITT Floor Tiling Course Review - Day 2

PITT Floor Tiling Course Review - Day 2
26/03/08 19:37
Day two of P-ITT’s floor tiling course and I must admit I had to think long and hard on the problems of fully disclosing the contents of today lessons; why? Well I know for a fact that todays multi-room and multi-corridor layout is not taught anywhere else and if it is, please let me know and to what degree. And I really didn’t want someone to come along and just copy P-ITT’s ideas.

But it wasn’t until I watched my fellow course students feverishly working away following Jason’s instructions and guidance and genuinely enjoying the tasks at hand, that I thought “It’s all in the teaching method”. You could have the best course content in the world but if you can’t convey the information in a way that everyone understands then what’s the point. Put it this way, I’ve spent years and years doing floors differently and within minutes they’d convinced my brain that there is an easier and more flexible way to work with floor tiling and I’m prepared to take those new lessons away with me and put them into practice.

During the course of today we have set out seven rooms and three corridors with tiles continuing from the corridor focal points through doorways (no door strips) into the rooms, around stairs and other floor obstacles.

Not only did this layout include a standard square layout, but also a diamond border design in the corridors. As a group we also had to determine the best layout that provide the least poorly sized cuts. Each pair had to accurately measure and report all their cuts sizes, the amount of rake cuts for square and brickbond layouts. And if you remember from the first post, not all the walls were square. So this process had to be done more than once and I’m glad the group had to go through the process more than once, because nothing in the real world is perfectly square, so you need to know what to do when things don’t work out quite right.

As you can imagine with this many layouts in so many rooms with different tile patterns this took quite a few hours, just enough time to let the knowledge seep in and settle.

After lunch we then went through a seated lesson on ceramic tile and natural stone make-up. Which materials fell into which category, how they are made, their strengths and weaknesses and what problems may occur when fixing. The group then had the chance to inspect many different tile materials such as porcelain, travertine, quartzite, basalt, terracotta, granite and marble plus many more.

Jason then took the class through detailed information on adhesive and grout requirements when working with natural stone materials plus how why and when they need sealing. There were also demonstrations on what happens to tiles which aren’t sealed correctly and the different types of sealer and their uses.

I have to say that day two for me was even better than day one, if for nothing else simply the multi-room layout. But saying that, the natural stone lesson was very informative and contained dare I say it ‘essential information’ for anyone working with stone. Again there were subtle differences with my current practices, but I’m truly glad because I’ve learnt new ways to make what for me is a really rewarding job, even easier and more versatile.

PITT Floor Tiling Course Review - Day 3

PITT Floor Tiling Course Review - Day 3
27/03/08 20:37
Day three of the P-ITT floor tiling course has commenced with the whole group starting work on the floor tiling, which will consist of tiling their individual bays into the corridors so that all the grout lines match.

Something that did surprise me was the use of real floor adhesive ‘BAL gold star’ and not the lime knock-up that I’ve been trained with before. The reason for this is to ensure authenticity when trowelling the adhesive out on the floor before fixing the tiles. You may argue that this is a small matter but there is definitely a difference, anyone who’s laid floor tiles before with any decent adhesive will be aware of its grab.

Again Jason has excelled at putting across the information and required techniques so the whole class understood. Not only has he demonstrated the use of power mixers, gauging the adhesive / water mix and the correct consistency, but also the correct technique for apply the adhesive to the substrate.

So the whole of today has been spent working hard fixing our tiles with plenty of large format tiles on hand and no limitations on the amount of cuts you’re allowed to make or rather mess-up. Again the P-ITT staff have found an excellent way to control the working area and ensure that the floor is laid squarely, I’m not going to divulge this technique, but I will say that it is a far more effective way than simply laying tiles against a line.

Workbenches with a variety of dry cutters are available to ensure the students get a feel of the mechanisms employed by different manufacturers. I must admit to having struggled a little with the dry cutters available as I tend to use ‘drag’ action cutters by Sigma or for floors a Tomecanic Supercoup which has a completely different feel from anything else. So I think it was a case of getting used to something different. Naturally there were a pair of quality Montolit wet saws available and all necessary safety equipment, all of which was fully explained and the use of enforced.

So all in all a day filled with hard work which when completed will have taught all of us far more than we previously knew.

PITT Floor Tiling Course Review - Day 4

PITT Floor Tiling Course Review - Day 4
29/03/08 07:10
Day four of the P-ITT floor tiling course has begun with the completion of our floor tiling, including cutting around a circular obstacle. The cutting and shape finding of this is to be done with the most basic of tools; just incase you’re in a situation where you don’t have all your fancy tools with you.

The large format tiles now stretch from our bays into the corridors and into the neighbouring bays and considering how inexperienced the course students, I have to admit to being very impressed with the results of first floor tiling work; well done guys!

Next Jason demonstrates the correct way to tile up steps / stairs; you wouldn’t believe how many of these I’ve seen done incorrectly. So it was nice to see them done correctly and again instructed in a clear and easily understandable way. Plenty of time was allowed for the students to get to grips with the measuring, cutting and fixing of the risers and treads of the steps; all grout lines had to follow the floor.

After another cracking lunch prepared by Norma, we settle down for what I consider one of the most important areas of a business; customer service. Without decent customer service and knowing how to accurately provide quotations, your tiling business will be short lived.

I was glad to see that Jason’s and P-ITT’s advice toward customer service, quotations and pricing was based on real life experience, realistic expectations and common courtesy; I see so many people giving advice and it’s always like one of the sketches where ‘I’m a little bit whoa, little bit waay!” type of spiel, glad this wasn’t the case here.

I had been giving a few pointers to my fellow course members over the days on what NOT to do, so I was pleased when the same things where mentioned in the customer service lesson.

So if everyone was to follow the advice given within that lesson, they could easily manage a successful business and continue to generate repeat business and referrals.

PITT Floor Tiling Course Review - Day 5

PITT Floor Tiling Course Review - Day 5
29/03/08 09:01 Filed in: Reviews
Day five of the P-ITT floor tiling course and it’s been busy with lots of information packed topics covered.

Grouting and cleaning off of our bays, corridors and steps is the first lesson. Jason starts by demonstrating the mixing of grout and an explanation for why manual mixing is best for grout strength and durability. The consistency of the grout is also discussed and what happens the grout is applied too wet.

Then it’s time for a demonstration of the correct way to apply grout to the floor with tips on how to make the task easier and what to look for to ensure the joints are filled. As the grout starts to stiffen up, Jason then demonstrates the ideal way to use a washboy and the need for a decent sponge and spongeboard; most of the students haven’t seen a washboy. Nick who I was working with was very impressed with the washboy and I think the whole exercise will help him greatly on future jobs. Again the technique P-ITT uses with the washboy is very slightly different to my own; but easier on the muscles than my way!

Once the clean has been completed and we’re all happy with the process and the need for cleaning up we are then onto a lengthy lesson on underfloor heating.

There’s a lot covered in the underfloor heating lesson; far more than I expected. We cover a variety of types including water based systems, electrical wire, mat and foil systems and the pro’s and con’s to each of them. We also cover the requirements for Part P electrical self-certification. Most of the students hadn’t heard of this, so Jason explained this area fully and detailed what can and can’t be done by a tiler without Part P accreditation.

I was very glad to know P-ITT share my thoughts on tiling straight over electrical wire matting and the problems that it causes not only with the increased risk of damaging cables but also the difficulty in complying with British Standards for complete coverage of adhesive.

Fixing methods for underfloor heating elements were fully covered along with instructions for screeding and leveling compounds, including a slide show presentation of works in progress where heating elements where being used. I think this helped to embed the knowledge for those who’d never seen such a task being done.

Removing tiles and how to repair damaged caused when removing the said tiles was a short but informative lesson, which covered what is a regular little job.

Screeds, substrate identification and movement joints was another in-depth lesson which covered an awful lot of ground. The lesson included what can be tiled to and what to use and of course substrates that are not suitable for tiling. How to identify the substrates was an important element as many had never heard of a greater majority of the terms used; but all was explained.

The need for movement joints and their British Standard requirements was covered fully for both walls and floors. A slideshow presentation further explained the use and types of movement joints available and also the different manufacturers of such joints.

Wet rooms, this for me was a very good lesson and indeed a little bit of a revelation as I’d been doing these in a much more difficult way. During the course of the lesson Jason explained how to construct a basic wet room and form the required slopes, how and where to apply the tanking and what the required adhesive and grouts are.

All in all an excellent day with a lot of content covered, but covered at a pace that I think all could cope with.

To complete the course there was a question and answer session after which where Paul explained about the technical support line that is available to all P-ITT students 91 hours per week. This feature in itself is worth a fortune, to know you can call someone for help when your in the mire or just plain lost on what to do. Paul also asked the class if they were happy with the course and if there was anything they weren’t clear on. The answer was a resounding yes to being happy with applause!

The course was completed with a nicely designed and presented certificate and a record of achievement.

PITT Floor Tiling Course Review - Conclusion

PITT Floor Tiling Course Review - Conclusion
29/03/08 10:09
Here my final thoughts and overall conclusion of the P-ITT floor tiling course that I’ve attended for the past week.

Firstly I’d like to wish all my fellow students all the best on their new careers and truly hope they succeed and prove to be great professional tilers.

There’s a number of things to commend P-ITT on, so here’s a quick run down. (note P-ITT were refitting the entrance area at the time, which caused no disruption to the course)

The staff and instructors were all very friendly, supportive, polite and above all professional. The premises were not only kept very clean but also featured an nice dining area with a travertine floor and coffee and buffet area with a slate floor and very clean toilets.

The buffet lunches that were included in the cost of the course were excellent to say the least with most of the course getting 3rd’s or 4th’s most days. Many thanks to Norma for keeping us all so well fed! Naturally there was unlimited tea & coffee throughout the course and a daily selection of papers and trade magazines.

And even though Trades-Direct is located within the same premises as the training course, there was never a case of ‘only buy from us’ or ‘buy this, buy that’. Of course there are tool packages available but that is left entirely to you to decide to purchase with no pressure.

I’d also like to mention that for a company director Paul Riley is very hands on and always approachable and I think this was of definite benefit to the course members to have such an experienced tiler available to give advice and ideas. It’s very apparent from day one that he’s very passionate about his courses and from all accounts he’s always looking for ways to improve yet further. I have no doubt that if I did find fault with anything the team would listen and improve where necessary.

So I’m sure you can tell from the last few days that I’m happy with the course, its contents and the instructors and their teaching methods and the overall emphasis on British Standards and ‘best practices’. As a result I’ve already booked and paid for P-ITT’s plumbing course and as soon as I have a free week I’ll be paying for their wall tiling course. I’m also looking to get most of my work colleagues on the courses as I’m sure they would learn buckets just as I did.

From someone who can tile and very well if I’d like to boast, I’ll definitely recommend P-ITT’s floor tiling course to anyone who’s either looking to get into tiling or is already a tiler; remember yearly courses are tax deductible!!

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January 30, 2008

Chat and advice for Home Interiors - a GREAT NEW FORUM! www.homeinteriorsforums.com

Since establishing the world famous TileForums.com we thought it would be a great idea to setup a new for Home Interiors. We’ve got just about every subject on there so there’s something for everybody, from interior design through to tiles through to lighting.
Join our forum today, it’s free. Click -> Home Interiors Forums

Have a look around, and even ask a question if you feel like it. Get involved and get useful advice from other DIY’ers and Tradesmen.

Home Interiors Forums

October 22, 2007

TILING COURSES - how to choose the one for you?

Filed under: Tiling courses — Riley's @ 11:14 pm

Tiling is a growing industry and with this has grown the number of tiling training schools offering courses.
so

How do you choose a course?

Courses are like everything, there are good and not good. Up till now there has been no way to tell whether a course will be worth it and worthy of your money. There is currently no governmental regulation for quality control for training centres, so practically anyone can setup a training school. This can make CHOOSING A GOOD TILING COURSE very difficult and if you opt for one that is not up to scratch it is unlikely you will get your money back.

Have no fear, though. Recent movements by The Tiling Association - TTA - (a government approved body) have gone a long way to recognising quality tiling training.

There is NOW A WAY TO FIND A GOOD TILING COURSE

The TTA recently visited many training centres in order to recognise those of sufficent quality to teach tiling to a level they deemed necessary.

The training centres that matched their training criteria are fully recognised and can now carry the TTA Logo :

TTA Recognition

So don’t Gamble with your training .. choose recognised quality.

The one that we know of is Professional-ITT and as well as being fully recognised and carrying the TTA logo they are also long established and well known for top-notch training.

Click Tiling Courses to go directly to their website.

May 9, 2007

Bathroom Tiles

Filed under: Tiling courses — admin2 @ 1:05 am

 With an almost unlimited choice of patterns, textures and colours to please even the most fastidious tastes, bathroom tiles are the obvious choice for lining your bathroom or shower area. Although some people consider leaving it to the professionals, most bathrooms can be tiled in a weekend, even if you have had no previous tiling experience.

Before you begin, here are the essential tools you’ll need for the job:-

· Tile Cutter

· Tile Saw

· Grout Spreader

· Spirit Level

· Tile Nibblers

· Adhesive Spreader

· Tile-Cutting Jig

· Homemade Gauge Stick

 

Preparation

Before you begin, it is imperative that the walls are clean, sound and dry. The surface should be as flat as possible and therefore you will need to remove any wallpapering and coat any flaking paint with a stabilizing primer. Now would be a good time to make your very own gauge stick, which will help you plot the position of the tiles on the wall. Find a piece of softwood and lay several tiles next to it (adding spacers if the tiles are square edged or butting together those with lugs) and mark off the position of each tile along the stick.

Setting Out The Tiles

The size and shape of your bathroom ultimately decides on how you set out the walls. Mark the bottom of the lowest row of tiles and temporarily nail a thin guide batten to the wall, aligned with the mark. Use the spirit level to ensure that this is perfectly horizontal. Marking the centre of the wall, use the gauge stick to set out the rows of tiles on each side of it. If the border tiles measure less than half the width of a tile, reposition the rows sideways by half a tile. Use the spirit level to place a guide batten against the last vertical line and nail it to the wall. If you have to tile around an object such as a window, use that as your starting point so that the surrounding tiles are of equal size. Cut tiles should be placed at the back of the window reveal. Again, use a temporary guide batten above the window to position the row of tiles above it.

Applying The Adhesive

It’s important to always use a waterproof tile adhesive for areas that will come into contact with water. Most tile adhesives are sold ready-mixed, although some will require you to add water yourself. Apply the adhesive to the wall so that it covers about 1 metre square.

Using the toothed edge of the spreader, form horizontal ridges in the adhesive. Take the first tile and position it in the right angle formed by the setting out battens at the skirting level. If the tiles do not have lugs, place plastic spacers between them to ensure that there is enough space for the grouting.

Using a damp sponge, wipe away any adhesive from the surface of the tiles. Tile along the batten until the first rows are complete, ensuring that each tile is perfectly horizontal. When you are complete, allow the tiles to set before removing the battens.

Cutting The Border Tiles

Once you have completed the main area, the border tiles will need to be cut to fit the gap between the adjacent walls. Placing the border tile face down and with one edge next to the wall, mark where it is to be cut taking into consideration normal spacing between the tiles. Use a felt tip pen to transfer the mark to the face of the tile. Take the tile cutter and holding it against a straightedge, score across the face in one firm stroke. Stretching a length of thin wire across a panel of chipboard, place the scored line over the wire and press down on both sides to snap the tile. Alternatively, you can use a purpose-made tile-cutting jig. Using a tile sander, smooth over the cut edges of the tile.

Fitting Around Appliances

When fitting tiles around a pipe, it’s best to try and set them out so that you can cut a semi circle from the edges of two adjacent tiles. If this is not possible, mark the centre of the pipe on the top and side edges of the tile and draw lines across from these points. Using a coin, or something slightly larger than the diameter of the pipe, draw around where the two lines cross. Make a cut straight through the centre of the circle and then use a tile saw to cut out the remaining circle. To fit a tile against a curved shape, it’s best to use a piece of thin card and draw a template of the exact size of the tile. Cut small, evenly spaced slits along one edge of the tile and press them against a curve replicate the shape. Transfer the gradient of the curve on to the face of the tile and then cut using a tile saw.

Grouting And Sealing

It is essential to use waterproof grout for any bath or shower surrounds. Grout comes in a pre-mixed paste grey, white or brown paste, although it is also possible these days to source coloured grouts that will blend in with your choice of tiles. Allow the tile adhesive to harden for 24 hours before applying the grout using a rubber-bladed spreader, ensuring that are the joints are filled. Using a sponge, wipe the grout from the surface of the tiles before it sets and smooth the joints with a blunt-ended stick. When it has dried, use a dry cloth to polish the face of the tiles and leave for about a week before using.

Sealing Bathroom Fittings

You should not use grout to seal the gap between the shower tray or bathtub and the wall, since it can crack and lose its waterproof seal. It’s best to use a silicon sealant compound, which you can buy in cartridges. The sealants are again available in a choice of colours to match your choice of tile. Trim the end off the nozzle and press the tip into the joint at an angle of 45 degrees. When applying the sealant to bathtubs, it’s best to stand in the bath* since the join will accommodate your body weight. When you have finished, smooth over any ripples with a wetted teaspoon handle.



Author Bio

Charlie Vincent is a DIY enthusiast and regular contributor to www.bathrooms-vanities.com  - A resource for all your bathroom needs. Tips and advice on bathroom vanities, shower doors, shower enclosures and expert help on completing your bathroom makeover.

* I have received the following useful observation from a visitor:-

May I make a suggestion to the item on tiling .Sub heading Sealing I go along with everything until it comes to the part about standing in the bath. when one gets out of the bath however the bath tub will rise slightly due to the weight being taken of the floor, then the silicone is squeezed out of the joints. What I do is fill the bath full of water. then silicone the joint, leave for 24 hours then let the water go, when the bath rises this time it compresses the dried silicone, whereas the other way every time the bath is filled the dried silicone is stretched leaving a damaged seal . I have done this for over 15 years and believe me it works the best of all.

Contributed by Alan Farrell



 

Consult a contractor when making home repairs and building a new home.

 

 

tile forums

March 31, 2007

Tile Fixer Association

Filed under: Tiling courses, General — admin2 @ 12:53 am

Hello all,

As most of you should be aware there was a meeting organised on the 3rd of March to discuss a future for ourselves (Tile Fixers) As with all things great interest to start with everyone going, yes we need it, yes we will support it blah blah blah. I must admit I could not attend the meeting myself but a few hardy Tile Fixers made the journey and a few things were discussed. I say well done to these guys and girls? for getting the ball rolling.

Now I am not PITT trained but I am a member of the TTA which I pay my dues but I have not seen Tile Fixers representing Tile Fixers there seems to be lots of suits but maybe that is not the fault of the TTA maybe it is the fault of ourselves the Tile Fixers not asking what is going on and who is making the decisions that is changing our industry. So you maybe asking where am I going with this????

Well as I said I am not PITT trained and I would be interested to find out what the actual figures for this forum are ie Percentage PITT trained against non PITT trained. Jase/Paul could you provide??

When any Assocciation is formed you need:

A: Interest
B: What people want from the Association
C: Some brave souls that will act as a Steering group
D: The start of a constitution
E: A meeting to agree constitution
F: Elect a committee

Now I was not at the original meeting but I have made some suggestions and a couple of people have suggested I make them public cool.gif

We know there is interest for an association and I know that there were a lot that could not make the meeting but I am willing to make a 1100 mile round trip for the next meeting. However to get this of the ground would you as TILE FIXERS get involved. We need to get the planned association know to the outside world rather than just the forum.

I suggest if agreed that a Draft Letter is released and that everyone in the forum prints of 10 copies and then sends it out to tilers in your area. It is not as if a few stamps are going to break the bank.

If we get 50 more tilers interested it is 50 more than today.

Please let me know your thoughts and lets get some feedback suggestions.

Or being Devils advocat do we approach the TTA and get some answers? Maybe it has been tried already?

These are my thoughts and not the thoughts of the guys that turned up at the meeting. Who I take my hat of to getting the ball rolling.

All the best,

Gary

Highlander
———————————————————————————

i was at the meeting and I personally don’t mind sending out ten letters to tilers in my area to get interest rolling (at the moment this cannot be done by the PTFA as there are no funds as of yet)! It would also be intersting to see what these tilers would want out of the association. Perhaps an introductory statement with a bit of a questionnaire attached!I would like to see more technical input and any factual testing data to back up (or otherwise!) new systems (adhesives, substrates, insulation boards, UFH etc.) from various manufactures or users of the myriad of tiling (and hopefully plumbing - from a bathroom installation point of view!) and related products and services. I think this alone can give the tiler a lot more ammunition when it comes to tackling bigger and bolder projects.

I would love to tackle projects that are different but sometimes (apart from the helpline at PITT and the knowledge of the forum users) there doesn’t seem to be much information anywhere else as manufacturers will only give out information regarding THEIR products only while there may be other or better alternatives out there!!!

—————————————————————————–
Thanks Gary,Let’s hope for a strong take-up now!

Andrew

——————————————-
Hi,I appreciate that this Forum (which looks great) may not wish to have any input from a representative from the TTA so will not be offended if my message is deleted, but here goes…

I am currently Chairman of General Purposes Committee (GPC) of the TTA. This is one of 4 sub committees in the TTA, (the other 3 being Training, Marketing and Technical).

My group has 3 people currently in day to day tiling work and 2 that have moved on to running their own businesses but still have good contact with the sharp end and of course other people with links related to the industry as a whole. For a photo of our committee and a brief description of some of the fascinating work we do, please see the next issue of TSJ after Easter.

If this message is removed I will keep it short for now.

We meet regularly and are always open to direction from tilers as to what they want from our Association, as this sector is key to our future. My question therefore is, why not contact the Association with your thoughts on how to make it better, rather than condemning us as ’suits’? smile.gif
——————————————————————————-

Richard,Thank you for the post and welcome to the leading tile Forum. Why don’t you start by explaining exactly what you do for us the Tile Fixers.

Kev

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Richard as I have involvement in the new association let me explain a few things as you have kindly joined the UKs leading Tile Forum.
Firstly some 16 years ago the TTA thought my training courses were the best thing since slice bread while running under the banner of BAL, however when I set up PITT running a much advance level of that same course Mr Bob Howard kindly sent me a letter stating a cowboy image, this was maybe as I’m not a manufacturer??
My communication with the CITB started some 4 years ago with Paul Grummit then Oliver Farrel lead to nothing, they both stated even after much work