If you’ve been exploring this website you may have noticed a circular National Tile Council of North America (NTCA) badge. We are proud to be an NTCA member. Many companies have badges signifying they are members of trade organizations, and you must admit, it does add an air of legitimacy. We won’t mince words here. That’s why we have this badge.
What’s different about the NTCA is that it actually means something to you, our client. It’s a tile trade organization that’s been a mainstay in the tile industry since 1940. Being a member of the NTCA brings so much value to us as a company, but more importantly, it brings value to homeowners like you. Here are five reasons to hire an NTCA member.
1. Members have access to a trove of installation data.
Every tile installer knows that feeling of excitement when they go to their mailbox and inside is the NTCA’s Tile Letter magazine. The Tile Letter is a publication exclusively for NTCA members, and it’s the gold standard for tile-related articles and news. Inside the Tile Letter are articles you want your potential tile installer referencing for installation tips and techniques! For example, there’s an article called “Scribing: Demonstrating artistry and craftsmanship in Creative Tiling” top industry professionals provide an extensive breakdown of systems and methods to scribe tile.
The NTCA also has the NTCA University, a group of online courses to further a member’s education.
The NTCA Reference Manual “identifies recurring installation challenges, recognizes potential problems, and offers expert solutions” to industry pros. Every year, NTCA members receive an updated copy that they can utilize to better serve their customers.
We also participate in hands-on training sponsored by the NTCA.
The educational opportunities provided to NTCA members is the most significant and important factor in being a member. Other tile installers who are not part of this organization do not have access to the extensive resources NTCA provides. Tile installation is an ever-evolving industry. Business owners and installers who aren’t constantly educating and informing themselves do markedly inferior work compared to those who are.
Just as a teacher is regularly receiving additional training to update themselves and better educate their students, professional tile installers should do the same to better serve YOU!
2. Members have access to a network of fellow installers.
With the wide variety of available finishes, patterns, layouts and materials, certain tile projects can be very tricky, for even the most advanced installers. It’s great to sometimes ask fellow installers questions and seek guidance from those who have experience with a particular challenge.
The NTCA is a family of like-minded installers who are eager to help each other! Without the NTCA, installers are like an island, atomized, and alone. Because of this organization, we can unite in power and provide the most lasting, functional tile remodel possible.
3. Members are going to be up to date on the latest trends, installation techniques and materials.
Inside the Tile Letter and NTCA marketing material is a plethora of data informing installers of the newest trends, installation techniques and materials. Why is this important to you? It’s important to you because our main priority as professional tile installers is to act as a guide for our clients and offer valuable information about the latest technologies. NTCA members are given yearly vouchers to try different products that may be new to the market or simply new to us!
Any installer who is not up to date on the latest trends, installation techniques, and materials will not be able to guide their clients as well as an informed, knowledgeable NTCA members.
4. Members are participants in a tile world outside of their own clientele and market areas.
If you’re seeing your tile installer as a person who simply sticks tile to the wall or floor, you are only seeing a small portion of the full picture. Great installers understand that the tile industry is an entire eco-system. NTCA members are crafts is a way of life, a passion, a reason to make a positive difference in the world of home and property owners.
You’re not just hiring labor, you’re hiring an artisan craftsperson who sees far beyond the physical act of setting tile.
5. Members are helped by the NTCA to become more legitimate, professional businesses.
A better business means a better service for you, the tile consumer. The NTCA helps Copher Tile & Stone create systems and methods that ensure you get the consistent, lasting, functional finished project that you expect.
A great BUSINESS is far more than the finished product. It’s also about providing great customer service; retaining quality, talented employees; keeping our books in order; and making it easier for you to hire us. NTCA helps tile contractors by sponsoring informative business-related talk shows, like Tile Money and creating great content like Tile TV.
They inform us how to meet new Federal laws like OSHA’s recent life-saving silica dust mitigation rules. Non-members may be uninformed about throwing deadly dust into the air.
NTCA also has 401k program and health insurance opportunities that add to our overall quality of life. They believe a happy, healthy tile installer does better work, and we couldn’t agree more. We’ve all seen resentful, unsatisfied workers. The NTCA helps us be the best version of ourselves by helping us become great businesspeople who pass along our positivity to you.
The NTCA is more than a badge on our website or a sticker on our truck. They are a trusted partner in our journey to provide you with the best tile experience possible. They share our values of bringing you a tile project that combines great looks and functionality, as well as an installation that serves as a permanent display of your personality.
We are not just members of this organization for us, we are members for you. We’re bringing the value that you deserve and the NTCA helps us get there.
Be sure to visit the NTCA website www.tile-assn.com to learn more about the history, benefits, and mission of this unparalleled organization.
