The National Tile Contractors Association (NTCA), the world's largest tile contractor association, announced exciting news regarding changes to the language used in AVITRU (formerly ARCOM) MasterSpec®.

MasterSpec® is a product of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) and is the ultimate resource for producing specifications. It is widely used throughout the building design professions. It provides generic specifications that can be customized for particular projects, along with additional guidance on each section. The generic specification language is enormously influential in the construction industry because it represents a “default” position for the architect/designer—that language becomes part of the project documents.

The NTCA is pleased to announce that following the 2013 introduction of Installer Qualifications Language in the Tiling sections of MasterSpec®, effective June 1, 2018, MasterSpec® made amendments to include language on the Advanced Certifications for Tile Installers (ACT).

“We were honored to participate in this effort”, stated Bart Bettiga, Executive Director of the NTCA. “Thanks to the leadership of the International Masonry Institute (IMI), and in particular the efforts of Scott Conwell, our persistence paid off. This was yet another driving force in our continued efforts to have qualified labor specified to install tile.”

The addition to the sections listed below is a short but significant sentence addressing quality assurance in the installation of tile, a provision tagged as optional for the specifier to include as a project requirement.

• Section 093013 – Ceramic Tiling
• Section 093023 – Glass Tiling
• Section 093033 – Stone Tiling
• Section 093500 – Chemical-Resistant Tiling

“Installer employs at least one installer for Project that has completed the Advanced Certification for Tile Installers (ACT) certification for installation of [mud floors] [mud walls] [membranes] [shower receptors] [gauged porcelain tile/gauged porcelain tile panels/slabs] [large format tile]. www.tilecertifications.com”

The intent of The Advanced Certifications for Tile Installers (ACT) program is to provide a level of consumer confidence for tile installation procedures that exceed ANSI standards and TCNA guidelines for floor and wall. ACT- certified installers represent the pinnacle of performance in the tile trade and maintain a level of excellence superior to non-ACT certified installers.

“The introduction of the ACT Certification language in MasterSpec® signifies the design industry’s focus on qualified labor”, commented Scott Conwell, Director of Industry Development & Technical Service for the International Masonry Institute. “This is a victory for the tile industry. The requirement for qualified labor, and specifically for ACT-certified installers, will effectively eliminate unqualified contractors from bidding tile projects that carry this requirement, and will direct more work to signatory tile contractors.”

Bettiga concluded, “The new language in MasterSpec® will call for ACT Skills to be specified which we hope manufacturers, distributors and contractors will put an emphasis on as well. Our contractors need to embrace the certification and training and the manufacturers and suppliers need to support it.”

NTCA is a non-profit trade association serving every segment of the industry, spearheading education for the professional installation of ceramic tile, natural stone and allied products. For more information, please contact NTCA executive director Bart Bettiga at bart@tile-assn.com, via telephone at (601) 939-2071, or visit
www.tile-assn.com. Or, contact Terri Sparks: 708-921-3517; tas@communicatorsintl.com

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