Kansas City, Mo.—The International Certified Floorcovering Installers Association (CFI), with the help of the World Floor Covering Association ( WFCA), is fully stepping into the hard surface arena by offering hands-on installation training courses in tile, wood, laminate and resilient.

CFI has not established certification requirements for hard surfaces as it has done with carpet. Right now, these are training classes that address professionalism, job-site evaluation, preparation, substrates, effect of moisture and testing procedures, acclimation, maintaining properly controlled installation environment, subfloors, grades, proper handling of materials, following manufacturers’ installation and supply guidelines, estimating and proper planning, tools, cleanup, maintenance and the characteristics of the various types of flooring, as well as topics specific to each type of flooring.

Jon Namba, CFI’s executive director, noted how the organization has been involved with hard surfaces since the early stages. “Now we are expanding our efforts but not doing it alone.” He added the association has either formed or strengthened its partnerships with leading organizations within the other categories—for example, the National Wood Flooring Association ( NWFA) and the Ceramic Tile Education Foundation (CTEF)—to help with this initiative.

The reason for this expanded training effort is simple: More installers are getting into hard surfaces as a means to earn additional income. Proof of this came at CFI’s annual convention this summer ( FCNews, Sept 3/10) when 90% of the members on hand signaled they are doing hard surface installations.

However, a major problem is most people do not know where to go to get updated information about the products and installation methods beyond what the mills put on the cartons. “They think it’s a trade secret, and it’s not,” said Leon Harrison, CFI’s president. “They just need to be shown there is information out there and they can be properly taught.”

Namba added that flooring installation experience does not necessarily translate into expertise. “It does not matter how many years someone has worked in the flooring installation field,” he said. “If they have not been involved in continuing education and are not familiar with the new techniques, backings and tools, they probably are not installing the materials correctly. Flooring installation is no different than other fields; education is a must.” He added the CFI team of installation trainers has received extensive training concerning the latest installation techniques in all types of flooring surfaces.

Dave Keller, president of Keller Interiors of Marietta, Ga., recently hosted a CFI training event and noted, “We are convinced that providing our customers with installation professionals that are the most knowledgeable and up-to-date on the latest techniques provides us with the edge in customer service, which translates into more sales. We look at this as an opportunity for CFI trainers to share with our crews this information.”

Course topics

Namba said each hard surface training course has some similarities in terms of general information, but for the most part they focus on topics relevant to that specific type of surface.

In hardwood, training follows the guidelines established by NWFA, and topics include transitions—two parts, balancing floors, properties and characteristics of unfinished and pre-finished floors (solids, types of cuts—plain, quarter sawn, rift sawn); strip and plank, engineered, parquet, Janka hardness, cork and bamboo; factory finishes (UV-cured, acrylic impregnated, ceramic and aluminum oxide); nail-down, staples and cleats; installation of floating and direct-glue installations, radiant systems and maintenance.

For laminate training, various types of manufactured materials provide an opportunity to work with different fastening systems. Topics include types of laminate floors, specific installation properties and characteristics for each type of flooring—glue versus click, adhesives, the use of manufacturers’ recommended installation supplies, plank-lay direction, startup and row stagger, room sizes, using spacers, silicone sealant, stairs, transition systems, expansion issues and board repair.

The tile curriculum addresses the properties and characteristics of tile versus stone. Setting materials, substrate preparation, subfloors, deflection, balancing floors, backerboards, membrane systems, estimating and layout, radiant systems, tools and techniques are also covered. Guidelines from the Tile Council of North America (TCNA) and American National Standards Institute (ANSI) are covered.

Finally, for the resilient course, topics include the use of stripping agents (citrus solvents, paint thinners, Panda product and charcoal lighter fluid), patching compounds (Portland-based, gypsum and SLCs), types of flooring (rotogravure, inlaid, linoleum, felt-backed, vinyl-backed, vinyl-composition tile, vinyl asbestos tile and rubber), wall base, installation characteristics (adhesives, trowels, open-time, seam sealers, proper seam preparation, proper sealing techniques and using the correct rollers), and addressing common problems such as telegraphing and installation over existing vinyl, linoleum and various types of flooring.

Initial classes

In conjunction with the WFCA, a week-long program has been established that includes hard surface training along with carpet training and certification.

The initial CFI-WFCA All-Surfaces Hands-On programs are being hosted by Big D Supply. An installer can attend the entire week or select from the days of available training. The cost is $300 per session. The first day of each hard surface course involves instruction and demonstrations in the morning followed by hands-on training, which is continued on day two. Retail associates may attend the first day without involvement in hands-on training for $175. A CFI-WFCA “Certificate of Completion” is awarded at the conclusion of the courses.

Registration forms are available at www.CFIinstallers.com and at www.BigDsupply.com. Namba said CFI invites industry representatives to attend the intensive training programs that require hands-on participation to give them a better understanding of what is required for a professional installation.

WFCA members receive a special bonus as all CFI programs qualify for 100% reimbursement of the cost of training through the association’s educational scholarship.

For more information on any of CFI’s training opportunities, call 816. 231.4646.