The NTCA has hired Luis Bautista, owner of Master Tilesetter, LLC in Arlington, Texas, as its newest workshop trainer/presenter. Bautista, originally from Honduras, is a native Spanish speaker, and will present nine NTCA Tile & Stone Workshops in 2017 to Spanish-speaking attendees.

Bautista has owned NTCA-member Master Tilesetter (www.mastertilesetter.com) for 20 years, specializing in beautiful, luxurious and custom bathrooms and kitchens. “Our mission is to go the extra mile to provide a detailed quality service, customized for client satisfaction,” he said.

Bautista also works in the mission fields in Spanish-speaking countries and will make several trips to Honduras and Guatemala with his wife Susan, in 2017.

NTCA committed to bringing on a Spanish-language presenter to attract attendees who may not be fluent in English to workshop events. This initiative was galvanized when NTCA took part in the Installation Summit in Dallas over the summer, and the lack of installers was explored.

“At this Summit, one key area identified to help the growth of flooring installers was the Spanish community,” said Jim Olson, NTCA assistant executive director. “As a response, the NTCA translated the Trowel & Error video and the NTCA Reference Manual into Spanish. In 2017, the NTCA will offer Spanish Workshops for the first time.”

The Spanish-language workshop schedule is as follows.

March 14, 2017
Daltile, Anaheim, Calif.: 1600 South Page Court. Contact Chi Troung at 714-634-2546 or email chi.truong@daltile.com

March 15, 2017
Daltile, San Diego, Calf.: 7484 Raytheon Rd. Contact Scott Hambor at 858-565-7767 or email scott.hambor@daltile.com

June 20, 2017
D&B Tile, West Palm Beach, Fla.: 3220 45th Street. Contact Wendy Ready at 561-478-4242 or email wendy@dbtile.com

June 21, 2017
D&B Tile, Sunrise, Fla.: 14200 NW 4th Street. Contact Martha Alvarez at 954-846-2660 or email marthaalvarez@dbtile.com

June 22, 2017
D&B Tile, Doral, Fla.: 8369 NW 36th Street. Contact Maddy Diaz at 305-592-9340 or email maddy_diaz@dbtile.com

September 12, 2017
American Olean/Marazzi, Phoenix, Ariz.: 2115 S.11th Suite 170. Contact Joe Schipper at 602-253-5551 or email jschipper@marazzitile.com

September 13, 2017
Daltile, Flagstaff, Ariz.: 345 South River Run Road. Contact Shawn Tipton at 928-556-0583 or email shawn.tipton@daltile.com

November 14, 2017
Daltile, Dallas, Texas: 2250 LBJ Freeway, Suite 200. Contact Kevin Foster at 972-728-7034 or email kevin.foster@daltile.com

November 15, 2017
Daltile, Haltom City, Texas: 6323 Airport Freeway, Suite A. Contact Scott Routzong at 817-332-4161 or email scott.routzong@daltile.com

NTCA Tile & Stone Workshops provide free opportunities for attendees to stay informed of the latest techniques, developments and systems for tile and stone installations. They include information on the changes in the TCNA Handbook for Ceramic, Glass and Stone Tile Installation, live demonstrations and an open forum with plenty of time to network at each event.

In addition, Luis will present in Spanish during the Coverings 17 (www.coverings.com) conference program at the Orange County Convention Center, April 4-7, 2017. Here is the program at press time:

1) Top 5 Reasons Why Tile Installations Fail/NTCA
As technology continues to develop in the tile industry, it becomes increasingly challenging to achieve successful installations. Product knowledge is now just as important as proper training in the field. This session will feature the main reasons why tile and stone installations fail and outline steps that can be taken to prevent this from happening.
Las 5 razones principales por las que fallan las instalaciones de baldosas
Con el constante desarrollo tecnológico en la industria de las baldosas, es cada vez más difícil instalar baldosas exitosamente. Tener un conocimiento del producto es casi tan importante como estar bien capacitado en este terreno. Esta sesión explica las razones principales por las que fallan las instalaciones de baldosas y piedra, y describe los pasos que se pueden tomar para evitar que esto suceda.

2) How to Become a Certified Tile Installer/CTEF

Consumers and project owners are increasingly requesting certified tile installers to be on their projects. Language recommending certification is now included in many industry specifications. This session will provide important information on how to prepare for and pass the written and physical portions of the Certified Tile Installer test.
Cómo convertirse en un instalador de baldosas certificado
Cada vez más, tanto los consumidores como los propietarios de los proyectos solicitan instaladores de baldosas certificados para sus proyectos. Muchas especificaciones de la industria ahora recomiendan tener certificación. Esta sesión le proporcionará información importante sobre cómo prepararse y pasar las porciones escrita y física del examen para certificarse como instalador de baldosas.

(Spanish Version of CTI preparation Course)
3) Spanish Version of Substrate Preparation Course -- taught by Tom Plaskota of TEC
Preparación de sustratos adecuada para instalaciones de baldosa
Es imposible tener una instalación de baldosa o piedra de calidad sin haber preparado y elegido adecuadamente el sustrato. Este programa abarcará los sustratos reconocidos por la industria y cómo prepararlos para la baldosa. En esta sesión también se explicarán algunos sustratos cuestionables e inadecuados.

4) Spanish Version of Substrate Preparation Course --taught by Tom Plaskota of TEC
Preparación de sustratos adecuada para instalaciones de baldosa
Es imposible tener una instalación de baldosa o piedra de calidad sin haber preparado y elegido adecuadamente el sustrato. Este programa abarcará los sustratos reconocidos por la industria y cómo prepararlos para la baldosa. En esta sesión también se explicarán algunos sustratos cuestionables e inadecuados.

Reach Luis by calling 817-454-2407 or emailing eljefebautista@sbcglobal.net