FCEF Launches 10-Week Basic Flooring Installation Program

This 15-week accredited program is designed to introduce students to the four major types of flooring materials and basic installation skills needed to succeed as a flooring craftsman. Photo: Floor Trends.

Monday marked the first day of a long awaited 10-week installer course made possible by the Floor Covering Education Foundation (FCEF), The International Certified Flooring Installers Association (CFI), National Wood Flooring Association (NWFA), and the Ceramic Tile Education Foundation (CTEF), taking place at Georgia Northwestern Technical College’s Whitfield Murray Campus in Dalton, Georgia.

The FCEF Basic Flooring Installation program is designed to introduce students to the four major types of flooring materials and basic installation skills needed to succeed as a flooring craftsman.

FCEF Class Images.jpg — Led by CFI master II installer Dave Garden, students reviewed what is going to take place over the course of the next 10 weeks and learned how to measure a home by practicing their measuring tape skills in order to calculate square footage while taking into consideration all of the factors that impact flooring calculation.

While this week will focus mostly on the foundational tools required to begin learning how to install flooring, weeks two through 10 will be hands-on, requiring each student to learn how to install basic carpet, resilient, hardwood and tile floorcoverings.

Initially launched under the state’s workforce development program, it has already been submitted for accreditation approval, according to Kaye Whitener, director of operations, FCEF. "The duplication and replication of this class nationwide is extremely important solving the installation crisis as it will begin a new pathway of awareness and training for future generations to enter our industry as craftsmen/women."

Floor Covering Installer and Floor Trends will follow the students over the 10-week period and report on their progress. So, stay tuned. To learn more, visit fcef.org.

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Beth Miller began her journalistic journey in 2005 while still working as a mechanic in her dad’s garage. She has written about everything from artists to WWII veterans and in 2010 stepped into the healthcare sector where she created digital content for 11 years. She, then, received her master’s degree in English from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. In 2017, she took the leap into the flooring industry. Here, she has discovered a place where she can apply both her technical and journalistic abilities.