The NTCA Reference Manual, an annual compendium of standards-based industry wisdom, tips, and techniques in a cause/cure/prevention format, is now available.

NTCA Members are currently receiving this 338-page volume as part of their membership, but other industry members can obtain their copy at the NTCA Online Store in print or in PDF format.  

Users can browse the table of contents for the issue they are dealing with and find recommendations as to what caused the problem, what to do to fix or cure it, and how to not do it again – prevention. It is chock full of photographs that illustrate the issue in question or the proper way to address the situation. 

There are also numerous sample letters on various topics, with an index on page 337. They have been written and vetted by contractors, architects and attorneys to contain accurate information that offer precautions and recommendations to GCs, glass installers, design professionals, homeowners and the like. Tile contractors can add their logos and signatures to customize the letters, and give them to the appropriate party to document cautions and recommendations, potentially saving hassles and headaches down the road and providing documented protections for tile contractors. 

The NTCA Reference Manual is updated annually, through two meetings of the NTCA Technical Committee each year – a coalition of leading experts in the tile, stone and allied products industry, organized into various committees. The NTCA Technical Committee continually works to update, revise, perfect and add new documents to the publication. Meetings of the NTCA Technical Committee, are open to the public and take place at Total Solutions Plus in October, and at Coverings, in April.. 

Changes are made at the discretion of the Committee members. Both Becky Serbin, NTCA Education and Curriculum Director, as well as Dan Lambert of NTCA Five-Star Contractor  Member Lambert Tile and Stone, Eagle, Colo., have invested countless hours in updates and revisions in this edition – an ongoing process. Editorial updates and additions to the 2023-2024 NTCA Reference Manual include:

Editorial updates

  • Chapter 2 Substrates 21
  • Chapter 3 Membranes 83
  • Chapter 5 Thin-Bed Method Installation 111

New additions

  • Handmade Tile Installation 240
  • Handmade Tile Installation Techniques and Tips 241
  • Mesh Mounted Mosaics in Wet Areas 222
  • Profiles 35
  • Profile Issues for Tile and Stone Installations 36
  • Pressed Cement Tile 236
  • Pressed Cement Tile Maintenance issues 239

This year’s NTCA Reference Manual cover features the work of Lambert Tile and Stone of Eagle, Colo., depicting the “Mountain Glam” project, which won the contractor the 2023 Five-Star Project of the Year Residential Grand Prize. The ambitious project involved installing over 3,300 sq. ft. of gauged porcelain tile panels (GPTP) throughout the home. More images of this award winning project can be seen throughout this edition of the NTCA Reference Manual.  

The NTCA Reference Manual joins the TCNA Handbook for Ceramic, Glass and Stone Tile Installation and the ANSI Manual, as one of three essential industry publications that provide guidance and grounding in standards-based tile and stone installation.

For more NTCA news, click here.