The International Certified Flooring Installers Association (CFI) presented a ceramic and a laminate and wood training and certification at Surfaces 2014 Jan. 28-29, 2014. The event was a success with installers and sales associates attending from Arizona, California, Idaho, Kansas, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Washington and also from Ireland, Alberta, Canada and Newfoundland, Canada.
The Surfaces 2014 space was made possible by Traxx, H. B. Fuller (TEC), Schluter, Personna, Wagner Meters and Johnsonite. Bullet Tools, Koolglide, QEP, Delmhorst, DalTile, Mohawk, Gundlach, MK Diamond Products, Quick-Step, Lam-Hammer, Lowe’s, Black and Decker, Powernail, DeWalt, Bosch, Stanley, Tavy Tools, the World Floor Covering Association (WFCA) scholarships also supported the event.
Roy Lewis (Ala.) conducted the tile workshop with the assistance of Jim Rank (Mo.), Ed Braile (Mo.), Kelly Huddleston (Co.), Steve Davis (MA), Leon Harrison (Ariz.) and Jim Walker (Mo.). The installers who participated started the training by preparing the substrate and continued through completion of each step of a professional tile installation.
The laminate and wood training followed each step of several types of flooring from surface preparation through the completed installation. Tim Provence (Calif) and Bob Gillespie (Mo.) conducted the laminate and wood training with Alan Ellis (Iowa), Danny Sherman (Ga.), Dave Garden (Mich.), Efren Llamas (Calif.), George Johnson (Va.), Jonathan Varden (Texas), Roland Thompson (Md.), Tim Chavey (Calif.) and Tony Buckhardt (Ind.). Members of the CFI Team who also participated were Anthony Palandro (N.J.) of NALFA, Milton Harmon (Ga.) of Mohawk University, Joe Allyn and Scott Greenwood of Powernail, Tony Pastrana, Rick Herr and Ron Cramer of Armstrong and Dalen Gunn of Bullet Tools.
Speakers included Mike Lassetter of Traxx, Grant Huffine of TEC, Jason Spangler of Wagner Meters, Andy Acker of Schluter, Lane West of Personna, Dalen Gunn of Bullet Tools, Joe Allyn of Powernail, Milton Harmon of Mohawk University, Anthony Palandro of North American Laminate Flooring Association and Brett Miller of the National Wood Flooring Association.
Throughout the Surfaces 2014 Show, CFI members were visible conducting seminars and educational events. Following the training on Thursday in the CFI Booth, Jim Walker, Robert Varden, Jim Rank and Ed Braile conducted a patterned carpet seminar. Tim Provence and Bob Gillespie followed with demonstrations of seaming resilient flooring.
Scholarships for the event were made possible by the World Floor Covering Association.
Watch for CFI Training in all flooring surfaces sponsored by the World Floor Covering Association and hosted by the Maryland Northern Virginia Floor Covering Association at Fishman Solutions in Baltimore March 4-7. Requests are due by February 3rd to receive the $200.00 scholarship per installer that is available from the WFCA. Star Flooring and Design of Wichita, KS is hosting the WFCA Training March 18-21 with requests due by Feb. 17. The WFCA sponsored CFI training is also scheduled in Atlanta April 7-11 hosted by Fishman Solutions with more dates to be announced. The WFCA scholarships make a generous donation for the industry to become involved in installation and sales training. Please visit www.wfca.org and www.CFIinstallers.com for details concerning the events. CFI is also available to conduct training for individual stores and workrooms.
