Slippery Rock Gazette

MILE^®stone continued its MILE^®stone Academy Essential Gauged Porcelain Installation Training events with the fourth event held in September, 2023. 

The 3-day course was held in the Florim USA training area in a dedicated 5,000-square-foot space in the manufacturer’s factory located in Clarksville, Tennessee, equipped with the latest fabrication tools and materials. The class featured hands-on techniques taught by experts. Certified Installers and/or Licensed Contractors, interested in expanding their expertise to include gauged porcelain, were taught how to prepare, cut and install 48x110-inch gauged porcelain tiles using mocked-up shower stall settings.

MILE^®stone created the Academy to support its distribution network while also educating tile installers about gauged porcelain tile. Distributor customers were invited to reach out to Certified Installers and/or Licensed Contractors they have relationships with, to attend the course without a fee. 

Attendees appreciated that MILE^®stone is ‘dedicated to educating the labor force’. As one participant relayed, “any company that will provide training for their material shows that they take pride in the finished product as well as the production.”

After learning the skills to handle and install gauged porcelain tiles, and practicing during the length of the event, installers took a written exam to receive certification. The written exam featured questions on ANSI standards as well as the techniques they were taught.  

This training event continues with four more events to be held through November of this year. A new, 1-day abbreviated, informational course is in development. MILE^®stone will continue to develop courses like these to support distributors’ relationships with their local installers as well as educate installation professionals.

For more information on MILE^®stone Tile, visit www.milestonetiles.com.  

MILE^®stone, the manufactured brand of Florim USA, is proud to represent sustainable tile, made in the USA. We are committed to the environment and community by encouraging the use of building solutions through environmentally friendly practices. Florim USA, declared a Benefit Corporation in December 2022, combines an approach to sustainability that intersects with a business strategy embracing three areas of responsibility: economic, social, and environmental. In addition to numerous green memberships, accreditations, and certifications, MILE^®stone introduced the industry’s first Carbon Neutral Porcelain Tile and is taking steps to become completely carbon neutral.