What Certified Installers does

Certified Installers, legally the International Certified Flooring Installers Association (CFI), is a 501(c)(6) non-profit trade association founded in 1993 and operating as a division of the World Floor Covering Association (WFCA), headquartered in Dalton, Georgia. CFI provides professional certification and hands-on technical training for flooring installers across five product categories: carpet, resilient, hardwood, laminate, and ceramic. Its core offerings are certification courses (the prerequisite for membership), tiered membership programs for installers and educational partners, a "Find an Installer" public directory, the Flooring Specialist trade magazine, and the annual CFI Convention.

CFI has no proprietary technology platform; its digital footprint consists of a WordPress-based marketing site (cfiinstallers.org), a Wild Apricot-backed online member portal for event signup and membership administration, and a Constant Contact e-newsletter. The training function is delivered in-person at a dedicated facility and warehouse in Dalton, Georgia, supported by an educational partner ecosystem that includes major manufacturers and suppliers such as Mohawk, Shaw, Ardex, Tarkett, MAPEI, Schonox, Uzin, Wagner Meters, and Sunbelt Rentals, with Mohawk Performance Accessories holding a flagship co-branded training partnership.

The business model is membership- and event-driven: revenue is generated through recurring membership dues from individual installers and educational partners, registration fees for certification courses, convention sponsorships and attendance, and media-kit advertising in Flooring Specialist magazine. The organization employs approximately 9 people and serves a long tail of professional flooring installers and industry manufacturers rather than any single enterprise customer.

Name

Certified Installers

Legal name

International Certified Flooring Installers Association

Website

https://cfiinstallers.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1993

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Certified Installers (CFI) is a 501(c)(6) non-profit trade association, founded in 1993 and operating as a division of the World Floor Covering Association, that provides hands-on certification, training, and membership services to professional flooring installers across carpet, resilient, hardwood, laminate, and ceramic categories.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Trade Certification and Professional Training Services

akta.pro primary industry

Flooring (Tile, Hardwood, Carpet & Resilient) (EDAOAAAG)

Keywords

• Flooring installer certification
• Professional trade training
• Flooring installation courses
• Trade association membership
• Hands-on installation training

Headquarters

HQ city

Dalton

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: CFI generates revenue through membership fees from certified installers and educational partners. The membership page offers different tiers including individual installers and educational partners.
2. Certification Courses: Revenue is generated from certification training courses. The first step to becoming a member is successfully attending certification courses, which require registration fees.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

International Certified Flooring Installers (CFI) provides professional certification and hands-on training for flooring installers across carpet, resilient, hardwood, laminate, and ceramic categories. It operates a tiered membership program for individual installers and educational partners, maintains an online Find an Installer directory, and publishes the Flooring Specialist trade magazine. Founded in 1993 and operating as a 501(c)(6) non-profit division of the World Floor Covering Association.

Product overview

The International Certified Flooring Installers (CFI) is a professional training and certification organization for flooring installers. The company operates as a single unified offering centered around its certification programs, providing professional development through educational hands-on and technical training across all flooring categories (Carpet, Resilient, Hardwood, Laminate, Ceramic). CFI's portfolio includes certification courses, a Find an Installer directory service, membership programs with educational partner benefits, and the Flooring Specialist magazine publication. The organization is a division of the World Floor Covering Association and has been dedicated to improving floor installation since 1993.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Flooring Certification Programs

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Mohawk Performance AccessoriescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCFI partnered with Mohawk Performance Accessories to create hands-on training, educational resources, and real-world support designed to help installers build skills, stay current, and succeed in the field. This is a flagship partnership focused on installer professional development.
• World Floor Covering AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCFI is a division of the World Floor Covering Association (WFCA), a 501(c)6 non-profit organization headquartered in Dalton, GA. This organizational relationship provides strategic alignment and access to the broader flooring industry network.
• Performance AccessoriescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to create hands-on training, educational resources, and real-world support designed to help installers build skills, stay current, and succeed in the field.
• Educational Partners (Mohawk, Shaw, Ardex, Tarkett, Uzin, Schonox, MAPEI, Sunbelt-Rentals, Wagner Meters, and others)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerCFI maintains a network of educational partners including major flooring manufacturers and suppliers who support installer training and certification programs. Partner logos are displayed on the CFI website indicating collaborative relationships in the flooring industry ecosystem.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Broad incumbents

• NCCER (National Center for Construction Education and Research): NCCER develops standardized craft training curricula and credentials across multiple construction trades. While not flooring-specific, it competes in the broader construction trade certification space and could expand into flooring installer credentials over time.
• World Floor Covering Association (WFCA): WFCA is CFI's parent organization and the broader flooring industry trade association serving retailers, installers, and manufacturers. It provides organizational scale and a wider industry network beyond CFI's specialized certification focus, and oversees CFI's strategic direction.
• National Tile Contractors Association (NTCA): NTCA is a trade association for tile and stone contractors that offers training programs, technical standards, and certifications. It overlaps with CFI in the ceramic tile installation category but primarily focuses on contractor business support rather than installer credentials alone.

Direct peers

• FCICA (Flooring Contractors Association): FCICA is a trade association serving flooring installation contractors and delivering training, certifications, and industry events. It operates in the same installer trade ecosystem as CFI and shares overlapping partner relationships in the flooring industry.
• INSTALL (International Standards & Training Alliance): INSTALL is a flooring installation training and certification program developed in partnership with the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and the flooring industry. It directly competes with CFI as a standardized certification body for professional flooring installers across the same trade categories.
• National Wood Flooring Association (NWFA): NWFA is a trade association providing certification and training for wood flooring professionals, including certified installer credentials. It directly competes with CFI in the hardwood flooring certification category with a similar certification-plus-education model.
• Ceramic Tile Education Foundation (CTEF): CTEF offers the Certified Tile Installer (CTI) program through hands-on training and testing. It directly competes with CFI's ceramic tile certification track within the broader flooring installer credentialing market.

Others

• Carpet and Rug Institute (CRI): CRI is the trade association for the U.S. carpet and rug industry supporting manufacturers and supply chain partners. It is adjacent to CFI's certification mission through industry standards, sustainability programs, and installer-related initiatives rather than direct certification competition.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/certified-installers

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Certified Installers