BAL’s Training and Technical Support Team cover the whole of the UK and work with our Area and Regional Sales Manager to offer practical knowledge and on-site advice and training.
We even offer FREE moisture testing, to advise whether your new screed is ready for tiling.
If you’ve experienced a problem on your installation, you can trust BAL to offer dependable solutions and remedies. What’s more, we’ll even send samples away for independent analysis at our laboratories to find the cause of the problem.
So if you’re looking for training and support on the job, contact our Support Team today.
UK Head of Training
Lewis joined BAL in 2012 after an extensive career as a tiler, first joining the industry in 1996 at a family-run plastering business with specialism in wall and floor tiling. Lewis is a qualified assessor and also holds a Certificate of Education allowing him to teach adults in tiling techniques.
ARDEXacademy North Support Technician
Todd joined ARDEX in 2025, following many years working for Topps Tiles. At Topps, Todd started as a sales advisor before becoming an assistant manager in 2018. In 2020 he was promoted to Store Manager and ran the successful Topps Tiles Clearance store in Stoke. Todd assists the ARDEXacademy North with course delivery and set-up, as well as producing sales aids and demonstration tools for all Training and Technical Support Managers.
North West
Dave has over 27 years’ experience in tiling, having joined the industry upon leaving school and gaining a City & Guilds Advanced Craft qualification in wall and floor tiling through an apprenticeship. He is also Lead Judge for the wall and floor tiling section of SkillBuild, the national construction competition for apprentices run by the CITB. He is a TTA Board Member and Chairman of the Training Committee.
South West and South Wales
Lino has been with the company for more than 15 years and has more than 30 years’ experience in the tiling industry having begun his career in the tiles department of Gardiners Home Improvement Centre. He rose to Merchandising Manager at Tileflair before moving to BAL as a PST in 2000.
Scotland
James has more than 25 years’ experience in the industry having first worked as an Apprentice Tile Fixer for his father. James ran his own wall and floor tiling business for more than 14 years before joining BAL as a Product Support Technician in August 2008.
Qualifying at South Birmingham College, David has over 25 years of extensive experience running his own tiling company including subcontracting for prestigious companies such as Fired Earth and Jackfield Tile Restoration, with projects all over the country.
David always maintained CPD a crucial aspect of his business and to keep abreast of current fixing techniques and innovations continued to attend courses held at suppliers such as BAL. He returned to SBC on a part-time basis where he assisted in delivering NVQ tiling courses, therefore he is well placed to promote the benefits of continued learning and development.
East Midlands
After leaving school in 1988, aged 16, Matthew originally wanted to become a chef but, having helped out his father, a floorlayer, on weekends, he knew flooring was the job for him.
Having spent 2 years as a YTS apprentice, Matthew went on to work with his father for various companies all over the UK in subfloor preparation and the application of soft floor finishes, such as sheet vinyl flooring, carpet, and carpet tiles to name a few.
This was until 1997, when there became an opportunity for Matthew to become a General Manager for Yorkshire Flooring in Hull. Matthew stayed there for 4 years before being approached to set up a new flooring company, called Fullmarsh Flooring.
Matthew was employed there until 2007 before going back to being self-employed in 2011, after he saw an opportunity to grow his own company working within the retail and care home sector. Matthew did his until September 2022, before joining the ARDEX team.
North East
Gary started in the flooring industry with an apprenticeship in 1990 at 16 years of age, straight out of school. He spent four years learning commercial flooring, including cap and coved flooring and industrial vinyl, before moving on to another company installing carpet and LVT as well as the previous floorcoverings. Gary went self-employed in 2004 fitting mainly LVT, before he started attending manufacturers’ courses soon after to upskill, soon becoming an Amtico and Karndean approved installer.
In 2016, Gary did a Floorskills LVT Level 1 course before completing his Level 2 in LVT installation. In 2019 he entered the European LVT fitter of the year competition and really enjoyed it, in the process getting a passion for training.
On the back of the competition, he got asked to become an installer trainer for Floorskills training centre and a part-time technical advisor for Moduleo, a leading LVT manufacturer, before joining ARDEX in 2022.
East Anglia / North London
Ricki joined BAL in 2026 following many years on the tools. He is experienced in both tiling and flooring, having previously owned his own flooring company, as well as working for large contractors.
South Coast
Hailing from Bognor Regis, Jack has many years experience in the flooring industry, working as a floor layer for a large family firm on the South Coast.
