Five of the best tilers from around the world, as determined by Davco’s Best Tiler competition, travelled to Guangzhou, China where the crowning event was held. Representing Australia was David Snodgrass who claimed the title of Australia’s Best Tiler in September after winning the Queensland regional and taking top spot at the national final held in Sydney.

Davco sales representative and current world skills judge, Peter Steinweiss, was also representing Australia as an official judge and mentor. “From day one, David has been entirely and wholeheartedly committed to the competition. His passion for his trade drives his success and Davco is very proud to have had such a humble, hardworking individual representing Australia. It’s been an honour to mentor David and support him on this extraordinary journey”, said Peter.

The international competition took place across three days which included training, theory and practical components. David was up against a very talented group of competitors from France, Paraguay, Argentina, Morocco and twenty-two participants from host nation, China.

After all the glue had dried, David finished in first place out of the five international participants and third overall. “This experience has been incredible! The people I’ve met, the places I’ve travelled and the support I’ve received from Davco has been boundless. I encourage everyone to give it a go, it’s a once in a lifetime experience”, he said.

Prior to the event in China, seven regional champions competed in a two-day event for the chance to claim the prestigious title of “Australia’s Best Tiler”. The location of the national competition was TAFE Macquarie Fields in New South Wales, with industry tools and educators on hand to guide participants through their day.

With the majority of the tiling done, Davco’s brand ambassador and former NRL player Mark ‘MG’ Geyer, dropped in to meet and encourage the participants.

Once the official competition wrapped up, the group headed out for an exclusive Davco NRL experience where they could unwind after an intensive few days. During half-time, Andrew Nunn, managing director of Davco Australia announced David as the winner of Australia’s Best Tiler.

David began tiling in 1997 and was inspired by his neighbour who was a tiler and would often ask him to help out when the apprentice was away. Whilst busy working in a tile store, David realised that he could help do repairs and handyman work for customers that other tilers didn’t want to do. Going back to study and obtaining his licence, David now has his own tiling business called, Q Tile Rite.

“The commitment shown by all competitors has been amazing”, said Andrew. “They’ve each sacrificed a day’s wages to earn a spot in the national final. Davco has always been committed to the tiling industry and development of skills. We are proud to give David the opportunity to represent Australia in the world championship event in China.”

Pictured: National winner, David Snodgrass (left) and Davco Australia managing director, Andrew Nunn