Community Highlights: Meet Joshua Cooke of Lusso Porcelain & Design

Today we’d like to introduce you to Joshua Cooke.

Hi Joshua, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work life, how can you bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
As a kid, I grew up in Anaheim, California; my dad and grandfather were Tile installers by trade. I remember going to work with my dad when I was about 9 or 10 years old, and when we arrived at the very luxurious home where Dad was Installing a Marble shower in, I remember thinking that this was what I wanted to do when I grew up, just like Dad! Of course, that dream changed as I entered my teen years, performing concerts as a guitarist and vocalist in a rock band and competing in golden gloves boxing competitions. I planned to tour with my band during the summer and continue to compete and excel in boxing! Then reality set in when I realized that playing gigs at fairgrounds cost more money than I was making! It was time to start working with Dad and learning to set tiles to fund my whimsical ambitions! So, I started working weekends and summers when I was 15 as a helper, then an apprentice, and eventually transitioned to a full-time Tile installer straight out of High School.

Starting the summer of 97, working alongside my father, grandfather, brother, and cousin, I had a blast working in many amazing homes around Kansas City and installing beautiful mosaics, custom marble showers, and more! I remember that first summer getting to work for a KC Chiefs football player and a bank robber! But those are both stories for another time!

Over the years, as my passion grew for the industry and a desire to advance in my skillsets drove me more and more to seek training opportunities and advancements to land more extensive and better jobs, I soon found myself privileged to work in some of the most gorgeous and extravagant homes in Kansas City! From World Series home run hitter Joe Carter in his Hallbrook mansion to Sprint CEO Gary Forsee’s Brookside townhome and even KC Chiefs Quarterback Alex Smith’s Highrise Plaza condo and many more of the like! With vast experience and knowledge gained from over 25 years of professional service in the Tile and construction industry, and the opportunity to work on projects that ranged from small bathroom remodels to large and extravagant custom new home projects upwards of 20,000sf, and additionally worked as a journeyman setter for several years in the commercial tile industry of KC on Union projects such as the new Harrah’s Casino Hotel, The Oak Park Mall, Garmin Headquarters and more.

About 3 years ago, I received a call from a previous colleague named Tim, who worked for one of KC’s top Building/Remodeling companies at the time. He told me, “Josh, why haven’t you started your Tile company yet?” He then told me they needed a tile installer that could execute an impeccable job for their particular client, and their search needed to be revised. I had already been considering starting my own business for quite some time, so when I heard that the special client was Patrick Mahomes, I gathered everything I needed to structure my company and formed “JC Tile & Stone.” One week later, Tim informed me that he had left his position as the Mahomes Project builder and was working for a new builder “Umm, What, Tim?!#!&%?#!

Luckily, I had gone out personally marketing in KC the week before and was already getting plenty of calls to keep my new business busy. Now I did receive a call from the Mahomes builder about a month later, but by then, they had already chosen the Tile contractor for his project and wanted me to take on another important client. That was the project I finished earlier last year, and they used a porcelain shower I had installed for them for the feature in their promo in DesignKC magazine.

JC Tile & Stone is thriving! I have calls coming in regularly from past customers telling their friends and family about my work, I have @jctileandstone Tik-Tok Tile videos generating upwards of 1.5 million views, and there is another exciting venture that I have partnered in with local business owner Adam Christiansen of Tile Nation, to bring the future of luxury surfaces to Kansas City! Namely 5x10ft, Thin Porcelain Tile Slabs, aka “Gauged Porcelain Tile Panels!”

As we all know, the demand for bigger tiles has continued over the years! And for good reason! Bigger tiles mean fewer grout joints and less maintenance, especially with a solid fine porcelain surface! Not only is Porcelain a much “Greener” hygienic and lower maintenance luxury surface than traditional quartz or stone slabs, but with the advancements in manufacturing technology, they can produce porcelain slabs with an impeccable likeness to the natural stones they are fashioned after! Whether building or remodeling a bathroom, kitchen, or exterior living space, these porcelain surfaces are heat resistant, scratch resistant, UV resistant, impervious to moisture, stain resistant, and antimicrobial. They will last for a lifetime in any space when appropriately installed. These gigantic porcelain tiles started in Italy over 2 decades ago. Though they are standard in Europe for luxury surfaces and have been popular on the east and west coast of the US for quite some time, they are just beginning to gain more interest and attraction here in the Midwest!

But the problem is that if a homeowner, builder, or designer wanted to purchase some 10ft Porcelain slabs anywhere in the mid-west, as of today, there is a minimal selection of colors that are only stocked in a few local distributors’ showrooms. And to add to that dilemma, over 90% of the distributors, builders, and designers I talk to in KC need help finding a trained and qualified installer for these huge pieces of porcelain! And to have a few slabs shipped in from a distributor with a larger range, you could spend a small fortune on shipping alone!

So when Adam approached me about partnering with him in this new endeavor, it was a no-brainer! Adam had already been feverishly working for many years honing his craft to bring installation training and awareness of these amazing porcelain slabs to installers and distributors in the mid-west, and just in the past couple of years, Adam with his two other business partners, Chris Rachel and Craig Harimon, have formed the nation’s foremost, gauged porcelain installer training company, with over 160 installers trained to date by Tile Nation and well more than 300 persons trained by Adam himself.

With qualified installers by the hundreds that are now eager and passionate to employ their skills, all we needed to do was to search the world for the finest and most stunning porcelain surfaces available. Luckily there are a few international trade shows each year in the U.S. where all of the major manufacturers in the Tile and stone industry from around the world gather together to showcase their products. After many flights, meetings, research, emails, phone calls, and more, we have landed on and partnered with an Italian company that is world-renowned for producing some of the finest porcelain products out of Italy (drumroll) “Infinity Surfaces!”

Coming to Kansas City this summer “Lusso Porcelain & Design,” Sales, Design, and Installation! Our region’s first exclusive, Gauged Porcelain luxury surfaces showroom! Not only will we offer a wide range of fine Italian porcelain produced by “Infinity Surfaces,” but also, we have partnered with many other producers of luxury home products, PITT Cooking, with their amazing “state of the art” gas or induction burners that are seamlessly integrated into any porcelain surface that we offer! Our Grand Opening Launch Party is set for a TBA date in July. Still, following that, we plan to regularly host events and dinner parties, showcasing new products, installation demos, cooking classes, and more! Kitchen cabinets and appliances, bathroom vanities, sinks and fixtures, art, furniture, Led home lighting, and more.

You wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been fairly smooth?
Honestly, as I look back at my career, I can’t remember anything that I consider a rough road or struggle some a little slump during the 08 housing market blip, but besides that, it’s been fairly smooth sailing. But I struggle with the amount of unqualified labor passed off as “professional service” in the Tile surfaces, remodeling, and construction industry. In the past few months, I have replaced 2 showers and 1 kitchen backsplash, and all 3 projects were for separate clients who had their tilework completed within the last year before my arrival. Both showers were leaking (one through the living room ceiling) because of improper waterproofing installation, and the kitchen looked tiled by Stevie Wonder! I feel terrible for these customers when they spend good money on quality service and are left with a product that either fails or looks like crap! Just a word of advice. When a custom tiled shower costs range from 5-50k, you want to pay only once! Due diligence when selecting a contractor!

Let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
“Lusso” is the Italian word for Luxury. When a person buys a luxury item, they should expect the best in every way; a quality product that incites comfort, affluence, and excitement. A true showpiece that indeed brings joy and will last the test of time! Regarding a tile/porcelain slab installation, many materials and supplies must be installed according to manufacturer specs and industry standards to function correctly and last time. As I mentioned, many unqualified installers are posing as professionals in our industry. As you may notice on my TikTok channel, a large portion of my content is geared towards teaching proper installation methods and raising awareness of industry standards.

In 2011, through the Ceramic Tile Education Foundation, I received my installer certification (CTI #900), and since then, I have sought to advance myself in precision installations and customer service skills. At JC Tile & Stone and Lusso Porcelain, we are known for being sticklers for perfection and for handling every job with care, precision, integrity, and pride. Installation-wise, we are set apart from others for our dedication and respect for every customer and project. We use only the best materials, adhere to installation specs, strive for perfection, and offer a lifetime warranty with every installation! As for the new, premier showroom we are opening this summer in KC, what we will be known for and set apart from others is, as mentioned before, every one of the existing competitor showrooms in KC and the surrounding area is traditional tile and flooring stores that are beginning to partially embrace the future of luxury porcelain surfaces by offering a few displays in their showroom and has a minimal stock of colors and textures in their Porcelain slab offerings.

The new Lusso Porcelain & Design showroom will have over 2000sqft amazing displays such as a working shower, a freestanding luxury tub display, a full Kitchen, a sitting room with a grand fireplace, 10ft sliding curtain walls containing full slabs in all their glory, a design and meeting room decked out in even more luxurious porcelain offerings, cladded vanities, cabinets, furniture, art pieces and much, much more! No other showroom within hundreds of miles of KC offers such a wide and stunning range of fine porcelain slabs! Additionally, we offer installation services by trained professionals who have proven their expertise in gauged porcelain installations through an extensive training course conducted by Tile Nation—the foremost installer training company in the U.S. when most other showrooms and local distributors have sent some traditional tile guys to a 1-day crash course class to try and learn a few basics on dealing with these massive pieces of porcelain, before sending them out on their 1st job to break slabs ( this is the method and result of most local competitors)!

We’re proud to be able to offer a turnkey service, from competitive pricing on a vast selection of porcelain slabs, Design services to inspire imagination and vision on any project to professional installations that are backed by a guarantee. From luxurious showstopping bathrooms to jaw-dropping grand kitchens and everything in between, we’re sure you will find the surface of your design home dreams!

What changes are you expecting over the next 5-10 years?
“As we all know, over the years, the demand for bigger and bigger tiles has not stopped! And for good reason! Bigger tiles mean fewer grout joints and less maintenance, especially with a solid fine porcelain surface! Not only is Porcelain a much “Greener” hygienic and lower maintenance luxury surface than traditional quartz or stone slabs, but with the advancements in manufacturing technology, they can produce porcelain slabs with impeccable similarity to the natural stones they are fashioned after! Whether building or remodeling a bathroom, kitchen, or exterior living space, these porcelain surfaces are heat resistant, scratch resistant, UV resistant, frost resistant, stain resistant, antimicrobial, impervious to liquids, and therefore inhospitable for the growth of bacteria and molds. When appropriately installed, they will last a lifetime in any interior or exterior space. These gigantic porcelain tiles started in Italy over 2 decades ago. Though they are standard in Europe for luxury surfaces and have been popular on the east and west coast of the US for quite some time, they are just beginning to gain more interest and attraction here in the Midwest!”

New products and advancements in fashion and design are usually quite delayed in gaining acceptance in the Mid-west U.S., Often starting in Cities of the world, rich in culture and art like Milan, Paris, Dubai, etc., soon landing in the American metropolis scene the east and west coast and eventually finding its way into the fashion boutiques and design studios of the Mid-west. However, traditional marble installations, mosaic tile art, ceramic deco, and accents will always retain their beauty and importance in luxury surface design for homes and commercial applications. I firmly believe, along with many other colleagues in our industry, that solid porcelain surfaces will replace most home surfaces that would have been traditionally surfaced with ceramic tile, marble, quartz, or granite. Granite and Marble are considered to be unsustainable materials as they are non-renewable resources and have very energy-intensive manufacturing processes. As these materials need to be extracted, their impact on the environment is irreversible. And don’t get me started on the issue of quartz about to be banned because of the many deaths related to lung disease caused by its fabrication process. (Just google “quarts countertops to be banned in Australia”).

So not only will manufactured porcelain surfaces be the better alternative to many as we develop a more comprehensive “Green” initiative for the manufacturing of building materials, globally moving towards a cleaner future, but also the many advantages porcelain has as a superior, low maintenance surface for the end user. And you can’t tell me when you look at even just the picture of the Ocean Blue Bathroom Accent Wall or the many luxurious porcelain surfaces that you don’t say, “I Want That Porcelain In My House!”

Contact Info:

• Website: https://lussoporcelain.com
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100090493503464
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@jctileandstone 

Image Credits
All photos by Joshua Cooke