diff --git a/config/tslint.config.js b/config/tslint.config.js
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..7fd6eea3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/config/tslint.config.js
@@ -0,0 +1,9 @@
+module.exports = {
+
+  tsLintConfig: './tslint.json',
+
+  exclude: [
+    '**/node_modules/**/*'
+  ]
+
+}
diff --git a/src/lint.ts b/src/lint.ts
index a55b15d7..9a717352 100644
--- a/src/lint.ts
+++ b/src/lint.ts
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ import { join } from 'path';
 import { lintFiles } from './lint/lint-utils';
 import { createProgram, getFileNames } from './lint/lint-factory';
 import { Logger } from './logger/logger';
-import { getUserConfigFile } from './util/config';
+import { getUserConfigFile, fillConfigDefaults } from './util/config';
 import { ENV_BAIL_ON_LINT_ERROR, ENV_TYPE_CHECK_ON_LINT } from './util/constants';
 import { getBooleanPropertyValue } from './util/helpers';
 import { getTsConfigPath } from './transpile';
@@ -15,17 +15,19 @@ import { runWorker } from './worker-client';
 export interface LintWorkerConfig {
   tsConfig: string;
   tsLintConfig: string | null;
+  configFile?: string | null;
   filePaths?: string[];
   typeCheck?: boolean;
+  exclude?: string[];
 }
 
 
 const taskInfo: TaskInfo = {
   fullArg: '--tslint',
   shortArg: '-i',
-  envVar: 'ionic_tslint',
-  packageConfig: 'IONIC_TSLINT',
-  defaultConfigFile: '../tslint'
+  envVar: 'IONIC_TSLINT',
+  packageConfig: 'ionic_tslint',
+  defaultConfigFile: 'tslint.config'
 };
 
 
@@ -44,11 +46,15 @@ export function lint(context: BuildContext, tsLintConfig?: string | null, typeCh
 }
 
 export function lintWorker(context: BuildContext, {tsConfig, tsLintConfig, typeCheck}: LintWorkerConfig) {
+  const configFile: string = getUserConfigFile(context, taskInfo, null);
+  const { tsLintCofig: tsLintDefaultConfig, exclude } = fillConfigDefaults(configFile, taskInfo.defaultConfigFile);
+  tsLintConfig = tsLintConfig || tsLintDefaultConfig;
   return getLintConfig(context, tsLintConfig)
     .then(tsLintConfig => lintApp(context, {
       tsConfig,
       tsLintConfig,
-      typeCheck
+      typeCheck,
+      exclude
     }));
 }
 
@@ -58,7 +64,7 @@ export function lintUpdate(changedFiles: ChangedFile[], context: BuildContext, t
   return runWorker('lint', 'lintUpdateWorker', context, {
     typeCheck,
     tsConfig: getTsConfigPath(context),
-    tsLintConfig: getUserConfigFile(context, taskInfo, null),
+    tsLintConfig: getTsLintConfig(context, null),
     filePaths: changedTypescriptFiles.map(changedTypescriptFile => changedTypescriptFile.filePath)
   });
 }
@@ -72,16 +78,16 @@ export function lintUpdateWorker(context: BuildContext, {tsConfig, tsLintConfig,
 }
 
 
-function lintApp(context: BuildContext, {tsConfig, tsLintConfig, typeCheck}: LintWorkerConfig) {
+function lintApp(context: BuildContext, {tsConfig, tsLintConfig, typeCheck, exclude}: LintWorkerConfig) {
   const program = createProgram(context, tsConfig);
-  const files = getFileNames(context, program);
+  const files = getFileNames(context, program, exclude);
   return lintFiles(context, program, tsLintConfig, files, {typeCheck});
 }
 
 
 function getLintConfig(context: BuildContext, tsLintConfig: string | null): Promise<string> {
   return new Promise((resolve, reject) => {
-    tsLintConfig = getUserConfigFile(context, taskInfo, tsLintConfig);
+    tsLintConfig = getTsLintConfig(context);
     if (!tsLintConfig) {
       tsLintConfig = join(context.rootDir, 'tslint.json');
     }
@@ -100,3 +106,12 @@ function getLintConfig(context: BuildContext, tsLintConfig: string | null): Prom
     });
   });
 }
+
+function getTsLintConfig(context: BuildContext, configFile?: string): string {
+  configFile = getUserConfigFile(context, taskInfo, configFile);
+  let { tsLintConfig } = fillConfigDefaults(configFile, taskInfo.defaultConfigFile);
+  if (tsLintConfig) {
+    tsLintConfig = join(context.rootDir, tsLintConfig);
+  }
+  return tsLintConfig;
+}
diff --git a/src/lint/lint-factory.spec.ts b/src/lint/lint-factory.spec.ts
index 72aecf51..524d128c 100644
--- a/src/lint/lint-factory.spec.ts
+++ b/src/lint/lint-factory.spec.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 import { Configuration, Linter } from 'tslint';
 import { DiagnosticCategory } from 'typescript';
 import * as ts from 'typescript';
+import * as glob from 'glob';
 import { isObject } from 'util';
 import {
   createLinter,
@@ -78,6 +79,27 @@ describe('lint factory', () => {
       expect(Array.isArray(files)).toBeTruthy();
       expect(files).toEqual(mockFiles);
     });
+
+    it('should exclude the files matching the ignore pattern', () => {
+      const context: any = {rootDir: ''};
+      const program = createProgram(context, '');
+      const mockFiles = ['test.ts', 'node_modules/folder/file.ts'];
+
+      spyOn(Linter, 'getFileNames').and.returnValue(mockFiles);
+      const globSyncSpy = spyOn(glob, 'sync').and.callFake((file: string, options: any) => {
+        return file === mockFiles[0] ? [mockFiles[0]] : [];
+      });
+
+      const files = getFileNames(context, program, ['**/node_modules/**/*']);
+
+      expect(Array.isArray(files)).toBeTruthy();
+      expect(files).toEqual(mockFiles.slice(0, 1));
+      expect(globSyncSpy).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(2);
+      globSyncSpy.calls.allArgs().map((args, index) => {
+        expect(args[0]).toBe(mockFiles[index]);
+        expect(args[1]).toEqual({ignore: ['**/node_modules/**/*'], nodir: true});
+      });
+    });
   });
 
   describe('typeCheck()', () => {
diff --git a/src/lint/lint-factory.ts b/src/lint/lint-factory.ts
index 38f20052..2fb46594 100644
--- a/src/lint/lint-factory.ts
+++ b/src/lint/lint-factory.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 import { Configuration, Linter, LintResult } from 'tslint';
 import { Program, getPreEmitDiagnostics, Diagnostic } from 'typescript';
+import * as glob from 'glob';
 import { BuildContext } from '../util/interfaces';
 import { isObject } from 'util';
 
@@ -64,10 +65,18 @@ export function createProgram(context: BuildContext, tsConfig: string): Program
  * Get all files that are sourced in TS config
  * @param {BuildContext} context
  * @param {Program} program
+ * @param {Array<string>} excludePatterns
  * @return {Array<string>}
  */
-export function getFileNames(context: BuildContext, program: Program): string[] {
-  return Linter.getFileNames(program);
+export function getFileNames(context: BuildContext, program: Program, excludePatterns?: string[]): string[] {
+  let files: string[] = Linter.getFileNames(program);
+  if (excludePatterns) {
+    const globOptions = { ignore: excludePatterns, nodir: true };
+    files = files
+      .map((file: string) => glob.sync(file, globOptions))
+      .reduce((a: string[], b: string[]) => a.concat(b), []);
+  }
+  return files;
 }