Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 44 Page 45 Page 46 Page 47 Page 48 Page 49 Page 50 Page 51 Page 52 Page 53 Page 54 Page 55 Page 56 Page 57 Page 58 Page 59 Page 60 Page 61 Page 62 Page 63 Page 64 Page 65 Page 66 Page 67 Page 68 Page 69 Page 70 Page 71 Page 72 Page 73 Page 74 Page 75 Page 76 Page 77 Page 78 Page 79 Page 80 Page 81 Page 82 Page 83 Page 8446 2016 | TECH Substrates surface preparation and profiling product that eliminates labor intensive preparation, is environmentally safe and saves time and money. It’s specifically designed to prepare new or existing concrete and most cementitious substrates for the appli- cation of mortars, adhesives, paints, coatings or sealers. It eliminates the labor and time required for scarify- ing and grinding the concrete floor to acceptable surface by eliminating the use of shotblasting or floor scraping machines. The powerful water-based product also cleans and degreases, bringing soiled concrete back to life without man-handling equipment in unhealthy air. It removes dirt and grime from the concrete with the added benefit of leaving a 2-4 mil surface profile for a complete prepa- ration for applying mortars, adhesives, sealers, paints or coatings. Low-odor Prep and Profile is VOC-compliant and is an environmentally safe “green” product. www.vanhearron.com WATERPROOFING PRODUCTS ARDEX SK 175™ Waterproofing M e m b r a n e and Vapor Retarder for Tile and Stone Installations is a pliable, sheet-applied, bonded, top- side water- p r o o f i n g m e m b r a n e constructed of highly-durable poly- ethylene and a high-performance fleece webbing for a secure bond with ARDEX polymer modified mor- tars. Tile can be installed directly onto the membrane. With its very low perm rating. ARDEX SK 175 is ideal as the single-source solution for use in commercial steam rooms, residential showers, balconies; and it only requires one layer for swimming pools. www.ardexamericas.com Schluter®-Systems offers a series of new shower components that speed the process of completely waterproof- ing a shower area prior to tile installa- tion, providing reliable performance. All Schluter pre-formed shower bench- es and curbs are now constructed with waterproof and lightweight KERDI- BOARD building panels, so additional waterproofing of these elements is no longer required. All seams are com- pletely sealed so these load-bearing components can be quickly and easily installed using thin-set mortar, with a strip of waterproof membrane to be applied where the elements meet floors and walls. KERDI-BOARD panels are dimensionally stable, making the material an ideal substrate for tile. www.schluter.com The Noble Company’s ValueSeal® ultra-thin sheet membranes is extremely light and thin like competi- tive membrane, but it has features that no one else offers. First, it’s avail- able in a choice of 6’ and 3’ widths. The 6’ width simplifies installation and allows most shower floors to be waterproofed without a seam, which reduces the potential for leaks. Inside corners can be folded and bonded to the tile side of the backer board or installed behind the board. Walls can also be waterproofed with ValueSeal. Modified thin-set mortars can be used to install ValueSeal, which are preferred by tile manufacturers, especially for installing porcelain and glass tile. ValueSeal is also translu- cent, so coverage of the thin-set can be visually confirmed. Assurance of coverage is especially important with seams. ValueSeal holds a crease to simplify the installation. Lastly, as the name implies, ValueSeal offers great value with very competitive prices. www.noblecompany.com CONTRACTOR PERSPECTIVE––––––– CRACK ISOLATION Justin Kyle Kyle’s Tile Custom Tile Solutions Ocean View, Del. www.KylesTile.com The choices avail- able in uncoupling membranes seem to change almost month- ly. Until a few years ago, Schluter DITRA seemed to be the main product for this category. Now, just about every manu- facturer makes its own version of an uncoupling mat. Installers need to keep up with all of these new products and the pros and cons of each. My go to, everyday choice is LATICRETE STRATA_MAT. With the recent release of STRATA_MAT XT, I now have the ability to use this product to increase the tile height to match with hardwood flooring. Its width is longer than some other mats