of the installation cannot immedi- ately have additional stone courses stacked on top of them. That’s because the bond coat will not cure rapidly enough to allow the installation to proceed with more than two to three courses of stone installed per day. This is where col- laboration with the Merkrete team was critical. Merkrete Burst rapid- setting additive was recommended and used with 820 Merlite, pro- viding a rapid initial set, which allowed the entire installation to proceed quickly and far more effi- ciently than it would have with a standard-cure setting mortar. As Brian Tuller, Keystone Masonry’s project manager for the installation described it, “Merkrete’s Burst was vital to our ability to keep this project on schedule, particularly when you consider the extremely fast-track work schedule that the general contractor assigned to the project. Had it not been for inclusion of the Burst Additive, we wouldn’t have been able to install anywhere near the amount of square footage of stone that we would have with a standard mortar without the rapid- setting characteristics that Burst provided.” Merkrete, Keystone Masonry teams collaborate to overcome weather challenges Merkrete sales and technical teams worked directly with con- tractors to ensure the products FEATURE: Merkete products allow installers to adhere to fast-track schedule 36 TileLetter | April 2017