TECH TALK –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Now TEC® Power Grout® Ultimate Performance Grout performs even bet- ter, achieving the highest standards for a cement-based grout. To make instal- lation easier and faster, Power Grout has an extended pot life of 60-80 min- utes and a fast-set time of just 4 hours. The new formulation’s greater stain resistance better protects the long-term beauty of the grout. Improved Power Grout guarantees color uniformity and zero efflorescence*, a competi- tive advantage proven by independent testing. Additionally, Power Grout sets itself apart as the only cement-based grout to exceed 10,000 psi compres- sive strength, to deliver the strongest grout joints. Power Grout provides excellent performance on floors and walls in virtually any envi- ronment includ- ing high traffic areas, wet condi- tions, and from residential up to extra heavy com- mercial applications. The breakthrough technology in Power Grout provides benefits that reduce installer callbacks. tecspecialty.com. *For details about the TEC® Power Grout® Limited Lifetime Warranty, contact your sales associate or visit tecspecialty.com. industry. “Interest in gauged tiles has been growing exponentially the last few years,” says Eric Astrachan, execu- tive director, Tile Council of North America (TCNA), which serves as secretariat of the committee. “Such growth encourages more products to enter the marketplace, but without standards tile con- sumers would have no way to know what to expect in terms of performance. “Installers especially were ask- ing for standards to allow for installation practices to be devel- oped based on consistent tile properties,” Astrachan added. “Without such, it was feared, that problems resulting from an unde- fined range of products could have hindered growth of this exciting market segment. We are very pleased to announce these standards today and congratulate and thank the many across our industry that worked for years on their development. We hope these standards, the first of their kind in the world, will help lead the way forward to international gauged tile standards.” A free download of a preview copy is available from TCNA at www.tileusa.com, and a professional publication of both standards will be available for pur- chase from TCNA in July. 56 TileLetter | May 2017